Teach child to read programme

H

Hej

Active Member
Hi,

I know this is off-topic on a fitness board, but also I know that many members here are teachers or homeschool their own children, and I could use their advice. My bilingual 4-year-old is showing interest in learning to read. We live in Sweden, so the only way she will learn to read English texts is if I teach her (I'm Canadian). Are there any teach-your-child to read programmes that you would recommend? I saw "Hooked on Phonics" at Amazon-- is it any good? Are there any other books/programmes you find useful?

Thanks,

Mary
 
I used the book, "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons"http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Your-Child-Read-Lessons/dp/0671631985/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-8427552-5915211?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1194364271&sr=8-1 It worked great.

Erica
 
Hi, This is the first time I've ever responded to anything on the cathe forum but I am so excited about a reading program that my son did. My situation is similar to yours in that I am an American living in Spain with my husband and two kids. I was also wondering how in the world my kids would learn to read English when a specialist recommended an online program called Headsprout.

www.Headsprout.com

I have never been more pleased with anything in my life. My son started it when he turned 5 and it took about a year to complete. But he can really read now and the best thing is that he enjoys it. You use it online and you can print out books. And they send you some little books too. You can check it out easily because there are free sample lessons and free trial offers so you can see if it looks interesting. I can just say that is is fun for the child and that it really works.
 
I would also recommend "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons". I used this book with my 5 y/o DD but never got past lesson 50 or so when she took off reading herself! :)

Good Luck!

Mary
 
Here is a consumer review website that I have found helpful in choosing curricula:
http://homeschoolreviews.com/reviews/curriculum/default.aspx?id=81
For the life of me I can't remember what program I supplemented with to teach my two oldest to read, but it had phonics based workbooks. The thing that really worked for us was reading lots and lots of books while showing them to sound things out. We made our own flash cards to learn certain words that didn't follow a rule (said, have, again, etc). We really just used the workbooks when I wanted them to practice writing, and I really just used them because the book had pretty pictures in it that kept their attention, lol.
Good luck and have fun! :)

Missy
 
Hi Mary,

Let's see. Programs I've used:
100 Easy Lessons (100 EZ lessons)
Sing, Spell, Read, and Write (SSRW)
Bob Jones Phonics and Reading (BJU)
ABeka
Spell to Write and Read (SWR)
Phonic Pathways (PP)
Phonic Pathway Pyramids for multisyllable word
Teaching Americans to Read and Spell (TATRAS)

If you come across The Writing Road to Reading by Romalda Spaulding, SWR is similar to it.

If you come across Ordinary Parents Guide to Reading by Susan Wise-Bauer, it's similar to BJU.

Of those, I liked Phonic Pathways in general. Currently, I use SWR. But, it's a long, involved progress to get them reading. So, my girlfriend uses 100 EZ lessons to get her children jumped started with reading and follows up with SWR for spelling and continued phonics instruction.

I bought TATRAS after I had started SWR. If I was starting again, I would chose TATRAS over SWR to teach reading. However, since long term, I prefer SWR for the spelling benefits, I sold TATRAS and stayed with SWR.

As for supplementing any program, I used a lot of early readers. The early reader series by Nora Gaydos are my favorites. We've also used the Hooked on Phonics readers, BJU readers, Pathway readers, Scholastic readers, Abeka readers, and various others from the book stores.

Wendy
 
I saw "Hooked on Phonics" at Amazon-- is it any good?

I started my child with Hooked On Phonics and I highly recommended. She was three and half and was reading within first try.

I purchased entire kit and they were very expensive but you don't need to now. I heard that you can just purchase the first basic - yellow level and that is all you need to get the kids start. I believe they come with writing as well now.

I also used them to several other kids and they all had great results.
 
I can second Mary's suggestion of "Teach Your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons". I used it with my older son and he also started reading on his own about halfway through. I am now using it with my second son who is 5 and he is a bit slower but picking things up really well. I love this book because it's very easy to use, you can use it anywhere and it only takes about 15-20 minutes per lesson. I hope this helps in your search.

Alison
 
My youngest learned to read by watching the Leap Frog dvds. I kid you not. I had no clue she had picked up so much from just watching those. A little unorthodox but it worked for her. She's been reading since she was 3.

For my other two kids, we used Bob Jones Reading and Phonics program. I looked at 100 Easy Lessons and it bored me to tears. I knew that I would go batty before we were 5 lessons into it. (No offense to those that have used it.)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...rd_t=201&pf_rd_p=316286001&pf_rd_i=B0000INU6S

The link at least shows what order the dvds are to be used in.

Hope that helps!

Sue <><
 
I agree - 100 Easy Lessons is painfully boring, but my youngest liked it and learned to read from it. The Leap Frog DVDs are great!

Erica
 
Thank you so much everyone for your advice, especially Missy for the consumer review website and Wendy for all the info on all the different programmes!! I've ordered some things from Amazon and am trying out the sample lessons of Headsprout.

Mary
 
Mary,

Best wishes with teaching your child how to read! I hesitate to endorse any program as each child is different. The best program is one that will be used and will work!:) If after some time you find that the program you selected doesn't fit the bill, you will be able to articulate why, and know what to look for or what to avoid in a different program. Or, it may be that your child just needs more time. Have fun on your journey!

Blessings,
Wendy
 
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