From sounds to stories: reading guides for parents.
Phonics gives a child the tools to work out words. Reading is putting those tools to work on sentences and stories, often enough that it becomes fluent.
What changes once a child can decode
At first every word is worked out sound by sound, and that takes all of a child's attention. With practice, words they have decoded many times start to be recognised at a glance, which frees attention for what the sentence means. That shift from decoding to fluent reading is what this stage is about, and it comes from reading plenty of text the child can actually decode.
What to read, and when
Before blending is secure: read aloud to your child. Picture books, rhymes and anything they enjoy build vocabulary and a love of stories, and they are a separate job from reading practice.
Once they can blend CVC words: short decodable sentences and stories, built only from the sounds they know.
As new patterns are taught: longer decodable stories that bring in each new pattern as it is learned.
When most common patterns are secure: ordinary books, with decodable text kept for any pattern that is still shaky.
Reading guides
How to Teach a 5-Year-Old to Read — A step-by-step, no-jargon guide to teaching a 5-year-old to read at home — what order to teach things in, how long it takes, and common mistakes to avoid.
What Are Decodable Stories? — Decodable stories only use sounds a child has already learned — no guessing from pictures. Here's what makes one good, plus examples.
Before this: phonics
If blending or letter sounds are still shaky, start with the phonics guides. Reading practice goes much further once the sounds underneath it are secure.