Phonics for Toddlers

[wildboys]

Hi Charmaine, I started flashing when they are about 6months old but not as consistent as the recommended method, though still \"regular\" enough. Then the frequency slowly dropped and I totally stopped by 18months old because they were not so keen already. Nowadays, once in a blue moon bah if got mood, for Chinese words (hehe). However I realised for my kids, they will be keen to look again if I \"flash\" on the computer, but I didn't do that very much because I didn't want to expose too much computer to them at too young a age. Maybe you want to try that for your elder child, if old enough?


Hi Buds, would you be able to share what kind of personalisation you did for your students? Keen to learn from sifu here... ehh but if trade-secret then it's ok lah, understand

[Charmaine_chong]

Hi wildboy,


Thanks for sharing.

My girl is on wink to learn program. My son didn’t learn well using right brain method.

So, he learns through phonics + peter and jane readers. He is doing well.

[Charmaine_chong]

Parents,


Feel free to download phonics cards that contributed by daddude (forum at brillkids). He used phonics to taught his son at age of 22months successfully.

I just copied the whole message here. Here you go.

All,

Merry belated Christmas! This is all I'm going to do--up to 42 sets, which is just a few word lists short of all of them in the back of Flesch's great pro-phonics polemic, Why Johnny Can't Read.

Download them here:

http://www.mediafire.com/FleschCards

Sets 31-42 are much bigger files, because I guess MediaFire now allows larger file sizes.

Also, I have revised my \"How to Use These Cards\" file (which I will reproduce below). It has a lot more detail than the old one.

Feel free to rehost/share these if you like (not for profit).

\"DadDude\"

=========

Some notes from the producer of these cards

Here’s how I started out my very young son reading, using these cards. First, some background. We had read a lot to him. In the end, that is much more important than working with flashcards. We both read and did these cards during mealtimes, when he was a “captive audience.” He recognized his ABCs by age 18-20 months, through a combination of many, many trips through alphabet books, the LeapFrog Alphabet Bus (any number of other tools would do the same), and probably some other tools.

We began with these cards at age 22 months, and he was physically able to pronounce all of the (simple) words on the cards. I was not just showing the cards; I did ask him to say the words on the cards. But it wasn't as brutal as this may sound. We took it in stages and I was gentle every step of the way. Also: I went whole card set by whole card set, rather than adding new individual cards and retiring old.

Here is the step-by-step procedure we followed:

1. The first time through a card set (typically, 12 cards), I didn't ask him to say anything. I just read the word (while running my finger under it); then pronounced each letter slowly and clearly (\"kkk--aaa--tt\"); then a little faster; then put the whole thing together. Then I turned over the card and gave my boy the card, and talked about the picture. Sometimes, if the word was new, I would try to explain the meaning of the word in as simple terms as possible. Words I felt I couldn't explain, I didn't use (and are not in this package).

2. The second time through the card set, I would begin by doing the slow-sounding-out thing. Then I would repeat, but speeding up a little. Then I would ask: what is it? And then he would get it, almost every time. After doing this several times, he would get the \"game.\" If he ever had any trouble with a word, I would, of course, simply read it for him. The aim was always to keep it low-pressure.

3. The next few times through the cards, sometimes I would ask him to sound out the word, but he wasn't as interested in this. He would usually just read the word right away, or else wait for me to sound it out, and then read it. Whether sounding it out himself out loud, silently, or having me do it, I think he got the idea.

4. After he was reading all of the cards in a set without mistake or much of a pause (or me sounding them out at all), we'd move on to the next set.

5. I taught him to say \"that's enough.\" If he said \"that's enough\" when we were doing cards, we would stop instantly and not do any more that day. If he seemed reluctant for a few days in a row, we'd take break for a week or so. If after a week or so we came back to cards and he still wasn't interested, we'd take another break for a few weeks—even a month, once or twice. Then we'd come back to them and he'd be all interested again. I can't expect it would work that way with everyone, but it worked that way for us--go figure.

6. After a couple months (ten of Flesch’s word lists, or so), I don't think I sounded out the words much at all after the first time through a set. I would sound out the words the first time and after that he'd be able to figure it out himself. Sometimes he would stare at a word without saying anything for a while, then he'd just come out with it. I think he was sounding it out in his head. He now (at age 3½) reads silently--very fast, as far as I can tell. I watch him reading books, over his shoulder, and I look at his eyes moving over the page. I obviously can't tell if he's catching all of the words, but the eyes are going back and forth very quickly and moving down the page quickly. He is able to answer questions about what he’s read.

