What if your child is not a "phonics" type of child..

[hsmom]

What else is there? How else do you teach reading and such?

 

Here is what we have tried so far:

 

100 ez - he hated this, it was a fight as soon as the book came out.

 

ETC - another miss

 

HOP - it is not working for him the pace of the lady on the cd is too fast, he doesn't like the constant over and over.

 

now we do have the leap frog movies and he does like those, but that is not enough to actually teach him how to read.

 

What do I do now? I really think he is an anti phonics kid.

[JudoMom]

What do I do now? I really think he is an anti phonics kid.

 

I think he's 4, more than he's anti-phonics. Put the phonics away for a couple of months and come back to it.

[hsmom]

He want to read so bad. This is like a really big deal to him. That is the only reason I have been doing it.

[JudoMom]

He want to read so bad. This is like a really big deal to him. That is the only reason I have been doing it.

 

I understand. My ds5 wanted to read from the age of 4, but he just now has the attention span and patience to learn. He's also my most demanding child, so it was a hard year.

 

I did bits of Phonics Pathways with him for the year. We practiced reading individual sounds, and he did the ETC Primers. We used letter flashcards and practiced blending.

 

I hope you find something that works for you both!

[hsmom]

He is also very demanding. He is doing awesome in math. We are working on addition already. It is this darn phonics that has us all messed up

[Emmy]

He might want to read but he's not ready to read. I would read to him as much as you can, wait 6-12 months and try again.

 

He hates phonics because he's not making the connections and it's frustrating him.

[Ellie]

That he didn't like the materials you used does not mean he isn't a phonics child. It means he didn't like the methods you tried, or he wasn't ready. And you've tried several completely different methods in a short period of time. That's going to be confusing.

[hsmom]

We have been working on this for a yr or more now. So, I have spaced and tried with each. I will just give him more time.

[Lisa in the UP of MI]

At 4 he may or may not be ready, but this is what I did with my dd:

 

I used ideas from Montessori Read and Write (I love this book, though I don't think I've ever heard anyone else talk about it on the boards). First, I taught her to listen for the separate sounds in words. While she was learning this she also learned the letter sounds using sandpaper letters. After she could do this instead of reading words, she built words using a movable alphabet. She was at this point last summer and in Novemeber we started AAS level 1. We've been going through it slowly when we feel like it. We also have been going through OPGTR. I write words on a white board or Magnadoodle for her to read or sometimes she writes or builds the words herself. Looking at the book would have completely overwhelmed her. We also play games with word cards to get more practice reading as opposed to spelling.

[PeterPan]

Go the opposite direction and teach him to SPELL rather than read. There are lots of things you can work on, the early steps like clapping syllables, sound to letter correspondence, gluing and ungluing words. (cat, what sounds do you hear in cat? /k/-/a/-/t/ Great! Now let's write it!) And any word he can spell you can then write onto a flashcard for him to practice reading.

 

My dd was pretty opinionated when she learned to read, wouldn't even TOUCH early readers or a Bob book or anything. She only wanted "real" books, even when things really hadn't clicked yet. It was all or nothing to her! But on the plus side, when she started reading, she went right into real books! So just be patient, it will come. Don't get too flustered. Spell, write, do other things, keep him busy, let him listen to books on cd, buy him some time and it will come. :)

[siloam]

Go the opposite direction and teach him to SPELL rather than read. There are lots of things you can work on, the early steps like clapping syllables, sound to letter correspondence, gluing and ungluing words. (cat, what sounds do you hear in cat? /k/-/a/-/t/ Great! Now let's write it!) And any word he can spell you can then write onto a flashcard for him to practice reading.

 

My dd was pretty opinionated when she learned to read, wouldn't even TOUCH early readers or a Bob book or anything. She only wanted "real" books, even when things really hadn't clicked yet. It was all or nothing to her! But on the plus side, when she started reading, she went right into real books! So just be patient, it will come. Don't get too flustered. Spell, write, do other things, keep him busy, let him listen to books on cd, buy him some time and it will come. :)

 

I am with OhElizabeth. He probably isn't developmentally ready, no matter how back he wants it, so work on spelling words instead. Spell to Read and Write, Writing Road to Reading, and All About Spelling all will work on Phonics this way if you want a program. If you don't want another program then work on playing I spy games, identifying the letter sound that starts the item (builds phonological awareness). Have him say the letter sounds while doing his handwriting (double duty activity-and is it fine if he just repeats it after you). If you have any letter around the house (Scrabble?) take them out and use them to build simple word. Give him the sound and let him find the letters. Then you sound it out for him, but don't expect him to do it. One day he just might suddenly take over and start doing it on his own.

