Favorite PreK Reading Program (for 3.5 year old)

[tofindwisdom]

What is your favorite PreK reading program?  Looking for a program for my 3.5 year old.  She recognizes and knows her letter sounds.

 

We tried "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons," and I guess I forgot how painful that program can be with the say it fast "games."  She just doesn't like that part and neither do I!

 

Friends have recommended "Phonics Pathways" which I'm sure is a wonderful program, but I don't have the time right now to read through a teacher's manual and try to figure out what I'm supposed to prepare and cover for that day.  With a busy two year old boy and nursing infant, I would like something that is easy to teach and has little to no prep.

 

Thanks in advance for your recommendations!

 

Here's what we are using so far:

 

Memoria Press Preschool

The Complete Book of Numbers and Counting workbook

Everything for Early Learning workbook

[Slache]

We were doing phonogram cards and early readers at that age. It was very simple.

[desertflower]

I love phonics pathways. There is no need to prep. Just turn to the page and have your dc read. Do a page or two and call it a day.

 

My dd loves progressive phonics. It's free online. I print out the book and put it in a binder. She reads a few pages at a time. Since I've been through phonics, it's easier the second time around.

 

I think she likes progressive phonics because it's colorful and she thinks she is reading a story. Not sure though.

 

Good luck!

[HomeAgain]

100 EZ lessons, because I like the auto-stop if the child isn't getting it by lesson 10.  Can't blend?  Put it away and start up again in 6 months.  We introduced sounds early (no letter names) and left plenty of time to play with the letters individually.  It was a very short 3 months when he was ready.

[kalusignan]

We love All About Reading! I've used up to Level 4 (currently with my older dd). I'm using the Pre level with my 3.5 year old. She's known all her upper and lower case letters and all her sounds since 2 years old, BUT I think the Pre level is valuable simply for the Language Exploration exercises with Ziggy (zebra puppet). Even though she already knows the rest of the material, the LE exercises are quite challenging (working on recognizing rhyming, syllables, first and last sounds, etc.). She'll sometimes insist on reading CVC words in Bob books and such, but I'm choosing to hold off on AAR Level 1 until she is more confident with the LE exercises in Pre level. 3.5 is on the young side to push reading, so I'm trying to be patient and thorough.

[FO4UR]

Happy Phonics!

 

And, buy some letter magnets.

 

 

Don't push a primer on a 3.5yo.  My 10yo was reading at 3yo so I understand the need for something, but keep it in a format she will enjoy...games, magnets on the fridge.  Let her drive this train kwim.  When she's done playing with words, she can be done. 

 

 

When she learns a word that is common, give her a piece of junk mail and a pen and ask her to circle all of the words she find on the page, like a word search.

[mom2bee]

The Reading Lesson

[Holly]

We use the McGuffey Primer to teach reading.  Before we start on it, I introduce blending with our homemade letter flashcards (index cards cut in 1/2).  I just put together simple CVC words for her to sound out.  We build any new words (with reading rods or letter tiles) and add them to a blank "dictionary" I bought from Starfall.  

 

Whatever you use, I'd suggest something with little to no writing for a 3.5 year old.    

[CelticHaiku]

We are starting Reading Lessons Through Literature. It seems relatively open and go.

[ExcitedMama]

Another vote for AAR. I've been trying to remember when I started it with DS so I can remember to pull it out again for DD. It really has great short lessons. Now that we are farther in I can really see how they build well from the beginning lessons. The rhyming activities really taught DS to hear language.

[LMCme]

We use The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading, which has worked very well with us.  Like Teach Your Child to Read in 100 EZ lessons it has scripting there in the book, but no weird orthography, no "say it fast".  Just a very straightforward program.  If your child is overwhelmed with all the extra type, as mine was, you can copy out the lessons in 3-5 minutes and do it from your copy sheet.

 

LMC

[rwilk]

We use Logic of English.  We started around the same age as your DD, and we found it effective and fun.  There are many different types of games included, most of them physically active in the lower levels. We are at the point now where she can do easy readers, so we add in some of those as well. 

 

We tried 100EZ before Logic of English, and she HATED it.  

