About Phonics Sets Phonics sets are a great way to help children just learning to read understand the connection between written letters and the sounds they make. The goal of phonics is to teach children the most common sound-spelling relationships so that they will be able to sound out (decode) words. For example, children learn that a short a, as in "cat," is different from a long a, as in "lake." Once children develop the ability to decode words, they'll become comfortable reading familiar words and will have the tools to tackle new, and eventually longer, words. Understanding phonics is an essential step toward reading fluency and also boosts spelling skills and reading comprehension. .