what is the youngest you've done formal reading instruction?

[Kuovonne]

What is the youngest that you've started formal reading instruction? I don't mean singing the alphabet song, just pointing out letters/words, or young children who figure out how to read on their own, but actual teacher-led lessons from a learn-to-read program.

 

I think that I started my children young (age 3.5), and I wonder how common or unusual it is to start reading lessons at that age or younger. BTW, our reading lessons are short (5-10 minutes) and fun (snuggling on the sofa) and enjoyed (my daughter likes it).

[The Governess]

We started at 3yrs 3 months because dd was starting to sound out CVC words on her own. We went through Hooked on Phonics K-2 before she turned 4. We spent about 20 minutes a day on the couch. That was all we did that year for preschool other than art projects, etc.

 

You aren't alone. :D

[JenneinCA]

My oldest asked for and got reading lessons at about 3.5 years old. My other kids didn't ask and didn't get reading lessons until they were older.

[kmacnchs]

I started both of my dds around 2 yrs 3 mo...whenever they knew their Upper & Lower case letters and the sounds to all of them. We start OPG so the first 26 lessons are just a review of the alphabet and sounds so I guess the real reading starts around almost 2.5yrs?

 

Once mine stop eating puzzles and books, we start reading like crazy and doing puzzles. We have many but after they have mastered peg puzzles, the next step up are the wooden ones and all we have are ABC and #s puzzles like that - they do those and learn their ABCs and sounds pretty quickly and we just go from there...

[AnneC]

My oldest dd was 2yrs 3 months because she was trying to figure it out herself. My boys were 3 years old. My younger dd was around 3. I start when they start trying to read for themselves.

[MissKNG]

I waited until dd showed an interest in reading, which was about 3 years old. She knew upper and lower case letters and sounds. But she resisted the more formal approach so I backed off and just let her play on starfall.com and readingeggs.com and a phonics page here and there from Evan Moor. She has learned so much more on her own than from me teaching her. I'm not exactly sure how much she can read because she does a lot of reading in "secret". But last week, she did read the word "cheese" to us while we were ordering lunch at a diner.

[EKS]

18 months for letter sounds, age 2 for reading instruction. He was reading before he turned 3.

[KristenS]

Age 3.5, with the ETC primers.

 

They got letter sounds on their own ... neither kid talked till age two and a bit, but by three had all the letter sounds down pat, along with a whole lot of other concepts, so I figured, why not. Still, I wouldn't classify either one as an actual early reader. They could do (and enjoy) the work, but it didn't click for my oldest till around ETC book 3, and my youngest is only in book 1 as a preschooler.

[Moonbeam Jones]

I started my oldest ds around 3. We took it slow with several breaks for ideas to "sink in". I also had to start with a word on a board to help him focus. Now at 4.5 we are half way through Ordinary Parents Guide and he is easily reading Frog and Toad books!

 

Remember to continue reading outloud and above his/her reading level :)

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

Well, poor DD started formal lessons at 3, even though she showed no interest. But she was unfortunate to follow a young reader. My son was reading easily at 3 and was in Harry Potter at 5. So I was getting worried that my daughter was not showing the least amount of interest in letters when she was 3...

So while her brother was in swimming lessons, and we had 30 minutes to waste, I had letter flashcards, and we'd sit on the floor, and work on the cardes. She actually did enjoy it, but didn't become a fast reader. She read by age 7.

[2cents]

I started at 2 yrs with my 2 youngest. We did a age appropriately modified 100 EZ Lessons then went onto the entire Explode The Code series and the BOB books on up through the Hello Readers working through all the levels. Both of mine were very good readers by 3. Our lessons were very short 10-15 min a couple times a day and fun flashcard games.

[lionfamily1999]

I started with Luke just after his 3rd birthday with Ordinary Parents' Guide to Teaching Reading. With dd, we started around 3.5 with informal lessons (I winged it). With older ds I wanted to wait for him to start school. Dd had so many issues because she was ahead and I didn't want that for him.

[AngieW in Texas]

I started formal reading with my oldest just before she turned 3yo because she came up to me and demanded that I teach her to read immediately. I was quite surprised that she was actually able to read any cvc word at the end of just 2 weeks. She was definitely ready.

 

I didn't start formal lessons with my middle dd until she was 4yo and even then it was to help her speech rather than to teach her to read. Learning to read was a side benefit of Reading Reflex.

 

I started formal lessons with my youngest at 4yo, but she is dyslexic, so it took her a very long time to learn how to read.