7. After a few more months (by the time we were to Flesch’s word lists 20-30 or so) I almost never had to sound out words in advance. I would just explain the new rule, maybe just giving an example or two, and then he would just read the new words perfectly the first time. But we kept doing the cards anyway, to solidify his phonetic understanding. I was glad we did.

8. As he became better and better, his interest in the cards waned, and we rather gradually tapered off using cards. The last time I was regularly making new cards was a little over a year after we started. Since then I did make one set of cards but I felt rather silly doing it, because he knew the words perfectly well--it was pretty pointless. So that's why I'm not going to be able to go over all of Flesch's word lists, I'm afraid. If someone else wants to finish my work, I'll be happy to upload it to the MediaFire space.

Frankly, the whole process was pretty painless, and I recommend it, but I am not a reading expert. I hope the step-by-step instructions above make it more plausible, if you've had doubts. If your child is old enough (obviously, this can't be done with kids whose mouths/voices can't make the sounds) and you don't have any philosophical objections, try it and see if you have similar luck. Of course, your mileage may vary. I'd be curious to hear if anyone had an experience similar to ours, though. My wife, who witnessed the whole process, was totally convinced that it was my cards, more than Your Baby Can Read or anything else, that taught our son to read. I agree.

We just finished re-reading Pinocchio this evening, not at all an easy book for a 3-year-old, and he read most of the last page by himself, pretty quickly, with excellent intonation, even making the character voices and everything. At age 3 years 7 months, I think he's sounding out words (not necessarily understanding them--that's harder to measure) at about the fifth grade level.
[/i]

[buds]

wildboys:

Hi Buds, would you be able to share what kind of personalisation you did for your students? Keen to learn from sifu here... ehh but if trade-secret then it's ok lah, understand

Some stuff are best left unsaid.. :evil:
And some stuff are best left to be seen..
with own eyes. :love:

Think of it as a buds special for the children
@ buds house. Not so much of a trade
secret but a personal touch can only be seen &
felt, not mentioned. Hee. Hope you understand
what i mean..

[buds]

titank:

Hi Buds,


Are you a freelance phonics teacher? Conducting 1 to 1 or group class?

I do assessments for by word of mouth recommendations and these are
usually the children whom no one else wants to take or they've been
everywhere exhausting all means possible & still have yet to see
much or any significant results. Usually for special cases like this
i try to accommodate. And due to the special reasons... these
children i selectively agree to teach, they would be on a one
to one basis.. As for group lessons, hmmm... well... i cannot
confirm this yet at the moment due to my move... hopefully
erm soon. I may be doing groups again.. see how..
it all depends.

Aniwaes... may i ask why are you still asking around,
cause from what i recall, your children with ICL
already correct?

You may PM me your story, titank. Sorry
i overlooked your query, brader. :salute:
Been busy la..

[qq_guy]

titank:

Hi Buds, are you a freelance phonics teacher? Conducting 1 to 1 or group class?

buds:

I do assessments for by word of mouth recommendations
and these are usually the children whom no one else wants to take or
they've been everywhere exhausting all means possible & still have yet to
see much or any significant results. Usually for special cases like this i try to
accommodate. And due to the special reasons... these children i selectively
agree to teach, they would be on a one to one basis.. As for group lessons,
hmmm... well... i cannot confirm this yet at the moment due to my move...
hopefully erm soon. I may be doing groups again.. see how..

hi are you teaching phonic, i m staying at yishun. i like to send my gal for phonic. XXXX-XXXX

[buds]

I will PM you.


I have also edited your post to edit your hph number.

Not safe to publish personal email, id and hph number

on cyberspace, okie dear..

[happypoppy]

Hi Buds,


I’ve sent you a PM. Hope to hear from you.

Thanks in advance!

[buds]

Okie.. noted.

[DC Mummy]

Hi Parents


My 3 year old son is going to fullday preschool + weekend enrichment class (TCS under ICR) + JG (Edudrama) for phonics. I have also exposed him to the higly recommended learning website - startfall.com.

I just realised that my son may be confused by the sound letters taught by different resources. Any parents here share the same experience? For example, how does the letter \"A\" sounds? I thought it sounds \"Air\" pulling the chin down but starfall teaches the sound like \"Ah\" :? Which is correct?? Am I wrong to exposed him too many different enrichment classes at this age? The reason I have signed him up these programmes, not becos of KS. I am thinking since he has nothing much to do in the weekend, might as well go for some lesons which takes only about 1-1.5 hour. Besides, he enjoys going for these lessons. Am I wrong?