ok DS is almost 6.. we are in a 1st grade curriculum which he keeps up with very well, but the problem we still have is reading. I am not at all concerned about if he reads RIGHT NOW, like some people are.. but i do have a question. He knows all of the sounds of the letters.. and when he tries to read he sounds every sound out with a a silence in between. like sounding out C, then A, then T. He is having a problem blending these sounds to figure out the word. i think hes ready, but hes jsut gotten into the habit of separating the sounds. any suggestions?? I thought about helping him learn blends.. like maybe make flash cards with "pa", "ca", etc .. i just dont know.
You might let him play a bit on Starfall to help make that connection. Also, if you can rent the older versions of the Electric Company, they were VERY good at teaching blends. Even though the episodes were from the 70's, my kids responded really well to them. I think Netflix has the old episodes for rent. I ended up buying a set.
I would show him how to do it. Say the sounds separately, and then a little quicker, and then quicker, and then say the word. It can take a while for them to figure it out. Just keep trying, and be patient
My daughter did the same at first (sounding out each letter). After learning blends and just lots of practice, she is starting to read with more "flow". I think the blends REALLY help, especially in the beginning when they are learning to read 3 letter words. For a while she would even sound out each letter for the blend. She learned a rhythm like: "B-A, BA" (saying the sounds).
My oldest has a problem with blending as well. Remember the 2-headed monster on SS? Maybe try their approach? saying the sounds faster and faster until the blend into a word?? http://youtu.be/nhGtlAuDrXE We haven't watched The Electric Company in a while-I think we'll do that in a bit! (Thanks for the reminder!) If you have Amazon Prime you can watch them for free
My son had that issue also. It came together for him about 6 months after I worried about it. But one of the games we played (I don't remember where I found it) was where you say a word slowly like cccaaattt, and have him guess what you're saying. After a few words of you doing it, have him try it. This will help his ear focus on what it needs to to eventually help with blending. (we just did it a few times in the car every once in awhile).
Get some individual letters, like magnitized ones he can use on the fridge. Spell the word with a space between each letter. He can sound out the word, then have him move them closer and closer together, when they touch, have him say it fast! Don't stress him out about it, make it fun. Give him some time, but if you feel he is having a problem, don't wait, start working on it early!
play an oral game where you say a word sound by sound like c-a-t and have him put it together and tell you the whole word. Teaching word families might help too. If he knows the -at family, then he just has to add the first sound for a new word.
Well Hello Ms. Jennyb long time. Wow how did he grow up that fast. Yes, starfalls in good or hooked on phonics is another great program Good luck
One other little thing you might try is, when sounding out a word and tracing a line under it with your finger, stop on each letter the first time, a little shorter pauses the second time, then sweep your finger quickly from left to right saying the word all together. Like C---A---T, then C-A-T, then CAT. Physically moving magnet letters or letter cards closer together is good too.
