I haven't dealt with this and need advice (5yo and phonics)

[plain jane]

I have not done any kind of formal preschool with my kids.  If they show interest in sitting with us, I give them R&S preschool books or something similar to work on but that's the extent of it.  I don't require them to do seat work before K. I read to them, they play games, cut, glue, all those skills but I have not ever spent time teaching my preschool aged kids anything formal.  I let them play knowing that eventually those days will pass.  They have all, however, used the math manipulatives and done all sorts of preschool activities, just not any written work. It has served me well so far- my first three started K not knowing how to read or form (all) their letters but by November all were reading and writing at least basic CVC words.  And they could write all their letters (capital and lowercase) with ease and accuracy.  By the beginning of grade 2 the older three kids had all read the Narnia series (and other books at that level) so I'm not thinking that a late start has been bad for them, but perhaps I am mistaken?

 

Enter child #4.  He is my oldest to start K.  In the past we've informally gone over letter sounds and his skills seemed on par with what the older kids had done at his age.  He can recognize numbers and can count well.  We started Saxon Phonics K and it has been a disaster.  He has only learned 5 letters so far (we are on lesson 18 only because I keep having to take 2-3 days for each lesson to sink in) and yet he keeps getting them confused.  I actually stopped all school (he did art, science and history with us instead) for a while because I didn't know what to do and it was getting frustrating for both of us.  The letters he has learned are L, O, G, H, T.  Most days he gets the sounds correct but other days are a disaster.  L was the first letter, learned back in September and he still gets it wrong when I ask him what sound L makes.  We review each letter EVERY day.

 

It's like it's just not sinking in at all.  And every time I add a new letter (which is painfully slow) he seems to forget what sound the other letters make.  His favorite answer is "buh" but he hasn't even "learned" B or the "buh" sound.   Or he will get mixed up between the sounds (say G says the "h" sound and that T says "guh" etc).

 

I don't really know what's going on.  He really does want to learn.  He's eager and begs to do more and more each day but clearly it's not sinking in.  His penmanship, thankfully, is coming along.

 

I have not been in a situation like this before where one of the kiddos simply could not remember what sound the letters make.  Usually it's the blending that they have a problem with.  I don't want to get all worked up that he's behind but all my other kids were reading by this point and I know the kids in K here are reading too.  Heck, I go on the preK and K board and it seems like most 3 year olds are way ahead of this one's skills.

 

So what do you all suggest I do with him?  Should I add in some preschool workbooks?  Which ones?  He is still working through the last two R&S books but those don't go over the letter skills I am looking to enforce.   I could really use some ideas.  I feel bad for not having started formal learning with this one sooner but I had done this 3 times- and it's not like I did absolutely nothing with him for the last two years.  I'm definitely going to start formal work with my #5 at a lot younger age.  :sad:

[boscopup]

Have you used Leapfrog Letter Factory?

 

My middle son took a lot longer to learn his letters than his brothers. He's also taken a much longer time to learn to read than his brothers did. He just turned 7, and he's doing well with R&S Reading and Phonics 1, but it's been a long slog to get here! Anyway, when he was about 4 and didn't know his letters yet, I tried using OPGTR to teach him. After 3 weeks, he was still really fuzzy on most of them, including the first ones he'd learned. So finally I put in Leapfrog Letter Factory. He watched it a couple times a day for 3 days, and you know what? He was solid on his letter sounds after that. :lol:

 

So try the frog if you haven't already.

 

Also, are their any hearing problems? My middle son had had a lot of ear infections as a baby and ended up with tubes at age 2. Up until that point, he was hearing everything muffled (the ENT described it as going to Mexico and trying to learn Spanish via immersion with cottonballs in your ears). So due to all that, everything language related has been delayed compared to what his brothers did/are doing. The good news is... He has learned his letters and he can read a bit now. :D He's not ready for Narnia, by any means. But he's improving. An early start really didn't do anything for him, btw. He could blend at age 4, before he knew all his letter sounds. But 3 years later, here we are, still plugging along. We inch forward bit by bit, and one day he will read well. This child's brain is wired so differently from that of his brothers, so I've learned that I can't predict when he'll do things - he's on his own time table. :D

[Incognito]

I second the leapfrog letter factory suggestion.  That video is well done and fun.  I've personally known at least 6 kids who learned their letter sounds with it painlessly (and quickly).

 

[kubiac]

Another vote for the Frog.

 

There's also a book called Abadaba Alphabet that comes with a CD and both the text and the recording are very useful for reviewing the initial letter sounds.

[klmama]

Yep.  Leapfrog Letter Factory video.  After that one, Leapfrog Talking Words Factory.  Amazing.

[ElizabethB]

Frog. If someone has to say A says ah 1,000 times, better a cute frog than me...and I enjoy teaching phonics.

 

Over 1,000 reviews on Amazon, 5 stars average, $7.50, you can't go wrong with the frog.