 

Heather

 

[stripe]

Have you seen the book

Teach a Child to Read With Children's Books: Combining Story Reading, Phonics, and Writing to Promote Reading Success by Mark B. Thogmartin? It's kind of interesting.

[TMarie]

Joanna,

I too think that 4 is a little early to know if phonics will work. But, I do know that some kids just don't ever get phonics. If he doesn't, there is hope.

 

My two oldest did fine with phonics. My little guy is 8 and just can't sound out a word. He too learned his letter sounds from the LeapFrog videos but then we floundered with phonics for two years. R&S reading program was a life-saver for us. Now I know to look for sight-word based programs for him. Pathway Readers (First Steps, Days Go By, etc.) with the workbooks have also been a big hit with him. He is now so proud of himself. No longer does he tell others that he can't read. It amazes me how many words he has learned through rot memorization.

 

Now don't get me wrong.... I still haven't given up on him learning to sound out a word. We still work on phonics a little bit DAILY using a variety of materials including The Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading; he's on lesson #41, but still not quite getting it. He stalled halfway through Explode the Code 1, but I continue to pull it out every once in a while. One of these days he is going to get it!

[mo2]

I am with OhElizabeth. He probably isn't developmentally ready, no matter how back he wants it, so work on spelling words instead. Spell to Read and Write, Writing Road to Reading, and All About Spelling all will work on Phonics this way if you want a program. If you don't want another program then work on playing I spy games, identifying the letter sound that starts the item (builds phonological awareness). Have him say the letter sounds while doing his handwriting (double duty activity-and is it fine if he just repeats it after you). If you have any letter around the house (Scrabble?) take them out and use them to build simple word. Give him the sound and let him find the letters. Then you sound it out for him, but don't expect him to do it. One day he just might suddenly take over and start doing it on his own.

 

Heather

 

 

 

 

I agree with OhElizabeth and Heather. My daughter just turned 7, and we have been struggling with phonics for at least 2 years now. I finally switched to All About Spelling (after being unable to figure out how to implement The Writing Road to Reading), and she is making huge leaps with her reading (after only having the AAS program for a couple of weeks!).

 

Then again...is it the program? Or is she just finally ready? Who's to say? But I think it did help to take the pressure off by not trying to teach her to read. Instead I'm trying to teach her to spell....she just doesn't realize it's basically the same thing.

[Ottakee]

http://www.teacherweb.com/CA/PomeloDriveElementary/Mrssakamoto/printap2.stm Check out these books. Print them out and then have him say the sounds and read the words. They teach phonics but the child just learns the sounds as they need to them to read---no learning 44 sounds all at once.

 

The books are really cute and motivating for a child.

 

http://www.roadstoeverywhere.com/3RsPlusRead.html This website sells the books. The UK site has lots of great information on it as well--see the link on the top right.

[mom4him]

When I was working with our dd this is the routine I was given. We worked on digit spans. Here is a link for more information as to what that is.

http://www.littlegiantsteps.com/xcart/product.php?productid=10&cat=0&bestseller

We then went to the Dick and Jane books. We did this while working on the digit spans. I was instructed to copy down the first 5 words in the book on 3x5 cards. You use these as flash cards by showing the child the card, saying the word, letting them say the word, going to the next card. You do this until the child says the word before you do. When the child says those 5 cards before you do that child is then ready to read the first pages of Dick and Jane. They are excited! They can read. When making the cards you if there is a word that begins with a capital letter and the same one that begins with a small letter, that is two words/cards.

The thing that we learned with the digit spans is that a child needs to be able to do a digit span of at least 5 numbers before he/she is really ready to learn phonics. The Dick and Jane books with flash cards gives them that confidence and fulfills quite quickly that desire to start reading.

When we did started this I was amazed at how quickly our dd started to read and she is a good reader with very good comprehension.

