Learning area 01
Phonics
Build sound–spelling knowledge, blending, decoding, and spelling-pattern awareness so unfamiliar words can be read more accurately.
Explore PhonicsAges 3–12 · Assessment-led placement
The complete Tiny Steps learning roadmap
English Curriculum for Kids Ages 3–12
A structured learning roadmap across Phonics, Reading, Grammar & Sentence Building, and Speaking & Communication — with placement based on your child's current skills, not age alone.
Live teacher-guided learningAssessment-led starting point35 minutes 1:1 classes
Learning map
Four connected learning pathways
Four connected pathways, not four fixed age stages. Assessment identifies the most useful starting point.
Start with the child you know
What are you noticing right now?
Parents usually arrive with a problem, not a curriculum label. Use the closest signal below to understand which pathway is worth exploring first.
Not sure? That is exactly what the assessment is for.
One connected learning system
Four learning pathways, one clear roadmap
Children do not have to complete every pathway in a fixed age order. Assessment identifies the current gap, then the matching pathway becomes the main learning focus.
Learning area 02
Reading
Develop connected-text accuracy, phrasing, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, retelling, and reading confidence after decoding is reasonably secure.
Explore ReadingLearning area 03
Grammar & Sentence Building
Help children move from knowing grammar terms to building accurate sentences and applying language rules in meaningful speaking and writing.
Explore GrammarLearning area 04
Speaking & Communication
Build communication from reciprocal interaction and listening through questioning, clarification, explanation, reasoning, perspective, collaborative dialogue, presentation, and responsible AI-era communication.
Explore SpeakingHow skills develop
Progression should feel visible, not mysterious
Each pathway moves from supported recognition and practice toward more accurate, independent application. The sequence stays clear while the pace responds to the child.
Phonics
Open pathwayHearidentifyconnect sound to graphemeblenddecodeapply in connected reading
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- 1.Hear and identify the target sound accurately.
- 2.Connect the sound to the written grapheme.
- 3.Blend sounds into words instead of guessing.
- 4.Decode unfamiliar words with progressively less prompting.
- 5.Apply taught decoding in sentences and connected reading.
Reading
Open pathwayRead accuratelyphrase smoothlybuild fluencyunderstand vocabularyexplain meaningread with confidence
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- 1.Read appropriately matched connected text accurately.
- 2.Use phrasing and punctuation to make sentences easier to follow.
- 3.Develop smoother pace and stamina without turning reading into a speed race.
- 4.Build useful vocabulary from the text being read.
- 5.Explain, retell, and respond to meaning with increasing independence.
Grammar & Sentence Building
Open pathwayNotice the patternbuild a complete sentenceapply in contextcorrect errorsexpand
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- 1.Notice the word or sentence pattern being taught.
- 2.Build a complete sentence using the pattern.
- 3.Apply the grammar rule in a meaningful context.
- 4.Find and correct errors with teacher guidance.
- 5.Expand accurate sentences into longer written or spoken responses.
Speaking & Communication
Open pathwayConnectlistenaskclarifyexplainreasoncollaboratepresentreflecttransfer
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- 1.Enter a real back-and-forth exchange and listen for meaning.
- 2.Ask relevant questions, clarify confusion, and respond to what was actually said.
- 3.Expand and organise ideas through description, explanation, story, reason, and evidence.
- 4.Build on another person’s contribution and adapt communication for purpose and audience.
- 5.Present prepared and spontaneous ideas with intelligible, flexible delivery.
- 6.Reflect, reduce support, and transfer the skill to a fresh task or communication setting.
Compare levels & routes
Explore levels within each pathway
This roadmap shows where each option fits. Open the detailed course page for the exact lesson sequence, level-specific FAQs, and course outcomes where a detailed course page exists.
Selected pathway
Phonics
Build sound–spelling knowledge, blending, decoding, and spelling-pattern awareness so unfamiliar words can be read more accurately.
View the full Phonics programBest for
Children beginning letter sounds, short vowels, early blending, and first CVC words.
Learning focus
Build the sound-to-word foundation before more complex spelling patterns.
Best for
Children who know basic sounds but need stronger digraph, vowel-team, and decoding habits.
Learning focus
Move from basic sound recall into patterned word reading and stronger fluency.
Best for
Children ready for advanced vowel patterns, longer words, spelling rules, and smoother reading.
Learning focus
Strengthen complex decoding and connected-reading accuracy.
Assessment-led placement
We do not place children by age alone
Age helps frame expectations, but the starting point comes from the child's current response. The aim is to identify the most useful next teaching priority before enrolment.