[FriedClams]

Another Letter Factory user. My son learned all his letters and sounds in about 3 days.

 

One game we used for phonics that helped a lot was a blending game. I'd give them three sounds like c...a...t and they had to guess the word. We played in the car, on the potty, whatever. It was fun. I made up a name like "secret decoder words" or something. When they got to blending they already had the skill - it was just matching up what sounds they had to read. It made blending a breeze.

[Korrale]

Www.readingbear.org if you don't mind some computer playing. It is free.

[Susan in TX]

I don't think that starting later is the problem here. You may actually be starting too soon for this child. Some kids just aren't ready to learn to read at age five or even six. When I was a child, kindergarten was all about learning letters NOT learning how to read. Kids back then were given an entire year at age 5 to just learn letter recognition...not the sounds the letters made...just the names of the letters. So what I would do would be to work on just learning letters and don't rush things. Have you thought about doing a letter of the week type of program? You can read ABC books...some of my kids learned their ABCs from Dr. Suess's ABC book. Your son may also do well with the GetReady, Get Set, Go For the Code workbooks. Christian Light has a new kindergarten curriculum that gently introduces the letters too.

 

Susan in TX

[Tracy]

I don't think that starting later is the problem here. You may actually be starting too soon for this child. Some kids just aren't ready to learn to read at age five or even six. When I was a child, kindergarten was all about learning letters NOT learning how to read. Kids back then were given an entire year at age 5 to just learn letter recognition...not the sounds the letters made...just the names of the letters. So what I would do would be to work on just learning letters and don't rush things. Have you thought about doing a letter of the week type of program? You can read ABC books...some of my kids learned their ABCs from Dr. Suess's ABC book. Your son may also do well with the GetReady, Get Set, Go For the Code workbooks. Christian Light has a new kindergarten curriculum that gently introduces the letters too.

 

Susan in TX

 

I agree, except that I would put off learning letter names until later and just learn letter sounds.  If he had a hard time with learning letter names, he would be better served by learning the sounds first and the names later.  When a child struggles with letters, you really don't need the letter names cluttering up his thinking when he is learning how to read.  

[Guest babybear&me]

My daughter also learned her sounds from Letter Factory

[mom2hunangirls]

2 successful Frog graduates here.

[GloriaMS]

Everybody seems to back Leapfrog so I say give it a try.  If it still doesn't work, let the child be, he might not be ready.  My DD started reading at 7 and now I can't stop her.

[AimeeM]

Try the frog! My 4 year old learned his sounds in a matter of days with it. I was so stubborn at first, about not wanting to try it - but I am SO glad I did! Lol.

[kiwik]

And get his ears checked.

[Wabi Sabi]

I'll also chime in to add another vote for the Leapfrog phonics DVDs. We borrowed copies from the library, but they're so cheap that even if you purchased one on Amazon that you don't have much to lose even if you end up not using them much.

[Lecka]

I am skipping to the bottom, but recommend as something to try:

 

1) adding in more mutisensory learning . This is things like tracing in sand or dish soap. Tracing on sandpaper. Tracing the letter very big on a dry erase board or big piece of paper (like butcher paper) taped to the wall.

 

2) going back to phonemic awareness in pre-school books, instead of doing K phonics. He may need more time with listening for sounds. It may just be a foundational skill he needs. There are some very cute books on Amazon.

[mommymonster]

We love the Letter Factory (frog) video, but we downplay that it is "educational." They only get to watch it if they are good.  :lol:

 

Right after you buy it, though, I would get his vision and hearing checked out. You can be the best teacher in the universe using the most amazing tools in the universe and if your student cannot see or hear, everyone is going to be frustrated. 

 

Also, Lecka's suggestions of multisensory learning are great. We used tracing in flour, cornmeal and beans. Also tracing in the air (pretending the finger was on fire). I'm not sure the finger being on fire had any educational purpose. It was just more in-line with our super hero theme...

 

 

[Guest mynvgrlz]

I have 3. My youngest was the same at 5, we backed off and picked back up at 6. She does a much better job now. However, she is not as much of an auditory learner as my others. She does better if she can write it and see it. Writing really helps her. We use 100 easy lessons.

[freesia]

Yep.  Leapfrog Letter Factory video.  After that one, Leapfrog Talking Words Factory.  Amazing.

These are good, but I do have to say that each kid is different. My oldest and youngest read their first words at 3. My second learned all the letter sounds at around 3/4 from Leapfrog Letter Factory BUT did not start to read until she was almost 7. By the time she was 8 she read Harry Potter. My middle could not remember the letter names until 6 1/2--although he did better with the sounds. He clicked with reading at 7 and read Harry Potter by 8. Reading progression can be strange.

 

I start introducing the letter sounds younger than you, but it didn't make a difference. The kids who were going to learn later, did.

 

I wouldn't worry. He's in kindergarten. How old is he? 5?