Secret Stories® Phonics Resources for Parents, including Free Parent Support Videos, Lessons & Tools!

Welcome Parents!

Your child’s teacher has provided you with a link to this unlisted “secret” page to help you learn more about the Secret Stories® (a.k.a. Secrets). It’s important that you understand what the Secrets are and how they work because they are the “tools” your child uses to read, write and spell independently, across the entire instructional day.

Here you will find information and free resources to help support your child’s use of the Secret Stories® while they are learning at home. You can also find lots of support (and free resources!) in the Secret Stories® Facebook Group!

For parents who would like to purchase Secret Stories® for at-home use, the following items are available:

Parent Home “Bundle” (includes both Parent/Home version AND the Flashcards—everything needed to “read, write and play” with the Secrets to fast-track reading and writing at home!)

(If your child was given a Porta-Pic to use at home by their teacher, these do not contain the stories and so cannot be used for teaching them. They are intended only for only for student reference when reading and writing.)

A Special Video, Just for Parents!
How to Support Your Child’s Independent Reading and Writing at Home

NEW! The Secret Stories® APP!

Bring the Secret Stories® HOME with the new iOS App for iPhones & iPads!

The NEW Secret Stories® App lets you and your child “play” with the Secret Stories® at home! Sing along with the Better Alphabet™ Song, while you also learn the “secret” sounds that letters make when they get together in words!

The Secret Stories® App is the number one tool that we’ve created to help support your child’s use of the Secret Stories® for independent reading and writing at home!

You can find it here in the 🍎App Store, and we would love for you to rate it, if you download it, as this helps other parents (not in a Stories® classroom) to find it!

What’s a Secret Story?

Cracking the Phonics Code for Reading & Writing

No more “It just is….It just does….You just have to remember….”

“I see a Secret in that word!”

Expect to hear this on a daily basis, as anywhere there is text, there will be Secrets….and kids love finding them!

These “grown-up” reading and writing Secrets explain WHY letters make the many different sounds that they do when they get together in words, in a way that kids can easily understand.

In these simple phonics stories, letters behave like kids, which makes their sounds easily predictable, even for kindergartners.

These “secret” stories provide the logical explanations for letter sound behavior that kids’ brains crave, so parents don’t have to always tell them, “It just is….It just does….You just have to remember….”
(Learn more here)

phonics stories dyslexic

For example, knowing the “secret” about why /t/ and /h/ are not allowed to sit together in words (because they always stick their tongues out at each other and say, “thhhhhhh!”) is as easy for kids to remember as the behaviors of kids in their own class.

Once they know the Secret, they can immediately start using it to read and spell words. So, the next time they spot /th/, whether it’s in a bedtime story or on a road sign, ask if they remember its Secret. (And if they need a little reminder, just show them the picture below! :-)

teaching digraphs - th

The more Secrets your child knows, the more words they will be able to read and spell.

Decoding and Encoding Words

“Is there a Secret in that word?”

Anytime your child is stuck on a word they cannot read or spell, ask them if there’s a Secret in it!

If stuck on a word when READING, ask if they SEE any Secrets they know.
If stuck on SPELLING/WRITING a word, ask if they HEAR any Secret sounds in it.

Note that when writing, it’s okay if your child picks the right Secret, but the wrong spelling option, as many Secrets have multiple spellings. This is normal for learners with limited text experience. (Learn more here)

Sight words also have Secrets, which means that most of the time, they can be easily sounded out and don’t have to be memorized. (Learn more here.)

Decoding Sight Words

With really tricky words, your kids can use the Secrets they know to be word doctors, and here are some simple tricks to help them. This process is made easier in the classroom where kids have access to all of the Secret Stories® posters on the wall to help them recall the sounds (for reading) and spelling patterns (for writing).

If your child’s teacher sent home a Porta-Pic, they should be referring to it whenever they are reading and writing. They are provide smaller versions of the Secret Stories® posters that students would typically reference on the classroom wall. Once they’ve learned the Secrets, kids can independently access the sounds they need for reading OR the spellings they need for writing, just by looking at the pictures. (Note that Porta-Pics do not contain the copy written stories or any teaching information, as they are intended only for student reference.)