 

 

[Syllieann]

I used AAR very successfully at that age for my older two children. You need to put all the magnets together when you first get it. After that it's open and go. We used the cards for a lot for silly games like jump over the card after you read it, ride a bike around the driveway and read a card at each pass etc. The fluency pages aren't fun, but my kids liked all the little activities and games. I think there are tips on the AAR site to help make the fluency sheets more palatable. The AAR readers are awesome.

[Squawky Acres]

100EZ was not well-liked at my house either.  I started the first two on OPGTR, which worked quite well for young readers as it is so quick and painless (we begin after lesson 26, as they have all known letter sounds).  With my fourth child, who just turned four, we are finishing up AAR Pre (because he likes Ziggy and the coloring), supplemented with some short OPGTR lessons at his level, as he is a self-taught reader who just needs some more grounding in phonics.  I should probably get out AAR 1 for him, but it seem too cumbersome for his short attention span.  He would die if I brought out a fluency sheet!

 

[Squawky Acres]

I used AAR very successfully at that age for my older two children. You need to put all the magnets together when you first get it. After that it's open and go. We used the cards for a lot for silly games like jump over the card after you read it, ride a bike around the driveway and read a card at each pass etc. The fluency pages aren't fun, but my kids liked all the little activities and games. I think there are tips on the AAR site to help make the fluency sheets more palatable. The AAR readers are awesome.

 

I *know*!  I love the AAR program except for those fluency sheets.  They just look so scary, but then it seems like too much work to cut them all out and turn them into bones to feed to a monster, or whatever it is I am supposed to do to make them more fun.

[abba12]

We've actually had success with 100EZ. It's been slow to start with, some similar issues to you. We usually did each lesson twice, or a half lesson each day, and have mixed it with other things like I See Sam and Explode The Code because my eldest desperately WANTS to read but has struggled with blending and consistently mixing up certain sounds (hard e and soft i, I can't figure out why but she always switches them). But we seemed to hit a point, around lesson 25, and now when the book only expects her to read one sentence 'the fast way' shes reading the entire text 'the fast way', so we're about to ramp it back up to a new lesson each day without the added extras stretching it out for the sake of practice, and I suspect the last two thirds of the book will move a LOT quicker than the first third did. 

 

Explode the Code was a huge help for us, and is also a great start for spelling. If your 3.5yo isn't totally set on letter sounds, the Ready Set Go for the Code series is a great introduction

 

The I See Sam readers have been pretty good too. 

 

 

[MrsWeasley]

Can she blend yet? Can she rhyme? Break words insto syllables? Tell you the first and last sound in a word. I found my kids knew their letter sounds way before they could blend the letter sounds to make words.

[MerryAtHope]

I *know*!  I love the AAR program except for those fluency sheets.  They just look so scary, but then it seems like too much work to cut them all out and turn them into bones to feed to a monster, or whatever it is I am supposed to do to make them more fun.

 

At 4, I might just play with tiles for awhile--making words, learning the blending technique etc..., and go into AAR when he seems ready for a bit more. You can do simpler things with the fluency pages if you don't want to cut them up though. Let Ziggy take turns reading lines for a younger child. Some kids like highlighting each one or putting a sticker after each line they read. Younger ones don't have to read the full sheet, just a bit from each section over a few days. Some moms use sticker dots to mark a beginning and ending point, so the child doesn't think he has to read the whole page. Or some use dice--roll a die and that determines how many lines to read that day (or you can number lines, and the number rolled determines which one to read). Lots of good ideas in the comments section of that article too. They have a lot of built in practice for older kids remedial learners that really need it. Beginners sometimes just do a portion of a page and move on. You can be flexible with them and use what you need from them. 

[vaquitita]

I *know*! I love the AAR program except for those fluency sheets. They just look so scary, but then it seems like too much work to cut them all out and turn them into bones to feed to a monster, or whatever it is I am supposed to do to make them more fun.

YES! Lol. I've resorted to giving them raisins or chocolate chips or something at the end of each line. Fun for them and less work for me.