[ladydusk]

Have you tried the Leapfrog videos? The Letter Factory, Talking Word Factory I & II are excellent. I think my 3 yo is ready to start on CVC words where a month ago he really didn't get the idea at all (even though he knew his letters). I am *not* a video mommy, but the recs here were so good we tried out the Letter Factory, loved it and bought the set. The Storybook Factory and Math Circus are OK, but the others are great!

[hsmom]

Yes, we do use the leap frog videos. He loves them.

[ElizabethB]

I agree with OhElizabeth's recommendation to try spelling first. It will make the phonics easier. Both of mine could spell before they could sound out words (my just turned 4 year old can spell several words but cannot yet sound out any words.)

 

I would also try Webster's Speller. 2 letter blends are easier to start with, and they will lead directly into 2+ syllable words that will let him read anything once he knows all his other sounds.

 

The easiest letters to blend together are m, n, l, and r.

 

I would start with the syllabary in the Webster's Speller, starting with the following long vowel syllables:

 

1. ma me mi mo mu my; na ne ni no nu ny; la le li lo lu ly; ra re ri ro ru ry

(a in a syllable is long as in ma-ker, na-ture, la-kers, ra-di-ant)

 

then short vowels

2. am em im om um; an en in on un

 

then the rest of the syllabary once he gets how to blend those.

 

Long vowels are easier to blend and also have the advantage of being both the sound and name of the letter.

 

Here is the full syllabary, the Webster link is below: http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/webstersyllabary.html

 

Work from a white board and work with the syllabary until he can spell and sound them all out. (You can move on once he's mastered all but ca, ce, ci, co, cu, cy and sca, sce, sci, sco, scu, scy, then just review those daily along with the new things he's learning.)

[alegnab]

He might want to read but he's not ready to read. I would read to him as much as you can, wait 6-12 months and try again.

 

He hates phonics because he's not making the connections and it's frustrating him.

 

:iagree: Put the phonics lessons aside until he's developmentally ready. Try again in a few months, and if it still doesn't click, put it aside again.

[dragons in the flower bed]

Just read to him a lot. Make sure he thinks of himself as a reader because he looks at picture books and listens to stories.

 

I had a little guy who struggled, didn't like the book-based phonics programs, did like LeapFrog. He eventually learned through the ClickNKids online reading program, but not until he was almost six.

[Guest]

Have him play around on starfall.com. My 2 young guys have learned their letter sounds from this.

 

Also, take a look at Bearing Away from Sound Foundations UK:

 

http://www.prometheantrust.org/usshop.htm

 

It is a big leap going from knowing the sounds of each letter to putting them together to make words.

[LindaOz]

Maybe instead of using a phonics 'program' as such, you could teach him all the phonics components incidentally as you read together. Then it's more like you are pointing things out in a story, saying them together and then moving on with the story. Next time you come across that same sound point it out again, find some more of that sound together, keep reading etc. It is less like a lesson and may take the pressure off him actually having to get the sounds right.

 

When I was TRYING to teach my 5th child to read (she has been my hardest so far) I would do some of the 'incidental' teaching sounds/phonics but didn't realize it was really sinking in because she wasn't doing very well with our reading 'lessons'. Then, to help her out, I decided to put sounds like ch, igh, sh, etc on cards to help her learn them that way. Well, talk about surprise me! Turns out she knew most of the blends etc I put on the cards just through talking about them together and pointing them out as we read.

 

So, next, I started writing a line or two of a nursery rhyme on the white board, saying it together while pointing to the words (you could 'almost' call that reading it together :) ) then identifying and practicing words and sounds found in the rhyme. I made word cards with words from the rhyme so she could make the rhyme up on the floor etc. Within days her reading totally took off and she has never looked back. She is now flying through an in-depth phonics program and sounds out words well, but it was that point where we isolated sounds on cards that she knew just from reading together and doing nursery rhyme sentences, that really clicked with her.

 

Well, that was long...

Hope there is something in there that helps.

 

Linda

[skaterbabs]

My daughter taught herself to read at four using www.starfall.com and "Between the Lions" on PBS. Candy-coated phonics. ;) A lot of it is set to music, which is probably why it works so well for DD, but if nothing else it's a way to introduce phonics in an entirely new way - and he won't be able to prevent picking up some information. :tongue_smilie:

[lotsofpumpkins]

Joanna,

I too think that 4 is a little early to know if phonics will work. But, I do know that some kids just don't ever get phonics. If he doesn't, there is hope.