Because the Secret Stories® text and graphics are copy written and trademarked, your child’s teacher cannot make copies of them to send home. However, your child can still use the Secret strategies they’ve learned to help them read and write at home. They just might need some additional reminders to “look” and “listen” for the Secrets they know. Learn more by watching the video below.

Parent/Home Kits, Flashcards and the Remote Learning “Bundle” Pack are also available, and have been designed specifically for teaching (and using) the Secret Stories® at home. Ideally, these would be used for all “at-home” reading and writing, so as to learn more Secrets, faster. Learn more here.

BEWARE! The Secrets are Contagious!!!

Just watch this adorable little kindergartner from the beginning of the school year, telling the /er/ir/ur Secret…..

….and then watch her four-year-old baby sister, who just happened to overhear mom telling her ‘big sis’ the Secrets about Superhero A and /ar/…… which of course, she demanded to know, as well!

Free Phonics Downloads

Secret Stories® Phonics Resources for Home Reading & Writing

Below is a list of free Secret Stories® phonics resources that will help you help your child progress in both reading and writing at home. Included are categorized videos, posts and free downloads to use with your child at home.

Additional resources will be added weekly, including activities and readers to use with your child at home, so be sure to subscribe to the Secret Blast to receive notification of these ongoing postings.

You will find many more ideas posted weekly on Facebook and Instagram, so be sure to follow there, and share what you’re doing at home with your child, as well! You can also subscribe free to the Secret Stories® YouTube Channel for more videos, and to receive alerts for live “Q&A” videos, specifically for parents.

Remote-Learning “Secret” Lessons for Kids!

(This growing playlist will be added to each week, so be sure to subscribe for new posting notifications! Note that the first two in this series have already been posted above.)

Sorry, there was a YouTube error.

Remote Learning “Secret” Lessons for Parents!

Originally, I was going to post these videos for teachers only, but now that parents have all become “honorary teachers,” I thought they might be helpful to share here, as well! We really ARE all in this together!

The first two are from sessions that I presented last month at the Virginia State Reading Conference, via Zoom, and the one in between (originally shared as an informal “rant” on Instagram/IGTV) actually makes a perfect introduction to the third video on fast-tracking letter sounds.

The last video is my full lecture at the Atlanta World Congress Center for ESEA/ Nat’l Title I in Atlanta. In it, you will learn all about teaching reading with the brain in mind!

I hope you enjoy them!

Parent & Homeschool Phonics Program Options

Phonics Tools for Parents

LIMITED TIME!
Remote Learning Parent “Bundle”

As remote learning has become the norm, parents are now the teachers, and teachers need tools—especially to teach reading. Secret Stories® are as easy for parents to teach as they are for kids to learn…. because they make sense!

“Why does /th/ say “thhhhhhhh?” Because they don’t get along and so they stick their tongues out at each other. It’s that simple.

So, until things get back to normal, we are offering this Remote Learning Parent “Bundle” for Teaching Reading which includes both the Home/Parent Set and the Flashcard Set together for a discounted price of $100 ($117.50 if purchased separately).

In addition to Home/Parent Set, the Flashcards are the perfect “cheat-sheets” for easy teaching and learning on-the-go! With the stories on one side and the graphics on the other, they provide endless opportunities for fun “hands-on” learning and portable play!

This bundled set includes everything that you and your child need to read, write and “play” with the Secrets to fast-track reading and writing at home!

Home/Parent Phonics Set

Homeschool Phonics Program

Limited-Time Remote Learning “Bundle”

Remote Learning Phonics Bundle for Reading

Phonics Flashcard Set

Phonics Flashcards Secret Stories Reading

Secret Stories® Book, Musical “Brain Teaser” Blending Songs Download & Small Cut-Apart Card Visuals

ITEM #2002

Includes: Secret Stories® Cracking the Reading Code! phonics book and musical brainteaser phonics song download, with “cut-apart” 3×4-inch card visuals (in back section of book) containing all of the Secret Stories® graphics for easy use in small spaces.

Add the Secret Stories® Flashcards to your Home Kit for fun, hands-on use and portable play! With the pictures on one side and the stories on the other, the flashcards provide a great “cheat-sheet” for learning on-the-go!

