A phonics program is a method of teaching reading and writing that focuses on the relationship between letters and sounds. It helps children learn how to decode (read) and encode (spell) words by recognising patterns in the way words are constructed. A structured phonics program typically teaches:
Letter-sound correspondence (e.g., “s” says /s/)
Blending sounds to read words (e.g., c-a-t → cat)
Segmenting sounds to spell words (e.g., dog → d-o-g)