Missy, there's a web site where you can print the words out on tag-board and cut them up for flash cards. I will try to find it. They are listed by grade level. I started with the PP words, and just worked on those. Went over them quickly every day, and counted how many were right. Keep a chart where he can mark off how many are right. Then tell him that if he gets x-number right for three days in a row, he can win a trip to Dairy Queen (or whatever). Draw a bright orange line on his graph at his goal, and let him see how he's getting closer and closer to it. This way, you're incidently teaching math skills along with his reading, lol! We're talking maybe 5 nminutes each day.
one of the one I did has the words with bunnies or planes (just more decorative, and they suggest putting the carded words on a large ring.)
We have them on index cards, on the door, in the kitchen, etc. I also have lots of other things to use like sight word bingo, sight word readers, worksheets, etc. I am going to make a sight word hopscotch games too. I just don't think he's getting these fast enough. I'm impatient and he's slow, lol!
But he's only 5! My ds didn't really "get it" 'til he was 7... Pushing just made him more frustrated, so we backed off, and like I said earlier, once HE was ready he went to town on it, and within a short time you'd never know he started two years after some other kids did! Just be careful. Allow him to be a child and his brain to mature when it does not when you wish it would! I don't mean that rudely, I'm just saying, whether he starts reading right now, or two years from now, as he gets older you'll never know the difference! He'll read just as well later on no matter how old he is when he starts! And he may enjoy it much more if he does it in his own time, and not by getting frustrated cuz he can't read early...
Oh how I know about that Deena. I remember telling lots of parents not to worry that the time would come when their child would read. Preston learned the sounds of letters a long time ago so I guess I think it's natural that the child would be learning to read by now. I have not pushed him, but he was ready last year to read. He wasn't interested so I just said "next year". Well, here we are and still really not seeing interest. I think I said before that he wants to read, but is not really interested in taking the time to LEARN. I still think we should practice sight words even if he's not really into it. I keep looking for ways to make it more fun. Dh suggested that I try to teach him using things he's interested in...like bike riding. I thought about putting sight words on cones and having him read them as he goes around them....don't know if that would really be fun or not. I also thought we'd do the sight word hopscotch. I'm trying. I know some kids just take longer and that's okay. Just an anxious mother wanting him to read!
Wow. Great replies everyone. Thanks so much for taking the time to post. I was just interested in hearing what y'all had to say. We pretty much have our little plan mapped out for this fall (kindergarten and pre-K4), but I love to hear perspectives from others. For instance, if every single person had said we really need to start grammar (highly unlikely, I know) I would've at aleast rethought it for a minute. I probably would have still tossed it out the window, but no one said that... so I'm good Thanks for your replies. Deena, Jackie - you're my heroes. Seriously. I started out teaching Hannah when she was 3 and getting all stressed out if we didn't do any "school" that week. Oh, me. Oh, my. :roll: Over the past 2 and 1/2 years I have comfortably settled into what some call an "ecclectic" homeschooling approach and I feel so FREEEEEEE!!!!!! The girls still suck up info like little maniacs, so I'm not worried that I'm too lax. Praise the Lord, I think we've managed so far to teach them that learning is fun and God's world is amazing. I'm pumped about the very little bit of sit-down schoolwork we're going to do this year and even more pumped about all the awesome thinngs we're going to learn about. Keep the ideas, coming, though. Other ladies reading this thread might not be turned on yet to a kindergarten school year with no written tests or grades. Maybe someone else needs something different. Y'all take care!
You've gotten so many great responses and it sounds like you are on the right track. I just wanted to submit a plug for Five in a Row, we LOVE it here! But... mostly, I just wanted to say that I adore your user name!
I know its hard with our first child to lay back off the academics, but if we don't, we will breed a resistant learner by 1st or 2nd grade. They have their whole academic year ahead of them. I don't do dolch words or anything else with my 5yo except because having taught the older two, I know this time is sooooo precious. :love: There is no other time in their academic career that they can play as long, imagine as long, or be as carefree. Something else to remember about boys is that usually they are 1 yr to 1 1/2 yr behind girls in academics. I really read a wonderful article wish I could remember where, but it said our way of teaching our children and our whole school system is centered around the sit-down learner. BTW boys are NOT:lol: It went on to say that boys simply cannot be still and our way of teaching has to change to accomodate their learning style. So the time to be gentle is K-3, not setting you schedule up where they have to do X amount of time in school. It is good to have plans,goals,etc. We need them. But allow for LOTS of playing,painting,gymnastics,music and exploring with a 5yo as that breeds academic advancement
Tina, I wanted to tell you that I found Phillip's present (B-day or Christmas, am not sure which yet, since he has a Dec. b-day!). It was at B&N. It was a KLUTZ book, with LEGO's. You could make about 7 different models that DID things. One you put a balloon on it, and it would make it go, another I thinkk you used rubber bands, and one would actually dispense M&M candies!!! Just what my mechanical little guy needs!!! He found my DSSs' old LEGO TECHNICs, and got all excited, but half the pieces were missing .
Jackie and Deena.. I haven't see that..mmm..ALL of the boys play with legos, yep my 11yo especially..I can't say enough good things about the LEGOS...... But hey, if it dispenses M&Ms and goes with a balloon, so cool... I actually have a lesson plan on outlining using LEGOS. I need to locate it again.... Did ya'll hear about the science experiment using mentos and coke?....Pour about a half package of mentos in a coke bottle with coke, STAND BACK and watch the explosion.. That is next on our so scientific journey...
