What should my child learn in reading and math? A level-by-level guide for ages 3 to 12

Here is what Tala teaches in reading and math, by age. Ages 3 to 5 learn letter sounds, first words, counting and shapes. Ages 6 to 8 learn to read sentences and stories, add and subtract, and use money and clocks. Ages 9 to 12 learn to read closely and think about texts, and work with times tables, fractions and data.

Find your child's age below. You will see the 4 levels, the 4 lessons in each level, what "done" looks like, and one thing to try at home. You can also use this list on its own, as a guide to what kids this age are usually learning.

How the levels work

Each age group has a Reading path and a Math path. Each path has 4 levels, and each level has 4 lessons (we call them stops). Your child moves through them in order.

Stars do not block anyone. A child who finished a lesson with one star still moves on. Practice and replaying are always there.

Why the lessons come in this order

Reading starts with sounds. Kids first learn the sound each letter makes, then blend sounds into words (c-a-t, cat). This is called systematic phonics. A US national panel found its effects were "significant and substantial" in kindergarten and first grade.^[5]

The letter order comes from the UK's Letters and Sounds guide. It starts with s, a, t and p, then i, n, m and d.^[6] With just those letters, kids can already read real words like sat, tap and pin.

Math starts with real things. Little ones count objects, touching each one once. Then they match written numbers to groups. Only then do they put groups together or take some away. Older kids build from equal groups to times tables, then fractions, percent and averages.

The topics are drawn from DepEd's MATATAG curriculum guides for Kindergarten to Grade 6.^[3][4] DepEd's Kindergarten guide also says reading and counting are learned side by side, not one after the other.^[3] That is why Tala has both paths at every age.

Ages 3 to 5: sounds, counting and first words

At this age, Tala's lessons speak every word out loud. Your child listens, taps and plays. No reading is needed to start.

Reading, ages 3 to 5

• Level 1, First sounds: the sounds of s, a, t, p; hearing the same first sound; hearing a word and tapping its picture; the sounds of i, n, m, d.
• Level 2, More letter sounds: g, o, c, k; e, u, r; h, b, f, l; hearing words that rhyme, like cat and hat.
• Level 3, Sound play: clapping the beats in a word (ma-ngo); robot talk, where c-a-t blends into cat; hearing the last sound of a word; big and small letters.
• Level 4, First words: reading -at words like cat and hat; reading short words with o and i, like dog and pig; how a book works; telling a story in order.

Math, ages 3 to 5

• Level 1, Counting: counting to 5; counting to 10; which group has more or fewer; longer and shorter.
• Level 2, Shapes and patterns: circles, squares and triangles; patterns that repeat; sorting by color, shape or size; heavier and lighter.
• Level 3, Number friends: matching the numbers 1 to 5 to groups; the numbers 6 to 10; one more and one less; first, second, third.
• Level 4, Putting together: zero means none; putting two small groups together; taking away; sharing fairly between friends.

What "done" looks like: your child knows the sounds of 19 letters and can blend short words like cat, dog and pig. They count up to 10 things and know the written numbers to 10. They can add or take away within 5 using objects, and share things out fairly.

Rhyme and clapping games come in Levels 2 and 3, next to new letters. The Letters and Sounds guide says kids do not need to master rhyme before they start learning letters.^[6]

Ages 6 to 8: reading sentences, numbers to 100 and money

Now kids read on their own, a little more each level. In math they move from counting to adding, place value, coins, clocks and simple graphs.

Reading, ages 6 to 8

• Level 1, Word reader: blending sounds into words; sight words like the, is and can; who, what and where in a story; two letters that make one sound (sh, ch, th).
• Level 2, Word builder: word families like -at, -en and -ig; words that start with two sounds, like frog; magic e (kit becomes kite); more sight words like said and they.
• Level 3, Sentence reader: vowel teams ai, ee and oa (rain, seed, boat); one or more (cats, boxes); capital letters and periods; first, next and last.
• Level 4, Story explorer: describing words; words inside words (rain + bow); how a character feels; guessing what happens next.

Math, ages 6 to 8

• Level 1, Number explorer: adding within 20; taking away within 20; tens and ones; telling time to the hour.
• Level 2, Numbers to 100: counting by 2s, 5s and 10s; odd and even; comparing numbers to 100; adding tens and ones.
• Level 3, Money and measuring: counting peso coins and bills; making change; measuring in centimeters; telling time to the half hour.
• Level 4, Shapes, parts, graphs: flat and solid shapes; halves and quarters; picture graphs; equal groups.

What "done" looks like: your child reads short stories with words like kite, rain and boxes. They can say how a character feels and guess what comes next. In math they add two-digit numbers, count money and give change, and read a clock to the half hour.

These match the kinds of goals in MATATAG Grades 1 to 3. For example, Grade 1 includes numbers to 100, counting by 2s, 5s and 10s, coins and bills up to 100 pesos, and halves and quarters.^[4]

Ages 9 to 12: reading to think, fractions and data

Older kids can read the words. Now the work is understanding: what a text means, how it is built, and whether to trust it. In math they build on times tables to reach fractions, percent and averages.

Reading, ages 9 to 12

• Level 1, Close reader: finding the main idea; fact or opinion; working out new words from clues; reading between the lines.
• Level 2, Word power: word starts un-, re-, pre-; word endings -ful, -less, -er; same and opposite words; sound-alike words (there, their, they're).
• Level 3, How texts work: cause and effect; how two things are alike and different; headings, captions and maps; writing a short summary.
• Level 4, Thinking reader: why the author wrote it; similes and metaphors; who is telling the story; checking if a source can be trusted.

Math, ages 9 to 12

• Level 1, Number thinker: multiplying as equal groups; halves, thirds and quarters; two-step word problems; decimals in money and measuring.
• Level 2, Multiply and divide: times-table tricks; sharing and grouping; leftovers (remainders); bigger multiplications.
• Level 3, Fractions further: fractions that are the same amount (1/2 = 2/4); which fraction is bigger; adding fractions; a fraction of a number.
• Level 4, Data and space: percent as "out of 100"; finding the average; bar graphs; volume with cubes.

What "done" looks like: your child can sum up what they read, explain why the author wrote it, and check who wrote a source. In math they divide with leftovers, compare and add fractions, find a fraction or percent of an amount, and read a bar graph.

Fractions get a whole level for a reason. In large US and UK studies, knowing fractions and division in elementary school predicted high school algebra years later.^[7] That is a link, not proof, but it shows fractions are worth the time.

In MATATAG, times tables start in Grade 2.^[4] So some 9-year-olds will find Tala's first Thinker math level easy. That is fine. It is a quick review before the harder levels.

If your child is ahead or behind

Age groups are a guide, not a rule. Kids learn at different speeds, and a child can be ahead in reading and behind in math. Start where your child feels a little stretched but not lost.

If your child struggles a lot more than other kids their age, or seems to have trouble hearing, talk to their teacher or a doctor. An app cannot spot those problems.

This guide is general information for parents, not medical or professional advice. Spotted an error? Email us from the report page.