No tests, no stress: three simple checks any parent can do this week to see where their child’s reading really is.
You do not need a formal assessment to get a good picture of your child’s reading. Three ten-minute checks — sounds, decoding, understanding — will tell you where they are and where to start helping.
Point at letters in a book, out of order, and ask for the sound (not the name). A child ready to blend knows most single sounds instantly. Hesitation on many letters means this is the place to start — whatever their grade.
Ask them to read a few made-up words: ‘zib’, ‘mep’, ‘flost’. Nonsense words can only be sounded out, so they reveal true decoding without memory or guessing. Confident nonsense-word reading means phonics is solid.
Have them read a short page silently, then ask what happened and why a character did something. Reading the words but missing the meaning points to comprehension and vocabulary work — more read-alouds, more talk.
Whatever the checks show, start practice at that level, not their grade label. Our grade pages — from Grade R to the Reading Booster for Grades 4–6 — let you begin wherever your child actually is.
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Our CAPS-aligned programme turns these ideas into fun, interactive lessons. Try the first two lessons of every grade for free.
Help your child become a confident reader. Explore the CAPS-aligned Saving Grace Learn to Read programme — the first two lessons of every grade are free, no card needed.