[Dinsfamily]

I tried 100 EZ Lessons with my oldest at 3.5 because he'd know his letter sounds for over a year. He wasn't ready so we quit. I didn't start anything else until he was 5. He was already reading the last set of the BOB books by then on his own, but now he's making huge leaps using SWR. He loves his rules! I'm still in the awe stage of all of this.

 

I won't start my middle ds (3.5yo) until he's 5 either, but he's already at a 1.5-2 grade reading level. He's just picked it up by himself (and playing our phonogram boardgame). I figure that he's learned all of this informally, that there's no reason to start him on a formal program now.

 

Neither of my boys were anywhere near ready to write when they started reading, so that's certainly a factor. It seems that the absence of a formal program hasn't hindered their progress.

[Donna]

I started 100EZ lessons with my oldest at about 3.5yo because he asked me to teach him to read. My middle son wasn't ready to learn until closer to 5yo and my dd learned to read fluently on her own at 3yo before I had a chance to begin formal instruction so she's never had "formal instruction."

[musicianmom]

I started at 2 because she already knew her letters and sounds. We got to about lesson 4 of 100 EZ Lessons, and stopped because she wasn't ready to put sounds together. I started again as soon as she turned 3. Then she was ready. By 3 1/2 she was reading Little Bear, by 4 she was reading everything.

[Asma_08]

I started teaching my oldest when he was 3 but I wouldn't recommend it. It was a lot of stress way too early, even with short lessons. Now I lean toward starting formal academics at 5 which is what I am doing with my two youngest. My three year old ended up teaching herself to read but I still don't plan to do anything formal with her until she is closer to five. I am continuing with read alouds and have her play on Starfall.

 

Asma

 

What is the youngest that you've started formal reading instruction? I don't mean singing the alphabet song, just pointing out letters/words, or young children who figure out how to read on their own, but actual teacher-led lessons from a learn-to-read program.

 

I think that I started my children young (age 3.5), and I wonder how common or unusual it is to start reading lessons at that age or younger. BTW, our reading lessons are short (5-10 minutes) and fun (snuggling on the sofa) and enjoyed (my daughter likes it).

[Staceyshoe]

My son started begging me to teach him to read shortly after turning 2. I blew him off for a while and then tried some 5 minute lessons using 100EZ at about 2.5 years. He did not have the attention span for even very short formal lessons. Funny thing was that he would spend about 8 hours per day (literally!) asking how to spell various words and repeating it to himself. To me, that seemed to require a HUGE attention span--believe me, I certainly got tired of it--but it worked for him. He memorized how to spell about 200 words and then started seeing the patterns in the letter sounds. By 2 yrs 9 months, he had taught himself to read without any lessons at all.

 

As long as a child is interested, I don't think you can start too early. Even without formal instruction, they sometimes find their own way. If they are hungry for it, they will ask for more. If it's too soon for them, they'll let you know. It sounds like what you are doing is working, so I say to go for it!:)

[nitascool]

With my oldest we started Phonics Pathways (because you don't have to do writing with it) at 2y4m, we finished just before his 4th birthday. I started at 4 with ds2 and he finished in about 6 weeks. He wasn't really ready for a anything formal before then. My 3rd began at 3. He asked to go through PP again this year and his little sister 2 "has to" do it too.

[chai]

We never did formal reading lessons unless you count reading BOB books. We went through Books A-C at age 3, but dd really took off with reading on her own.

[Truscifi]

We never did formal reading lessons unless you count reading BOB books. We went through Books A-C at age 3, but dd really took off with reading on her own.

 

:iagree:

 

Us too. Ds was in a Montessori preschool, but his teacher said he didn't do formal lessons beyond letters there. He wanted to bring home the BOB books from their 'libray' like the older kids when he was 3, so they let him, and darned if he didn't sit down and read the things to me! He went from there mostly on his own, although I would read with him to help him sound out long words at first.

[Crimson Wife]

I started formal phonics at 4 after my DD had figured out how to decode CVC, CVCC, and CCVC words. She was getting frustrated because she couldn't read words she wanted to, so I decided to teach her the rest of the 70 Orton-Gillingham phonemes.

 

My DS I'm planning to start phonics with next school year unless he starts showing the same kind of frustration.

[mlgbug]

i want to start with ds now. dd just turned 4 when i started her with 100 ez. i now have phonics pathways and 100 ez so i dont know which to use...

 

im also starting him on HOP pre K

[AuntieM]

My youngest finished 100EL at age 3. We started before she turned 3 because she was going around trying to sound out every written word she saw.

 

My oldest asked to learn how to read at 3.5 yrs, and finished 100EL when he was 4.

