I'm considering purchasing a reading program to assist in teaching my 5 year old son to read...something like Hooked on Phonics perhaps. Anyone have any suggestions? There are tons online to choose from and I'd prefer to have a recommendation.
My kids use the same program that the schools use to teach kids. It's www.starfall.com. Its free and my 5 year old can read and spell due to it...also my 3 year old can spell and sort-of read. I love the program!!!
I used an amazing book with my 3-year-old called "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons." By the end of the lessons, he was reading better than most kids we know that are older. It takes a daily time commitment on your part (and some days that can be trying!), but you will definitely see quick results. The lessons are fool-proof, just follow them, follow the script, and before long you will be amazed at how well your child is reading! I bought it at Border's for about $22. Worth every penny - I can't say enough good things about it!
Leap Frog - my granddaughters did excellent on these.
Try Click N Read if your son likes computers. It teaches your child to read in 100 online lessons and because it is an online program there is nothing to misplace. I purchased both this program and the regular Hooked on Phonics for my son when he was 4. We use this exclusively, and my son started Kindergarten as a beginning second grade reader. I would recommend it. It is a one time fee of $59.85 but if you look around there are coupon codes that will lower the price.
My 3-year-old is loving Headsprout.com I have several friends who are teachers and they have used this program with their children. My mother, a long-time kindergarten and first grade teacher, also recommended it. It is computer based and so far I am very impressed! They teach basic skills through second grade reading skills. My daughter loves that she gets to touch mommy's computer when she plays her "games."
Their website offers three free lessons, so you can look at it and see if your child would benefit.
I purchased the hooked on phonics for my daughter and it worked great! We still use it since i purchased the larger kit. We started using the leap frog sounds videos and then moved to this. but, I love it. she is in kindergarten and reading really well. it was also nice that i don't have to be the "teacher" anymore. I have noticed now she is in kindergarten and someone else is teaching her she has just taken off on the reading. good luck!
The library has a lot of good reading programs available for borrowing if you want to try it out first before buying.
There's a book called "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" by Seigfried Engelmann that's inexpensive and fabulous. It looks kind of odd when you first start, because it teaches kids to recognize sounds, rather than letters. But last summer I tutored a girl going into 2nd grade, and we used this system. It was very easy at first, because it's geared toward a little younger age. But when she started school in the fall, her 2nd grade teacher was floored- her reading skills were so different than her end of school reports had indicated.
This is what I'll use with my son when he's closer to four, I think. It was easy for me to use, and easy for the child to pick up. Lots of successes built into the program, so it wasn't discouraging at all.
A lot will depend on his learning style. I used Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons for two of mine at age 4.5 and Hooked on Phonics for my other one at age 5 after the 1st program didn't work well for her. I love the Teach your child to read one. It is fast, gets them reading quickly, takes only a few months, and is very inexpensive. It teaches handwriting at the same time. You can do the handwriting or skip it. I did it with one child and skipped it with another based on where they were.
My duaghter is doing hooked on phonics. I got mine for $40 clearanced not to long ago at Tuesday Mornings in Keller. Also try Half Priced Books. Shop around don't Pay over $100!!!
HTH
E.
