"Yes, they do! It says ‘ice cream’ right here."

My four-year-old daughter pointed at the menu.

My friend froze and looked at the menu, then at my daughter, then at me.

"Oh. She can read?"

Her daughter, the same age, attending one of the top private nurseries in the area, wasn't reading yet. Mine went to the new Montessori nursery just opened further down.

"Which school does she go to?"

That question changed everything for me.

I became obsessed with understanding how my daughter's Montessori teacher had helped her decode words so naturally. Reading wasn't a chore for her - it was a discovery.

Fast forward, my obsession led me to qualify as a Montessori Educator, trained to teach children from 0 to 7 years old.

Then 2020 happened.

Suddenly, parents were home with their children, desperately trying to keep them on track with their early reading. They were worried that this gap would cause their kids to forget everything they had learnt. I started teaching children online, showing parents the methods that actually worked.

I helped them get those sounds right, talked about objects we would spell together, and started blending. Within 3-4 weeks, 4-year-olds who couldn't recognise letters and were refusing to learn online were sounding out their first words like “mat” and “cat”. Parents were relieved. The demand grew.

But I didn't have a system yet. Parents wanted to continue long-term, and I knew I needed to build something sustainable - something that would equip parents with simple, effective tools they could use confidently at home, even after our sessions ended.

One parent emailed me one night saying, 'She just read 'cat' by herself. I’m so grateful for your work, Ms Shehla.'

I had parents excitedly entering the online sessions, saying, “He can read! He’s reading words!”

Reading is not a natural process for us. When I am honoured to teach children to read their first words, it’s like the world stands still and there’s magic in the air.

That's when I knew this had to reach more families.

Life took over after lockdown, but I couldn't stop thinking about those transformations. I spent the next few years deep in research - studying phonics methods, exploring the Science of Reading, and discovering where traditional Montessori falls short with phonics instruction. I learned how Montessori principles align powerfully with the Science of Reading to create something parents could actually use at home.

That's why Mini Phonics exists.

Now I'm on a mission to help parents teach their children to read with confidence - without the overwhelm, without expensive tutors, without the confusion of conflicting advice.

I'm currently working with parents of 3-to 6-year-olds to understand exactly what they need most. What's stopping you from teaching your child to read? What would make it easier? I'm building Mini Phonics based on real struggles, not guesswork.

If you're a parent who wants to help your child with reading but feels lost, I'd love to hear from you. Drop me a message at https://www.instagram.com/mini.phonics/.

When children learn to read, they start reading to learn. The entire world opens up to them.

And I’d love for you to be part of building it.