Teach individual letters. It is important that the person can identify letters by their names without the letters being in alphabetical order. Letters can be taught by using a picture book that has a single letter of the alphabet on each page. Sing the alphabet song while pointing to each letter in the song using the alphabet book.
Teach what sound each individual letter makes. Teaching the letters and sounds can be done with magnetic letters, puzzles, games, toys, worksheets or with the help of a software program. Using magnetic letters, alphabet puzzles, toys or worksheets, you can point out individual letters and demonstrate the sound each letter makes. An example of this method is singing, "M says mmm. M says mmm. M is for monkey!" You can change the words to go along with each toy or letter. Starfall is an example of a website that has games to teach letter recognition and the associated sound for each letter.
Teach consonant blends and their associated sounds. A consonant blend is created by combining more than one letter to create a new sound, such as "sh." The learner should be able to identify which letters group together to make a requested sound, such as the "sh" sound. Flashcards, games, videos or books can help with learning these complex sounds. Be patient and accept any genuine attempt that the learner makes, as some people cannot create the sounds perfectly. Use any of the visual references to teach the correct consonant blends by having the learner say the letter sound of each letter in the combination from left to right, then assist them in creating the final blended sound. For example, to make the "ma" sound, you would have the learner say "m" and "a," from left to right, then quickly to create the final "ma" sound.
Teach words that are parts of word families. Word families are composed of rhyming sounds. Once the learner can read the word "cat," it will easy to teach him the words, "hat, mat, sat."