 

My two oldest did fine with phonics. My little guy is 8 and just can't sound out a word. He too learned his letter sounds from the LeapFrog videos but then we floundered with phonics for two years. R&S reading program was a life-saver for us. Now I know to look for sight-word based programs for him. Pathway Readers (First Steps, Days Go By, etc.) with the workbooks have also been a big hit with him. He is now so proud of himself. No longer does he tell others that he can't read. It amazes me how many words he has learned through rot memorization.

 

Now don't get me wrong.... I still haven't given up on him learning to sound out a word. We still work on phonics a little bit DAILY using a variety of materials including The Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading; he's on lesson #41, but still not quite getting it. He stalled halfway through Explode the Code 1, but I continue to pull it out every once in a while. One of these days he is going to get it!

 

 

This is interesting. My 5.5 year old was doing great memorizing sight words in R&S reading, but I stopped him when he kept getting "us" and "we" mixed up (meaning he wasn't even trying to use any phonics at all to remember which word was which). I read posts about how too many sight words would mess him up. He wasn't doing well with R&S phonics, so we tried First Reader, and couldn't get past the first page of blends, so that got boring. I got Happy Phonics and he enjoys that, plus I'm having him do ETC 1, but I'm sounding the words out for him. He just can't do it. He knows the letter sounds but can't put them together. I'm hoping it will click soon like it did for my dd at around this age. But considering we are about to officially start 1st grade for him, I'm wondering if I should pick back up the R&S reading and not worry about it... I'd continue to have him do phonics lessons, of course, but I think he misses those reading lessons because he was so proud of himself for being able to read the stories himself. I don't want to keep him from reading just because he doesn't get phonics yet...

[Terabith]

Tell him that he's not old enough and you'll teach him to read when he's five. (Unless he's almost five. Then tell him five and a half.) Blame yourself. "Mommy is so, so silly! I forgot that I wasn't supposed to teach you yet because you weren't old enough. I am soooo sorry." You need to

 

Let him fool around on starfall, watch Leap Frog, watch Between the Lions and Super Why on pbs.

 

Play games with him. "I Spy" something that starts with /p/ or /sh/ or other sound. Read alphabet books and teach the sounds. Get a Leap Frog Fridge Phonics for the refrigerator. Play guessing games. "I'm going to say a word and you have to guess what it is. /k/ pause /a/ pause /t/.

 

Work on blending progressively more complicated words. Do work on increasing the number of things he can hold in memory. Working and short term memory ARE vital for phonics. Play "I'm going to the store and I need to buy" and give him a list. When he comes back, ask him to show you what he got.

 

Work on segmenting words. "What's the first sound in dog? What's the last sound? What sound do you hear in the middle? How many sounds do you hear in fish?" (you should hear three). Have him lay out a tile for every sound he hears in a word. (You'll have to stretch it for him.)

 

I like the Montessori Read and Write approach. You can be pretty multisensory and work on reading through spelling. But honestly, at this point, I'd drop it. He's not ready. Read to him a lot. Occassionally read very easy books like Hop on Pop and point to each word as you read it. Then have him point to the words while you read. Occassionally stop on a word in an easy to read book and slowly sound it out to model how it's done.

 

Think about something like Headsprout when he's five or five and a half, so that the onus is not entirely on you.

[chaik76]

I might get some tomatoes thrown at me here...

if your son really wants to read and you really want to teach him, get

Glenn Doman's "Teach Your Baby to Read". It's available used on Amazon, or you can get a whole kit at

http://www.gentlerevolution.com/

 

It teaches sight reading. It does work...but I would suggest going back and teaching phonics in a year or two.

 

A lot of, lot of people disagree with this method...but I think it can be helpful with small children who really want to read.

 

Good luck, whatever you choose!

[Lovedtodeath]

We used the suggestions from the Accelerated Achievement disk. I got the demo on hstreasures.com for only $3. You use games to learn phonics.

 

Montessori read and write is wonderful too.

[Susan in TX]

My son could not learn to read with phonics. He was older, I didn't even start any reading instruction until he was 7. We tried everything! I finally switched to a sight-word approach and it worked! I used the Dolch sight word workbooks, Scholastic's 100 Words kids Should Know workbook series, and an online reading program called Click n Kids. We also used the old Ginn Reader Series.

 

My son is 12 now and he can read just fine.

 

Susan in TX