- 01
Understand
Start with what the parent and child are currently noticing.
- 02
Assess
Check the skills most relevant to the current difficulty.
- 03
Identify
Find the main gap and any prerequisite that is not yet secure.
- 04
Place
Choose the pathway and level that match the assessed starting point.
- 05
Progress
Move forward as accuracy, independence, and transfer become more secure.
If the main bottleneck is unclear, assessment is more useful than choosing a course from age, popularity, or lesson count alone.
Book Free 35-Minute AssessmentHow the roadmap becomes a live lesson
Structured sequence, responsive teaching
The curriculum explains what children learn and which prerequisites come first. In class, the teacher models the target skill, guides practice, corrects errors, adjusts support, and helps the child apply it with increasing independence.
The sequence stays structured, but the pace is responsive. A child can spend longer on a prerequisite or move forward when the underlying skill is secure.
- 1
Assess the starting point
Identify what the child can already do, where accuracy breaks down, and which prerequisite or pathway needs attention first.
- 2
Secure prerequisites
Revisit an earlier sound, pattern, sentence skill, or speaking behaviour when the next target depends on a foundation that is not yet secure.
- 3
Model the target skill
Make the thinking and response visible through clear examples before asking the child to complete the new skill independently.
- 4
Practise, correct, and retry
Use guided practice, specific feedback, and another attempt so errors become useful teaching information rather than something to skip past.
- 5
Apply and reduce support
Move the skill into reading, spelling, sentences, speaking, or connected tasks and gradually reduce prompts as accuracy and independence become more secure.
School-system flexibility
Transferable English skills across school contexts
Tiny Steps teaches transferable English skills that can support children studying in CBSE, ICSE, IB, Cambridge, and other school environments. Tiny Steps Learning is an independent learning provider; these references describe learner backgrounds and skill transfer, not formal affiliation or accreditation.
Reading foundations
Decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and sentence-level understanding support a child’s ability to access English text across school contexts.
Language control
Grammar is practised through complete sentences, correction, writing, and speaking so rules become usable rather than isolated definitions.
Communication
Speaking tasks include idea building, explanation, storytelling, feedback, and reflection so children learn to organise and express meaning clearly.
Before you decide
Curriculum questions parents ask most
The curriculum page explains the full learning roadmap. Speaking & Communication now publishes its canonical stage and lesson sequence here; detailed course pages mirror it. Other detailed course pages continue to own their exact lesson-by-lesson sequence.
What age is the Tiny Steps curriculum designed for?
The Tiny Steps curriculum is designed as a structured English pathway for children ages 3–12. Placement depends on current skill and readiness, not age alone.
How do you decide where my child starts?
We use a free 35-minute 1:1 online demo assessment class to identify the child’s current reading, grammar, sentence-formation, and speaking needs before recommending a starting level.
Does every child start with phonics?
No. A child who already decodes words accurately may need reading fluency, comprehension, grammar, sentence formation, or speaking support instead. The assessment is used to identify the most useful entry point.
What is the difference between curriculum and teaching methodology?
The curriculum explains what children learn, the prerequisites, and the order in which skills become more complex. Teaching methodology explains how teachers model the skill, guide practice, correct errors, adjust support, and help the child apply the skill more independently.
How does Tiny Steps turn the curriculum into a live lesson?
Teachers begin from the child’s assessed starting point, secure prerequisites when needed, model the target skill, guide practice and retries, give specific correction, then reduce support as the child becomes more accurate and independent.
How is the roadmap taught in a live class?
Teachers follow the shared learning objective and progression, then adapt modelling, prompts, examples, repetition, practice time, and pace to the child’s current response.
Where can I see the exact lesson sequence?
The Speaking & Communication pathway now shows the complete stage and lesson sequence on this page, and its detailed course pages mirror the same canonical curriculum. Other detailed course pages continue to own their exact lesson sequences.
How long is each live class?
Each live online class runs for 35 minutes, with guided teaching, practice, and teacher feedback.
Do you support children from CBSE, ICSE, IB, Cambridge, and other schools?
Yes. Tiny Steps teaches transferable English skills that can support children studying in different school environments. Tiny Steps Learning is an independent learning provider and does not imply formal affiliation with those school systems.
How do parents track progress?
Parents receive progress updates showing what has been practised, what is becoming secure, what still needs reinforcement, and the next learning focus.
Not sure where to begin?
Start with the child's current skills, then choose the path.
The free 1:1 assessment is designed to identify the current learning gap before a programme or level is recommended.