Hooked On Phonics Review

Program Summary

Hooked on Phonics is one of the most popular reading programs on the market today. I had heard many things about the program, and was excited when my first son started to show an interest in reading. Once he started to follow along with his bedtime stories, I knew it was time to purchase the program. He was about three at the time, which is on the younger side of the recommended age group. The Hooked on Phonics website recommends the program to” kids ages 3 to 8, Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read is a great way to give early readers a head start or provide an extra boost to a child who has begun reading.”

The Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read program is very nicely put together. The kit is high quality and contained much more than I expected it to. The system has five color coded levels that make it a breeze to get started. At first I was a bit intimidated by all the material. Trying to keep my son engaged was a challenge, and I feared that trying to figure out what to do next would be overwhelming for the both of us. I was wrong! Each color coded box contained everything needed for that particular lesson. The boxes included “readers”, a workbook, an audio tape, flash cards, and instructions. The program also contained a complete parent’s guide, an interactive CD-Rom, helper word and word play cards, and posters and reward stickers. We created a ritual each time we began a new lesson. I would send my son to get the cassette player, while I browsed through the instruction booklet. By the time he arrived with the player- I was ready to go!

First Impressions...

The package was so big, that the mailman could not fit it in the mail box! My son was very excited and wanted to be a big boy and carry it into the kitchen. I think he made it to the couch before asking for help. I was very impressed with the program. My son had shown a real interest in reading lately, and had the majority of the alphabet already mastered. So we were both ready to get started. We had the first box up and running within minutes. It was really easy to do.

Features I liked...

It has been three years since we received the package, and there are lots of things that I enjoyed about the program. My son is now an avid reader, which I strongly believe was due to Hooked on Phonics. Perhaps my favorite feature is the amount of materials included in the program. The program is designed to be used over a period of time, and I was worried that my son and I would get bored using the same materials over and over again. The different lessons eliminate this problem. The courseware is designed for every level and builds on your child’s abilities. There is a ton of reading material, music, workbooks, games and helper cards to keep both parent and child engaged.

I really enjoyed the Hooked on Phonics teaching techniques. Engaging a child in learning is not always an easy task, but Hooked on Phonics does a great job of it. The kit contains “Helper Word Cards” which feature frequently used words that don’t follow the rules. I would often find my son playing with his cards outside of our lessons. He was intrigued by the “special” words. Spelling was also made easy with the help of “Word Play Cards.” These cards made spelling an interactive process that was fun to do. We would practice ours while I was preparing dinner. The workbooks are also cleverly designed. My son started to love reading through his bedtime stories, and to him the workbooks were just like the stories that he loved to hear. Many nights my son would read one of his Hooked on Phonics stories to me before bedtime. The interactive CD was also a great tool. They use interactive activities and animated characters to get the message across. My son loves to play on the computer, but I always had a difficult time finding age appropriate activities. Now I just pop the CD in and let him play. Overall the program was fun to use, and kept my son engaged and learning.

The Hooked on Phonics reward system helped my son track his progress. We set up a corner of the kitchen that was dedicated to his reading progress. I let him pick out his favorite “My Reading Adventure Poster” and we placed in the wall. Every time we would pass a milestone, he would get a star sticker to put on his poster. He was so proud of his progress, that every time someone new came to the house the first thing they had to see was his stickers. He was gaining reading skills and self esteem before my very eyes!

In summary, I was really impressed with my son’s progress with the program. I could not have asked for a better program for a budding reader. He already had a fair understanding of the world of reading, and this program has made him a reader for life.

Problems...
My second child turned 3 about a year ago, and I was ready to start her with the program confident that she would get similar results. She was a bit behind her brother in terms of understanding of the alphabet, and I had a difficult time using the program with her. About 95% of the program is dedicated to improving a child’s reading skills, while the remaining 5% is spent creating a foundation for reading.

While my daughter was within the recommended age for the Hooked on Phonics program, we found it lacking in the basics. She had a while to go before she was actually ready to begin the program.

The Quick Start Parent’s Guide suggested that I assess my daughter before beginning the program. This was something that we did not bother to do for my son, because I felt strongly that he was ready. My daughter on the other hand, needed a better foundation. We needed to spend a few weeks creating a solid foundation for reading.

At first, she was excited to do the program. She was mimicking her brother, and tried really hard to pay attention. After a few lessons however, it was hard to keep her focused. The tape soon became repetitive and she became bored easily. We were unable to move up a level because that would have only added to her frustration. I finally gave up and began to teach her the alphabet the old fashioned way.

We did pretty well with the alphabet, and I was confident that the next lesson would be better. There was another set of flash cards and another audio tape, but it soon ended in tears. It was as boring as the first lesson. My daughter was getting more frustrated and I could see her desire to read fading fast. We finally gave up. We continued to build up her reading skills through bedtime stories, helping her see that reading can be fun.

Several months later I learned about Frontline Phonics. I was skeptical at first, because I knew that Hooked on Phonics would eventually work for my daughter. She had the desire to learn and was slowly learning the basics. We ended up purchasing Frontline Phonics, which did a great job of getting her started. After completing the program, we then began the Hooked on Phonics program again with much better success. She was soon reading at her brother’s level, which was exciting for all of us!

In Summary...
I would highly recommend Hooked on Phonics for any children that have already begun building a reading foundation. There is no better program to improve your child’s reading skills in a fun and interactive way. I would recommend completing the assessment before beginning however, because if your child lacks a proper foundation you will run into problems. If you are looking to help build the basics, you would be much better off starting with Frontline phonics and moving up to the Hooked on Phonics program. Either way, you child will eventually benefit from the program.