Hooked on Phonics ? Feedback or Opinions?

[KAZMAN]

Hi All
I am looking for feedback on this program for our almost 4yr old..

I see that they have a Deluxe version on how to learn to read.. geared for 4-8 yr olds..

Is it worth the 299?

I have looked on Ebay and there are a bunch of them there.. So Probably will go that route...


Peter

[Statchmo]

I'm bumping this because I wanna know too!!!! Come on guys, surely someone out there knows something about the ubiquitous Hooked on Phonics game! I had been thinking about this too, but it's SO expensive.

[Statchmo]

Bumping again.

[KAZMAN]

Help....
I rally ned to lern to spel and spek.
Cause I want to lern to pronounse words corectly

[elf64]

my mom bought it for her 1st and 2nd grade classroom and did not think it worth the money but other we know liked it.i would try cheaper things first.both my DS and friends kids have learned to read with a leap pad.

[linda1019]

Dear Kazman,

I am a reading specialist with a masters degree, and I hope you don't mind my giving my opinion. An almost four year old should not be "Hooked on Phonics". My suggestion is that you provide language rich experiences for this pre-school child. By this I mean reading aloud to your child, going to plays, movies, the library, nature walks, etc. Have your child talk to you about these experiences, you can keep a journal. Your child will delight in hearing stories of his or her adventures. Let your child dictate letters to family members. This will give your child a wonderful foundation and a love for reading that no "hooked on Phonics is likely to do. In addition to the idea of letting a child be a child, there are vision concerns with a child that young reading. Hope this helps.

[sweetcindy]

Linda,
Welcome to DOD!

Wow, that is some great advice! I couldn't agree more!
I could have never afforded the Hooked On Phonics but I wouldn't have bought it anyhow.
I bought both my kids tons of books and I read to them every night...my girl is 7 and now she reads them to me! LOL

I am a bookworm and my kids always see me reading, I guess they naturally picked up on that. My son is 13 and an avid reader...and my girl loves books too.

The bookstore is a favorite place for us and books are a huge part of our lives. I always picked up the dollar books when I couldn't afford the more expensive ones...and they liked them just as well. The point is, I made it an important part of their day...and it helped so much with all aspects of their schooling.

Thanks for the wonderful advice!!

[Statchmo]

My son is 7 and is homeschooled and teaching him to read has been like pulling teeth. I was using "Teach your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" and we did fine until the stories at the end of each lesson started getting longer and longer and he got more and more frustrated because he has only been able to retain a few words by sight, and the rest he has to sound out...he even has to sound out words which he just read 30 seconds previously. I have not been able to get him to grasp the concept of words that rhyme---for instance "cow" "now" "how"----he has to sound each word, painfully slow. Now when I get the book out, he says "oh no, not THAT!"

I am just looking for a FUN and DIFFERENT way to teach him to read. That is why the idea of a GAME like Hooked on Phonics was appealing. I have tried computer games, reading books to him (having him read some of the easier word), etc. At this point we're both exceedingly frustrated, and looking for HELP. Spending $300 would be painful, but if it worked, it would be such a boon, since my theory is that once your child can read, the rest of schooling is a walk in the park. NOTHING is more important than reading.

[whitequeen96]

Just a tidbit to add to the pot.... I recently read that Denmark has the highest literacy rate in the entire world, and they don't even START their kids reading until age 8! It's hard to believe, and I have got my 4 year-old recognizing some words, but I've decided not to push it too much.

[Statchmo]

Whitequeen, I have a friend who has 7 or 8 kids (I can't keep them all straight!) and she has homeschooled everyone of them and told me not to even worry about doing anything until my kiddos were at least 7. And not to push reading at all. Her kids are college-age down to I think 8 or so, and all are AMAZING. I should be so lucky!

I have backed way way off on the reading stuff with my son because of our mutually rising levels of frustration. I do think some kids are ready earlier than others. My daughter for instance (just turned 5 last week) is extremely motivated and wants to do workbooks and is especially interested in handwriting -- can write out most of the alphabet, her own name and her brothers, etc. She taught herself! But when I tried the "100 Easy Lessons" book on her, at her insistence, I found she was not ready...could not retain the different sounds letters made. We did 2 lessons and let it go. Her fave thing now is her Leappad.

My biggest challenge is not comparing my kids to the children of my friends and family. Mine are behind just about everyone else I know. It's hard but I'm trying to be patient and my main goal now is just to be consistent and do something with both kids every day.

[stking]

Statchmo-Just to let you know, Hooked on Phonics is not a "game" format. You may be thinking of "The Phonics Game." "Hooked on Phonics is tapes and workbooks and storybooks. I have it but got it for free after my oldest son was already reading pretty well so he didn't need it. I have just starting using it with my 4-year old on his insistance and he likes it but doesn't have the patience to listen to a whole tape yet. I let my SIL borrow it for her son when he started Kidergarten and she said it really helped him alot.

My suggestion is to go to a teacher supply store and look for something similar that may help but is not as costly. Getting one used is a good idea, too. Maybe check stores that sell used books and toys? At least you won't have to pay shipping like you would through ebay.

[ang379]

Statchmo - my son is exactly how you described yours, and the same age too. I tried the HOP with him and he hated it. I've had the best luck with games such as Quizmo and really off the wall books like Captain Underpants and silly poetry books. The goofier the books are, the more fun he has reading them. Also, the poetry books are wonderful b/c since my son also reads achingly slow (he's getting much better though) it was hard for him to understand what he was reading - by the time he got to the end of a sentence, he had no idea what was said altogether. The poetry breaks thoughts up into four or five words and he understands as he's reading. It also helped w/his rhyming too - that and Dr. Seuss.

I had a hard time finding the site word Quizmo games online, but classroomdirect.com has them - and you can even get FreeRide points shopping through there. There is also phonics quizmo and a slew of other ones. They're $12-20 and well worth it - it's basically a bingo game of words.

Another thing that's helped is comic books. They're pint-sized sentences and "cooler" than See Spot Run-type things.

I borrowed the HOP set from a friend to test it out before I coughed up that kind of cash and I'm glad I did since it didn't help us at all. The only thing that's helped has been making reading into a game or really silly books/comics.

Amazingly enough, 2 other items have really pushed my son into reading on his own - Pokemon (believe it or not!). The Pokedex and the Pokemon games have lots to read and somehow my son decided that reading was worth learning so he could know how to play the game. Go figure.

Also look for games that you have to read cards for directions, such as Monopoly. Now my son doesn't realize that he's practicing his reading skills whenever we play a game like that.

Hope this helps!