View Book & Musical Brain Teasers Download Set

Secret Stories® Flashcards

ITEM #2018C

Includes: 6×6 inch square phonics flashcards with Secret Stories® graphics on one side and “abridged” phonics stories on the other, perfect for quick and easy reference, as well as teaching and learning-on-the-go! Their sturdy weight and construction make them ideal for hands-on learning fun and portable reading and writing “play!” (They are also a great “cheat-sheet” for parents!)

*Flashcards are a supplemental item only, and intended for use WITH the Secret Stories® Phonics Book & CD.

View Flashcards

One week into the Secret Stories and I have already seen a difference in my sons learning! I’m amazed. He read to me without struggling and getting frustrated and even sat down and wrote out sentences for his classwork without asking me for help on how to spell a word!!! I can’t wait to see what happens over the next month! His confidence has soared and he’s sounding out word after word after word. I’m crying by the way! One month ago he crawled under his bed crying and calling himself stupid for not being able to sound out words. Today he is looking around to see if there’s a word he can try to sound out! Thank YOU!!!!
Jill, Parent in Idaho

The Secret Stories were the reason that my dyslexic son learned to read with delight rather than drudgery. He’s in third grade now and we review the stories often, and he is thriving, thanks to you!
Julia, Parent in Michigan

I just wanted to send you an email to let you know how much you inspire me and motivate me to keep chugging along with my son. He’s our first, he’s in kindergarten, and this year has been such a challenge. He’s never really been interested or curious about reading or writing, no matter how we present it. When his teacher sent home flashcards with letters, we found it just wasn’t working for him. The letters and sounds, no matter how long we worked on them, just weren’t sticking. I was concerned so I went looking for a better way to teach him his letters and sounds. I found it! I watched Katie Garner’s keynote on YouTube and the information shared made SO MUCH SENSE to me (and I’m not a teacher). I immediately sought out Secret Stories. The day it arrived, we immediately started on the “Better Alphabet Song,” and now, not only can he sing the song on his own, but he can identify ALL of the letters and sounds independently! He has even started teaching his three year old sister (what better way to master a subject than to teach it to someone else, right?). I’ve also continued to sprinkle in the Secrets as we read/write together and he LOVES THEM! He naturally gravitates toward storytelling so this couldn’t have been a better fit for him. I have told his teacher about the Secret Stories, as well as another teacher who presented at our school’s literacy night, and other moms whose kids are struggling, as well. I just wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my “still-struggling-to-help-my-son-but-feeling-a-lot-more-hopeful” heart!

Meghan, Kindergarten Parent in Ohio

Your presentation at Parent’s Night was just outstanding, and I couldn’t wait to get back home and try out some of the ideas that you shared with my son. After only a month, what a difference it has made in his learning—I’m just amazed! He reads to me without struggling and getting frustrated, and even sat down and wrote out sentences for his classwork without asking me for help on how to spell a word!!! I can’t wait to see what happens over the next month. His confidence has soared and he’s sounding out word after word after word. I’m crying by the way! One month ago he crawled under his bed crying and calling himself stupid for not being able to sound out words. Today he is looking around to see if there’s a word he can try to sound out! Thank YOU!!!!

Terry, Parent in Alabama

Wow Katie! THANK YOU so much for blogging! This has changed our world. I homeschool my six year old son. The Secret Stories and all your vlogs are the reason my son is excelling—literally immediate results! What an answer to prayer! I was becoming a little discouraged until a teacher friend introduced me to your website and vlogs! Thank you so much for sowing lasting seeds into all of our little learners! And the best part is NO MORE SIGHT WORDS!!
Candy, Parent in Maryland

This book changed our life. I taught my dyslexic daughter to read using the Secret Stories, after trying the regular phonics programs, and finally having it recommended by our homeschool support group. We didn’t have to give up learning phonetically, despite my daughter’s auditory processing problems. We would sit down with her favorite book and she would immediately begin pointing out all of the Secrets she knew! Her brain was finally able to retain not just words, but the phonics patterns and sounds within them, as she was able to reapply the same patterns and sounds in new, unknown words, as well! With the Secret Stories, we finally had something she could work with! I’ve now begun using Secret Stories with my severely language-compromised son, and he giggles as we make the stories out of his Theraputty (another great product) and make the words come alive. I’ve also used the Secret Stories in a fun way at our homeschool group—I made little capes with the Superhero Vowels sewn onto the back to wear when they “say their names!”

