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Their First

For grown-ups ·

Questions about Their First Reading

Their First Reading is a free English phonics workbook for a parent and a child, ages 3–7 and older beginners. Each lesson is a short Teach you do together, a Practice your child does alone, and a Read you share. Here is how it works.

The lessons

What will my child learn, and in what order?

142 lessons in seven stages, starting from a single sound. Stage 1 builds first words and sentences (m, a, s, t, then the short vowels and the common consonants). Later stages bring sh, ch and th; long vowels as in cake, bike and home; ai, ee, oa and endings like -ful; other spellings as in city, badge and knee; longer words such as phone and station; and finally word parts like dis-, mis- and -ness.

What happens in one lesson?

Three parts. Teach is you and your child together, about five minutes: a quick look back, the new sound or word, a few words to read, and a try on their own. Practice is your child alone, with a voice giving every instruction. Read is a page of words, and later sentences, that you read side by side. Practice and Read follow once Teach is done.

Do I need to know phonics?

No. Your page, on the left, tells you what to do, what to point to and what to listen for, including the exact sound, how the mouth makes it, and the mistake a child is likely to make. It is guidance, not a script: use your own words. Nothing needs paper, cards or preparation.

How are sounds taught?

Sound first, then the letter’s name and its uppercase form. On a new sound’s page, ▶ on your page plays the sound, and your child can tap a letter, or the dot under it, to hear it again. Every sound is said on its own, with no added vowel: /m/ is a hum, not “muh,” and /t/ is never “tuh.”

What are the letter tiles?

They are how your child spells. A word is said aloud, never shown; your child says its sounds, taps a tile for each sound in order, then reads the word back. Building starts in Lesson 4. From Lesson 6, some Practice changes one letter at a time to make the next word: mat, sat, sit.

What if my child gets an answer wrong?

In Practice, a wrong answer gets help and another try: the app shows how, and your child tries again straight away. If the second try is also wrong, the app shows the answer and moves on, and that question usually comes back once, a little later in the same Practice. Nothing is scored or stored, right or wrong, and there are no stars or streaks.

What does my child read?

Only words built from sounds already taught, plus a few common words taught whole first, such as a, the, is and I in Stage 1. A lesson’s Read page starts with a few words and grows into plain sentences as the code allows. Lesson 1 has no Read page.

Where should we begin?

With Lesson 1, which starts with m, or any later lesson from Contents. A child who already knows some letter sounds can start further on. Choose by readiness, not birthday.

Practical questions

How long is a session?

Teach takes about five minutes and Read two to five. Practice is a short run of questions. There are no time locks: the next lesson opens as soon as you are ready. If you stop partway, the book keeps your place, and an unfinished Practice picks up where it was left.

Can my child practice alone?

Yes. Practice is made for that: a voice gives every instruction, so your child does not need to read them. Your page shows a small row of dots, so you can see at a glance how much is left.

Phone or tablet, app or browser?

Either. The Android app works offline: every lesson and sound is included. The browser version needs an internet connection, and the first sound needs a tap before it plays. The book is a landscape page, so phones work best sideways.

Where are names and progress kept?

Only on your device, or in this browser on the web. Nothing is sent anywhere, so progress does not move to another device. Each child has their own book: tap Contents, then a name under Children, and Manage children adds or removes one. Reset app deletes everything, and so does deleting the app or clearing the browser’s data.

Is it really free?

Yes. All 142 lessons, every sound and every word, with no ads, purchases, subscriptions or account. The app collects nothing. On the website only, a small Leave a tip button lets a grown-up give an optional tip; every lesson stays free either way.