 

AAR pre level is lots of fun and includes lots more than just letter sounds. My 5yo knew all his letter sounds very well when he did it (he was 4 at the time) but still really enjoyed it. Level 1 is not nearly as much fun, though the ziggy game supplement helps. I didn't find AAR pre to be enough practice for my kid who didnt know her letter sounds yet.

 

If you don't hate video based learning, the endless alphabet app is great. Lots of fun, reinforces letter sounds, and blending them together to make words.

Edited November 21, 2015 by vaquitita

[kalusignan]

At 4, I might just play with tiles for awhile--making words, learning the blending technique etc..., and go into AAR when he seems ready for a bit more. You can do simpler things with the fluency pages if you don't want to cut them up though. Let Ziggy take turns reading lines for a younger child. Some kids like highlighting each one or putting a sticker after each line they read. Younger ones don't have to read the full sheet, just a bit from each section over a few days. Some moms use sticker dots to mark a beginning and ending point, so the child doesn't think he has to read the whole page. Or some use dice--roll a die and that determines how many lines to read that day (or you can number lines, and the number rolled determines which one to read). Lots of good ideas in the comments section of that article too. They have a lot of built in practice for older kids remedial learners that really need it. Beginners sometimes just do a portion of a page and move on. You can be flexible with them and use what you need from them. 

 

Merry, You always have great ideas! Buddy reading with Ziggy is definitely one that I will be adding with my youngest when she starts AAR1!

[Squawky Acres]

Yes, thanks Merry.  These are some good ideas.  You were so kind to help me out when I had written to customer service about my 5-year-old in AAR 1 who kept getting tangled up in the fluency sheets.  I had thought we needed to get through the entire thing, and those lessons would take us DAYS.  You had confirmed that the fluency sheets contain extra practice for students who need it, but that very young students who are otherwise making good progress do not need to read every word.

 

But . . . we still hate the fluency sheets.  Maybe it is because the rest of the program has all of these fun games and cute little story books, so that four pages of random word practice and sentences looks so enormous and dull in comparison.

 

I just received our Ziggy supplement to AAR 1 after reading about it on the boards, and think it will help my 4-year-old make the transition to AAR 1.

 

We are actually finishing up AAR Pre because my son is enjoying the coloring pages and Ziggy games, but are also working out of OPGTR now as he already knows how to read and is eager to figure out the harder sounds that he does not know.  At some point when he builds up more endurance, we will go back to AAR 1.

 

Edited November 24, 2015 by Squawky Acres

[kalusignan]

 

I just received our Ziggy supplement to AAR 1 after reading about it on the boards, and think it will help my 4-year-old make the transition to AAR 1.

 

 

The Ziggy supplement is great! I see at as the equivalent to the RightStart games for reading. They get a lot of practice reading words, but it's ok because it's part of the game! If you have 2 kids in AAR, they can play together, each with their own set of word cards.

[mom31257]

I really like this little book from ABeka. It has blends of each consonant with each short vowel, then it moves into CVC words and beyond. Bob Books are fun, too.

 

http://www.abeka.com/ABekaOnline/BookDescription.aspx?sbn=100943

[Targhee]

Phonics Pathways was pick up and go (with a very few "oops, I need to copy this first, wait a minute while I do that" days).

[Mercury449]

We were using 100 EZ but didn't get very far with it. After reading this thread, I got The Reading Lesson and I love it! My son is not bogged down with small text like in 100 EZ. The Reading Lesson is visually more friendly and it's also easier to find stopping points. 

 

 

[Kinspired]

Readingbear.org

[HS Mom in NC]

Just because a child has mastered letter sounds at 3.5, it doesn't mean that child is ready to learn to read yet.  Blending is a completely different skill and there can be a significant gap (several years) until they're ready to move on to that.  A small subset of children my be ready to, but don't assume it.

 

Steel yourself against the cultural pressure inside the homeschool community and out of it to do early academics unless your child is clearly aching for it and taking to it like a duck to water.

Phonics Pathways is open and go unless you want to do the print out games. You can just print them all out when you get the book so they're ready when you want them.  We didn't use them but we did use the Reading Pathways books that go with them-they're also open and go.