About the time that Caleb was eighteen months old, Hubby and I used some gift card money to purchase our own set of Fridge Phonics . We put it on the fridge and Caleb went to town. It was not long before he knew all the letters and their sounds. From that point on he became absolutely obsessed with Letters. I seriously think I would sing the ABC song 50 times a day. I finally decided that this obsession had to be directed somehow. Caleb knew all the letters (uppercase and lowercase) and he knew all the sounds so I figured I would start him very slowly in learning how to read.
At first I tried Alpha-Phonics but Caleb just was not interested. I then went off a friend’s recommendation and purchased Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons and I am so glad I did. Caleb is responding very well to this program and is actually almost half way through it.
Front of the Book
The scripting for the parent that is provided was such a huge help at the beginning. I would follow the scripting word for word. As I have gained confidence and have learned how the lessons are laid out I am following the scripting less and less.
There were some activities that I did not understand at first. What were the points of the rhyming and “Say it Slow, Say it Fast” portions of the lessons? Now that Caleb is learning to sound out and decode new words I fully see the purpose of these lessons. I find myself pointing out how words rhyme and encouraging Caleb to first say a word slowly and then say it fast.
Lessons with Short Story
For the longest time, Caleb would sit in my lap and follow along with me in the book. I would say, “Caleb, it is time to do your schoolbook,” and he would happily retrieve the book. Following along in the book does not interest him as much anymore. So, I have found ways to keep his interest new.
Some days I will write out each section of the lesson on a dry erase sheet I have placed over a primary handwriting page. We aren’t emphasing handwriting quite yet but I figured Caleb would benefit from watching me use that paper. The change in scenery and the brightly colored dry erase markers has really helped Caleb stay focused.
Using Dry Erase Board as another way to read story
The newest method of keeping Caleb’s attention is reducing the lessons to index cards and then attaching them to a metal ring. Caleb has gotten so used to the progression of the lessons that he can practically teach himself. I give him a set of cards (about two lessons per ring) and he will carry them around all the while reading them. I do sit down with him on a regular basis and have him read the cards to me so that I can correct him if needed but I have noticed the most progress is made when he is left on his own. Things have slowed down recently, but there was a time when Caleb asked for more cards faster than I could make them.
Reducing lessons to index cards
Overall, I am very happy with Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. Caleb has responded beyond my expectations. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to homeschool or just supplement another school’s curriculum. You get everything you need to teach your child to read in this one book. There is nothing fancy about it and that keeps the price down. Lord knows I appreciate that!
He is obviously a smart boy 🙂
Found your link at Suzanne’s. Very nice. Added you to my must read 🙂
Thanks for visiting, Darlene! I am having so much fun meeting new people through this blog. Hope to “See” you again soon!
I’ve used Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons (100EL) with my two oldest. With each of my go-at-your-own-pacers, it became “How to Pull Your Hair Out Around Lesson 63.”
Both benefited from the book, but using it strictly as written can be very frustrating. When I pass it along to other parents, I suggest not doing the handwriting sections at all, breaking up some lessons into multiple days if it helps, and going at their child’s pace.
It helped to put the book down for a month or two and then pick it back up (backing up a few lessons to review) to see how the child had “grown” in their reading skills.
I believe that kids read at their own pace just like they potty train at their own pace. It helps to show them how to do it so when they are ready, they know what to do. But forcing the issue isn’t very productive, IMO. (The book sometimes seems to indicate that if you just follow their lessons perfectly, the kid can’t help but learn to read.)
Kudos to you for doing a good job keeping your kid interested with different methods of learning! Some people really like to go onto the “Bob Books” after finishing 100EL. We just went onto a spelling/reading/writing program (Spell to Write And Read) after finishing 100EL. (But it isn’t for everyone.) Good luck!
[…] is working his way through Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. (You can read my review here.) We just finished Lesson 46 the other […]