 

I consider them both early readers.

[StartingOver]

I start when my children show interest or start sounding words out. or requested. That has been dd age 4, ds age 6, ds age 3, ds age 2, one more to go.

 

I think you can start whenever you want, but if a child is not ready then it won't happen.

[mlgbug]

those who startd with a 2 year old, should i do phonics pathways OR 100 ez?

[MomtoCandJ]

:bigear:

[Kuovonne]

Wow, I'm really encouraged by hearing how many others have started formal reading instruction at these younger ages.

 

No-one else in my local homeschool group starts teaching reading anywhere near this young and most of them have at least one late or struggling reader, so I feel that I can't even mention to them that I'm teaching my 3 year old to read.

[StartingOver]

those who startd with a 2 year old, should i do phonics pathways OR 100 ez?

 

 

I have never used or seen either of these. I don't think it matters much what you use, as much as how you use it. At this age it has to be interest bases, when they want it, in a playful way. Very few 2 years olds have a long attention span. When I start with mine, after they learn their letters and sounds. It is only in short lessons, as long as my child is engaged, when my child asks for lessons.

 

The first half of his 2nd year. We started reading beginning books together, just following along with my finger as I sounded out words. After I sounded out each word, I would read the sentence. This gave them the idea of blending.

 

Then I started with HOP ( we do use the readers later, along with Sonlights K, I See Sam, and any others I can find ), but quickly didn't like the many site words. So I bought OPGTR, this is in my opinion the best thing I have seen in 20 years. Although we don't do it as scripted, it is the order and way that it teaches that impresses me. ( With my older children we used HOP and Reader Rabbit Software & I See Sam books. ) I believe strongly in phonics, there are very few true sight words.

 

We worked on CVC words and blending until he was blending well. We did the lessons on the sidewalk, driveway , easel, fridgerator - with blocks, chalk, paints, dry erase markers, shaving cream. Anything to keep his interest and make it fun. This was the second half of his second year.

 

About the time he turned 3 we moved on. I don't worry much about reading from a book, as pictures and such distract little ones in my opinion. I just write out the new words, go over them and the new phonics sound / blends / etc. Then sound out a couple of sentences with him, then he reads a couple more.

 

Now just after he turned 3 he has started requesting books, so he is reading now. All along I have read to him daily. I would judge his reading level as the end of a 1st grade level. Now we are working on fluency, along with more advanced phonics.

 

Just the way we did it. Every child is different, I know all 4 of my readers were LOL

Edited January 13, 2010 by alatexan68

[The Governess]

This thread has been a great reminder for me to spend some more time with dd3 on pre-reading skills. With dd5, I feel that I just acted as a reading *facilitator* rather than a reading teacher. I just sat with her, sounded things out here and there, and she took off with reading immediately. Dd3 is just now starting to show a lot of interest in letters, letter sounds, and games like "what starts with the letter __?" So I think it's time for me to offer her a little bit more.

 

I am going to order OPGTR and HOP's preschool kit. We already have the Leapfrog Letter Factory video and have been using starfall.com off and on. Dd3 will be so excited to have her own school time with me, I can hardly wait to start. Thanks for the motivation. :D

[kmacnchs]

those who startd with a 2 year old, should i do phonics pathways OR 100 ez?

 

I did OPGTR...the first 26 lessons are songs and are just review and NO WRITING (very important since mine are able to read WELL before they can write) so it has worked for us :)

[petepie2]

I started DD at age 3.5 with lesson 27 of OPGTR. She already knew all of her letters and their sounds. She also had some phonemic awareness (such as easily recognizing sounds at the beginning of words), so I felt she could start formal instruction. Now, two years later, she has less than 20 lessons left of OPGTR, and is reading at a least a third grade level.

 

DS is now 3.5 and knows most of his letters and their sounds, but he has very little phonemic awareness. So, I don't think he's ready yet.

[NavyWifeandMommy]

I started around 4 1/2 for everyone. That seems to be the magic number for my family.

[AuntieM]

those who startd with a 2 year old, should i do phonics pathways OR 100 ez?

 

I can only speak from my own experience, I used 100EL. HOWEVER..... I already had used it to teach 3 others, so *I* was familiar with the program. I like it because it doesn't take too long before the kids are reading "stories" and feeling successful. I remember looking at Phonics Pathways years ago, and don't remember anything similar to the funny, kid-friendly stories and drawings in 100EL (but my brain cells are older and tired-er than most of you on this curriculum board!).

