Homeschool Reading Program

Hi, I homeschool my 3 boys, ages 11, 5, and 2, and I was at my wit's end trying to teach my 5 year old to read (this is my first year hsing). Then I found Headsprout.com. It's a great program, and he is well on his way to being an independent reader. Headsprout uses phonics, and my son loves it because it's like playing a video game. It's $99 for the first 40 episodes, which includes 6 books, a progress map for your child to put stickers on, and an award certificate to present to your child at the end of episode 40. You also have access to other books and flash cards to print out. There are 80 episodes total, and the second 40 are also $99. My son is on episode 72, and he still likes it. The lessons are completely on the internet, except for what I've mentioned they send to you, and you can redo lessons at least once. I hope this helps!

D.

I used Reading Made Easy with great success to teach my oldest to read. He was barely 4 at the time but asked to learn. This is a very gentle program; short, fun lessons that give the child a feeling of accomplishment early on without frustration. There is some optional writing in some of the lessons, but we didn't do that part. My son just turned 5 in March and is reading at about a 2nd grade level.

http://www.readingmadeeasy.net/reading_made_easy.asp

My 4 year old knew all of her letters and sounds but couldn't blend them to make a word. I got her the Leap Frog Talking Words Factory DVD and after watching it twice, she was reading! And she was 3 at the time.

Hi L.,

I used the Hooked On Phonics program for all 4 of my children with tremendous success. My youngest is reading the simple words. I've also found the Bob Books to be a good and fun addition to our HOP program. Another good program that you can use online for free is www.starfall.com Starfall also has a program that you can order. I didn't do that because we have HOP and BOB. Not to overload you with too much, but for my current Kindergartner, I also used the Kumon books that you can buy at Barnes and Noble. I had been using Hop for so long that I wanted a change of pace....not for the kids, but for me.

I sure hope this helps.

I don't homeschool but I used hop with my 7 yr old and YES it works also B.O.B books work great too... you can find them online or at major book stores :)