Hi, Tina Nice to meet you So, I'm interested to hear what you think. Really. My oldest was one of those first-born kids that learned really early and easily. I know it's not a rare thing in families that read to their children a lot. Anyway, I kept trying to distract her from wanting to learn to read (age 3) because I really just wanted her to play and be a kid. It just seemed ridiculously young to me. Well, by 4 and 1/2 she was beginning to get frustrated by not reading. So, I got a hold of Phonics Pathways, kept it short and fun all year and she loved it. Very positive and low-key. Now I'm realizing how nice it will be for her to be reading on her own early. There's so much she can learn on her own with a book in her hands I'm not planning on shutting her in a room by herself all day with books, but I'm realistic, too. With 4 small children it seems like an overall positive thing for my older ones to be able to read well "early" (if they are interested in it!). When I have a sick baby, when I'm nursing, when I just can't read about sharks right now - they can! That's not so bad, is it? I feel differently about teaching reading early than I do about teaching other things early. I don't think my 5 and half year old needs to know how to write addition sentences, or know what a noun is, or be able to recite the preamble to the constitution, BUT a whole new world opens up when they learn how to read. If it's low pressure and they seem ready (I'm talking like 15 minutes a day)? What are your thoughts? Please - let me hear it
My Rachael was that way, too. She came to me about a week after turning four and asked, "Mommy, when are you going to teach me to read?" I taught her short vowel sounds, and that was it!!! Phillip, my last, wanted to know if "four boys could read". It took me a while to interpret that; he wanted to know if he would be able to read when he turned four. I told him that some could, some could not. But first, he had to learn his letters; did he want to do that? YES!!! So we started, but he lost interest fairly quicly, so we stopped. I think the biggest thing at that age is to have it pretty much child-directed. Don't hold back a child's interest, but at the same time, don't force them to learn when they really aren't ready yet. We've had people on here before all upset. "What's wrong with my 2YO? I can't get her to sit down and practice writing her letters!!!) Well, GEESH!!! And I would say the same about writing and math, too. If they making a picture and are asking how to write something, it's OK to write it on a piece of paper and letting them copy it. Again, that's child-directed. BTW, I had a kid in my 2YO Sunday School class that was ready to read before he was 3, REALLY!!! He was writing his own name on his papers, which totally floored me. And his mom was NOT one of those pushy kinds, very sweet. I tried to gently lead her toward HS'ing, saying her son would probably be bored in a "regular" classroom, lol!
Tina, why don't you move to Ohio? The 9YO neighbor boy moved away this summer, and was replaced by a single gal with a 19 YO daugher. (Brian complained, "We can't move!!! Who will teach Phillip the fundamentals of baseball!!!") So now all he has is his two sisters. He needs your boys to help him get into some good honest boy-type mischief! I'm having fits right now, trying to get them to play outside. "I don't care what you do, just so you're doing it OUTSIDE!!! Don't come back in until dinner is ready!!!"
See, Jackie, Preston was also writing his name on his own papers at two. That is why it bothers me that he is not trying to read. He's reading all the words in his Explode the Code book just fine. He just doesn't find much interest in it. However, he would like to read other things...like words on his toys. I am trying to get him to realize that there is a connection between the words in his workbook and his words on his toys. I'm not pushing, but this child is totally capable of reading if he so chose to. Yes, yes, I know that workbooks are boring, right? But, I feel safer teaching a child to read with some type of curriculum. I need to have rules to show him and practice pages for him to practice. However, I also add in fun hand-on activities as much as I can. I guess I sound like one of those mothers that pushes too, huh? I'm not. However, after three years of him homeschooling I feel he's ready for a little more "formal" instruction.
Hey Jackie... With at hot as it is here, we should consider it. The boys had a mean game of golf going on in the house yesterday. When they got to this one hole, they had piled up a bunch of couch pillows and lord knows what else to jump over...LOL..Needless to say that hole took up quite a while..Can you imagine my husband jumping over a hurdle to get to the next hole? Jaccie, it is quite common for the oldest to be reading by 4 or 5yo. My oldest was reading by 4 1/2 and he is a boy. Not because I did anything special, the oldest just reigns supreme.:lol: They had all your attention. That is a different story with the next one and the next and so on. The problem with him is that he is an exacting person and sets these standards of perfection up for himself and if they can't be reached, he is so disappointed, uhmmmmm, let me try another adjective...DEVASTATED...its terrible! I want him to enjoy the journey of homeschooling and learning, not focus so much on the process. I am a Perfect Paula by nature which means I like to teach by rules and workbooks,etc.. The same learning style that my oldest is, BUT I have learned that learning takes place ANYWHERE.....and to relax more about it. It is nice that he read early, but I don't see that my second who came along MUCH later, loves it any less, he just had tons more fun getting there,kwim? So its not anything we do purposely but its something as they grow older that we want them to enjoy the moment and savor the flavor instead of pouring over the process... Make sense?
Missy, I understand where you're coming from. Maybe if you put the workbooks away for awhile, and don't even mention it (as hard as that is!!!), he will work around it it by reading his own things. Maybe he feels pressure, even if you're not pushing. He can get the rules when he's older. Maybe you've already done this, but buy him simple books on subjects/things he likes, and let HIM ask YOU to read, instead of the other way around. I dunno, just an idea. It MAY spark his interest???
Well, today he wanted to read instead of doing the phonics book. So, he pulled out his sight word readers and read to me. Know why? I did what Jackie suggested and made a chart for him. When he reads each book without help he gets a check. After three checks for a book then he gets a sticker. When he works up to 5 stickers on his chart then he gets to pick a place to go. He's already decided we are going to the new McDonald's near us to play! He is doing great now. Hope the enthusiasm stays for a while!