 

For all of my kids, I omitted the writing portion. For my 2 very early readers, it wasn't time to start them writing yet, and for my others, I already had a different handwriting curriculum selected. I made flash cards for the first 8 or 10 phonograms, and we played with those so that they would be recognized easily at lesson time.

 

I took it at the child's pace, even doing a lesson over 2-3 days rather that go through all of it at one sitting. Something about lessons in the number 4 to 13 range seems to easily lose the kids' interest, so I broke them up.

 

Most important, I waited for my 2yo child to lead. SHE asked for her reading lesson almost daily. Once she decided to sit and do a lesson, I gave her my undivided attention and was very encouraging. I made a 100 number chart and let her choose a sticker to cover each number when she finished that lesson. I never forced or nagged her to do a lesson. I strongly agree with others who have stated that the child won't succeed unless s/he is ready, but I also know that sometimes, really young children *are* ready!

[mlgbug]

he does show interest, i just didnt know where to start! im starting to dislike 100 ez, lol, especially now since Gabriella is at 52 and it seems the different writing is bothering her when she reads books.

[mktkcb]

Mine got progressively younger. Oldest at 5, next at 4, youngest ds learned to read at 3. He loved sounds & he picked it up pretty easily. He's very auditory, however, and read *everything* outloud for*ev*er. Always with wonderful expression and fluency, but outloud. He was probably 8 before he could genuinely read silently. He would subvocalize (whisper read very quietly). He still reads slowly, and I am convinced that his brain still goes through the extra step.....meaning instead of going from eyes to comprehension, the info goes from eyes to mentally "hearing" it, then to comprehension. Strange child :o). But then...he's my pianist, has perfect pitch, and flawless auditory memory. Loves theater, funny sounds, voice tricks & gags. A big EAR :o). No real visual processing problems, though. I've considered having him do a speed reading course to work on training his brain to skip that extra hearing step. He's 13 now, and is a good reader, but not an avid one. He much prefers technical reading to real literature :ob. You can lead a horse to water.....

[Momling]

Before kindergarten age, I'm more of a reading-comes-when-it-comes sort of person. A child who isn't ready, won't learn, regardless of the curriculum and regardless of how much a parent (or the child herself) wants. And a child who is ready, doesn't need formal lessons, they only need accessible reading materials (like Bob books or Dr. Seuss) in order to figure reading out for themselves.

 

My oldest figured it out by herself at 4, my youngest is working on learning at almost 6.

[EKS]

those who startd with a 2 year old, should i do phonics pathways OR 100 ez?

 

I didn't do either. I made a Power Point slideshow with the letters (huge font) on them (and later with digraphs and so forth) and taught him the sounds. I made the background colors different on each one to lend interest. After he got good with that, I switched the order around, which, in my son's case, didn't throw him off. Then I removed the color background.

 

The next step was to introduce blending. I made a slideshow where letters appeared one at a time and once he got the idea I made slides with simple words to sound out. We proceeded from there to sentences and then entire stories all with really big font.

 

My son liked this because he liked sitting on my lap in front of the computer. And I think the large type size was more appropriate for such a young child.

 

I can't stand EZ Lessons, and my son took one look at Phonics Pathways (after we did the PowerPoint thing) and said he hated it. So I used the concepts in PP and taught him on my own. The only formal program he ever did was REWARDS Intermediate after he was reading really well at age 6.

[Amie]

Wow, I'm really encouraged by hearing how many others have started formal reading instruction at these younger ages.

 

No-one else in my local homeschool group starts teaching reading anywhere near this young and most of them have at least one late or struggling reader, so I feel that I can't even mention to them that I'm teaching my 3 year old to read.

 

I think that everyone is different and the child has to be ready. You can't force a child to learn to read if they just aren't ready. You may even have a "late" reader of your own one day (or maybe not ;)). I know what you mean about not mentioning it to anyone though. This is the first time I've said anywhere that my 3yo can read (there I just said it!)--the grandparents know, of course, but that's it. I'm not trying to keep it a secret, but it isn't something I advertise, as I know it can be misunderstood (in different ways)--people may think you are showing off, or that you are a "pushy" Mom "forcing that poor little toddler to read when he should be playing!", or they think you are super mom and want to know how you did it, thinking that if they could only do the same thing their child will read as well (which we all know is not neccessarily the case).

 

I let OPGTTR casually be my guide with my son beginning at the age of two. He was ready though and already knew all lower/uppercase letters and their sounds and was trying to sound out on his own. He loved looking at books before he could even sit up (even ones without pictures!).

My second son, however, may be a different story. He doesn't even seem to notice books. :D

 

Sorry for giving such a long answer.:blushing:

Edited January 16, 2010 by Amie