Phonics programs?

[sjwhit]

Hey everyone, my son and I have been working through Abeka's Handbook for Reading for phonics instruction, but he is getting frustrated every day even just doing one page with about 10 words. I'm looking around for gentle phonics programs because I think we may need to dial it back and start elsewhere. I've looked at All About Reading 1 and The Good and the Beautiful. Anyone have experience with either of those, or another program you recommend? We tried Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons and were not fans. FYI - he is 5.

[Servant4Christ]

I've never used any of those programs just because the amount of color was way too distracting for my boys.

Rod & Staff and Phonics Pathways are both great programs depending on your preference.

[Zoo Keeper]

Phonics Pathways is my favorite for beginning phonics... https://www.rainbowresource.com/000437.html 

Depending on the child, a five year old may just need to put the phonics aside for a short time and come back to it later.  Some five year olds are ready, and some just need to go outside and run around a bit more. 😉

Edited March 28 by Zoo Keeper

[sjwhit]

3 minutes ago, Zoo Keeper said:

Some five year olds are ready, and some just need to go outside and run around a bit more. 😉

You know, you're absolutely right. The answer may be as simple as that!

[countrymum]

I have used AAR with 2 kids...one learned easily one was dyslexic. I am using it for number 3 (likely dyslexic) and saving it for 3 more following. I did use Abeka some and can compare if you like. AAR spends way more time on short vowel words and is more explicit if the child needs that it's great. If they don't... just go faster. It isn't graded and all my kids have really liked the readers. I did have my 2 dyslexic kids do level 1 basically twice but they didn't mind and got it;) I  like the variety of practice but reading lists of words is hard and everybody who needs the practice does need it. It goes slower than Abeka, but I think it also goes farther.

[Clarita]

We really liked All About Reading. My kids really like it, I'm OK with it. It seems like a bit much for a normal/smart child but it's fun so they don't mind doing it. It definitely works though. Basically my children can just read whatever they want after level 2. (They can just kind of figure out how to figure out words after that.)

My only suggestion (which goes against TWTM) is I would do some written and spelling work even in All About Reading level 1. 

[Servant4Christ]

2 hours ago, Zoo Keeper said:

Phonics Pathways is my favorite for beginning phonics... https://www.rainbowresource.com/000437.html 

Depending the child, a five year old may just need to put the phonics aside for a short time and come back to it later.  Some five year olds are ready, and some just need to go outside and run around a bit more. 😉

I almost asked (but deleted it) whether the child was newly 5 or closer to 6 because those months in between age 5 and 6 make a big difference in when my boys are ready.

[ScoutTN]

We used Phonics Pathways and my Ds was one for whom a few more months between 5 and 6 were helpful. 
 

eta: We did not do the writing. I taught penmanship separately.

Edited March 28 by ScoutTN

[Chris in VA]

We used Phonics Pathways. One thing I loved about it was that they taught beginning reading left to right, not using "word families" and changing the beginning letter. 

[Cordelia]

My personal experience has been that AAR is good for a child who is struggling, but massive overkill for the NT. 

I think it's better to start out with something inexpensive like OPGTR or Phonics Pathways and then only escalate to the expense of AAR if you actually need it. 

Not sure how close to 6 the 5 year old in question is, but I have had kids "click" with blending around 5.5 years old. 

[countrymum]

Yes to blending sometimes "clicking" but I wouldn't stop working in it. My kids who got it easily got it at like age 4. My ones who struggled at 4-5 needed extra work ... I used Abeka blend ladders for 1 who couldn't blend 3 letters and CLE sound slider for another before AAR 1.

I don't find AAR overkill for a child who gets reading easily. I just skipped some parts of the fluency pages and used the "challenge word" sections. She still liked the games. I would pause after level 3 and not do level 4 until 3 rd grade though. My daughter flew through level 4 in early 2nd grade, but wasn't reading books "in the wild" with that hard of vocabulary. I think the derivation lessons would have stuck better a bit later. 

I will say I am a strong proponent of thorough phonics though.....to each his own;)

[ieta_cassiopeia]

Seconding the blending work and running around outside, and also wanting to add listening to lots of books and spoken language (whether you're reading them, other adults are reading them or as audiobooks). It is of course possible that OP is already doing lots of all these things, but I have no specific advice to offer on the "which curriculum" side of it, except to say mixing things up can sometimes help, simply through providing variety.

[Penderwink]

We use AAR, but skip the fluency sheets, or put a selection of the words onto the letter magnet board. The presentation in a whole sheet  is just too much for this five year old boy. It’s a solid program and he enjoys the games. (And he loved Ziggy in the pre-reading level).

We supplement with Collins Big Cat phonics readers. (I pick out the ones on helicopters or construction vehicles or insects or whatever I think he might be motivated to read. Technically he has the skills to take off in reading, so now it’s just slowly building those skills and offering tempting literature, so when he’s ready and motivated he can fly).

There is a TV show Alphablocks which could be interesting (bits on Youtube).