I would like to send my son to a phonics class. He is currently 5 years old. Any phonics school to recommend

Question

I would like to send my son to a phonics class. He is currently 5 years old. Any phonics school to recommend

Answer 1

Phonics are very important!  Do your research before deciding against it.  A great/classic book on learning to read would be "Why Johnny Can't Read" by Rudolf Flesch.

Flesch explains the flaws in site reading and gives you a method for teaching phonics.

also here is a link for a phonic reading course you can do at home http://teachyourchildrenwell.com/Reading...

Also a free phonics website that kids like to play on is http://www.starfall.com

Also an amazing book on teaching young children is "Better Late Than Early: A New Approach to Your Child's Education

by Raymond S. Moore and Dorothy N. Moore

Answer 2

Send your child to regular kindergarten.  

In kindergarten he will learn not only phonics, but also phonemic awareness, concepts of print, and other necessary pre-reading skills. Phonics is an important part of reading, but it is not the first or only skill necessary to become a good reader.

At home, work on helping him learn to recognize environmental print (for example, "stop" on a stop sign, M in McDonald's, etc.), the alphabet (not just singing the song, but recognizing the letters in random order); read with him every day...make it a fun activity, don't stress over it; teach him to write his name using proper capitalization and letter formation.

Kindergarten will give him a good base for learning to read; kindergarten classes work on the pre-reading skills necessary to become good readers.  I know of no "phonics" only schools.  Schools today use a "balanced literacy" approach to reading that includes phonics instruction and "whole language" type instruction as a good reader needs to learn strategies from both in order to become a successful reader because English is not a "phonics only" language, many words can be decoded using phonics, others must be learned by sight  (one, two, once, do, dough, etc.).

Answer 3

If you feel strongly that your son should learn phonics, you can get phonics materials delivered to your home.  Search online for Hooked on Phonics.  

I have read and heard that kids who do NOT start with phonics learn to read faster.  The method that works fastest is for a parent to open a basic children's book, and with the child looking on, read AND POINT to each word, showing the word and saying each word clearly.  You can get simple children's books at a library.  Read just fast enough for the child to follow the spoken words, and no faster.  Read the same stories many times.  Read the child's favorite stories often, using the same point-and-speak technique.  After reading a very short story a few times (20 or 30), your child will probably be able to read it aloud to you, and you should encourage that effort.  There is no harm if you point out the sounds individual letters have, especially the letters that always have the same sound, like consonants.  

These first few words will be memorized as "sight" words and will help the child read bigger words quickly no matter what technique is used in school!

Answer 4

Kindergranny is absolutely right. When people tell you that phonics doesn't really help kids they are WRONG. Research has shown that kids with a strong background in phonemic awareness, phonics, and alphabet knowledge have a huge advantage when they start school. I taught kindergarten for three years and that is all we teach all year long, so you are great to think of this. I agree he should go to kindergarten. If this is not your choice, I also agree that you can purchase a home phonics program on your own. Simply reading to your child, believe it or not, is not enough. It is GREAT to read everyday, but you also need to focus on phonics. If you do not want to purchase a program (sometimes they can get expensive) check your local library because sometimes they have early phonics readers you can check out for free. They will focus on letter names and sounds, which is a great start for your son.

Answer 5

Just read, read, read!  Then read some more.  The more you read to your son and/or reads to himself, the better reader, writer and speller he will be!  Don't spend money on a phonics class.  He will be exposed to all he needs to know in his K&1 grade class!  

You can always help by singing songs.  Apple apple a-a-a, baby baby b-b-b, etc.