Hooked On Phonics Review
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!
Print:
Hooked on Phonics Review
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