Phonics — teaching kids to connect letter sounds to reading — usually starts around age 3-4 and builds through age 7. Indian schools (CBSE and ICSE) introduce it early, often faster than home practice can keep up. Here's what to expect by age and how to support it without turning it into pressure.
If a child hasn't started connecting any letter sounds by age 5-6, or shows no interest in books or sounds at all, it's worth mentioning to the school or a paediatrician — not because something is necessarily wrong, but because early support makes a bigger difference than waiting.
Phonics work is most effective when it's woven into everyday moments rather than confined to homework time — reading cereal boxes together, sounding out shop signs on a walk, or noticing rhyming words during a car ride. These small, low-pressure moments often do more than structured practice sessions, and they don't feel like "another class" to a child who may already be juggling school and tuition.