Hooked On Phonics Review
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.
Print:
Hooked on Phonics Review
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