Anna, Parent in Kentucky

I wanted to update you on my son’s progress after about five months of using Secret Stories. He is THRIVING!!! He is not the same reader he was five months ago. I am actually reconsidering my assumption that he is dyslexic like me because his improvement has been so drastic in such a short period of time. He decides words much more fluidly now. He went from struggling through the first set of BOB books to reading the Toad and Frog series in just five months! Most importantly, my son finally enjoys learning to read. He used to avoid reading at all costs. Now he can’t wait to decode words using the secrets he’s learned. He gets really excited when he finds secrets in words while we are out shopping and he literally tells random people at the park about the secrets he’s learned. He can spend a solid 20 minutes telling our friends and family about his Secret Story cards on the wall when they come to visit. I’m going to try to get a video of him explaining the cards and send it to you. He has so much enthusiasm and excitement about each of the secrets. You have no idea how happy it makes me to see my son finally falling in love with reading. I truly believe you have changed my sons life for the better. Thank you so much for developing this phenomenal program! I am telling all my friends about it.
Jill, Parent in Virginia

Seeing my daughter read all the time now is such a blessing- I only wish that the schools where we live would use The Secret Stories, as it covers all the learning bases: kinesthetic, visual, and auditory- allowing access for everyone who wants to learn how to read!
Susanna, Parent in Texas

(1st of 2 letters from Hannah, Canada)
My son is in grade two and is not reading. He has a diagnosis of high functioning autism. When I asked my son’s doctor last week what I could do to help my son with reading, the doctor said, “ He has autism, he might never read.” It feels that I am getting the same message from his school.I struggled in school with a severe learning disability. The learning disability was not discovered until I was in grade 8. I spent many years, sitting in classrooms and not knowing what was going on. When I was diagnosed in grade 8, my parents were told I was “mentally retarded” and that I would never be able to succeed in the local public school. My son told me that he sits in class and just looks at his work sheets for the entire class. I have spent many nights googling different ways to teach my son to read. I am a single mother and it seems hard sometimes not to have another person to share my worries with. I just stumbled upon your method yesterday and I printed out some of your stories and read them to my son and showed him the pictures. He remembered the sounds right away. I have been watching your videos on YouTube and they have been unbelievable. This is the first time in along time that I have felt extremely hopeful.

Hi Katie,
I can’t thank you enough for your book. My son has started reading! He loves the Secret Stories. He thanked me last night for getting the Secret Stories for him. Last night, I asked him to read the word “cookie” using what he learned from the Secret Stories. His first response was, “I can’t read such a big word.” I told him to try. He sounded out the word right away. He then said, “Mommy, I read the word cookie! I can’t believe I read such a big word!” Katie, your program is unbelievable. It really should be used in all schools to teach kids reading. Happy New Year!
Hannah, Parent in Canada

They are really helping my students. I teach first grade and wanted to share the following letter sent to me by one of my parents about their child’s progress…..“I see a huge difference from last week and this week in David’s reading. I know that this may seem extreme, but we went over his vocabulary words yesterday and he got everyone right except for 1 or 2 that he needed some help on. When he was trying to figure the words out, I could hear him whispering some of the “secrets” to figure them out. This is amazing since I am usually ‘sweating it’ on Thursday night to still try and get him to comprehend these words. Something that I thought might be helpful to me and the other parents is if we could have the “secrets” at home too, so we are all teaching the kids in the same manner. They have already made an impression on my child, as I am seeing results already!”
Ashley, 1st Grade Teacher (sharing parent note) in Alabama

I have not seen so much excitement from our teachers in the four years that I have been the assistant principal here. They all LOVE the ‘secrets!’ On a more personal note, I have twins in the first grade. Well, just one week after their teachers started using the Secret Stories, they both came home and started telling me the ‘secrets!’ I was amazed at their interactions as well, as they couldn’t keep from telling each other the ‘secrets’ from their respective classes- from the “Momma E” to the “Super Hero” vowels—their interest and excitement was remarkable!) Once again, thank you from the entire staff!
P.J., Parent and Assistant Principal in Georgia

I tell everyone I know about your book. My oldest son has Dyslexia and as a result, had a hard time with reading. The Secret Stories made a world of difference with him when nothing else was working. Now my youngest son is learning to read with the stories. Thank you so much for what you have created and the difference it has made for my child!
Carolyn, Literacy Facilitator and Parent in Virginia