Any homeschoolers have good letter recognition/phonics resources?

[OpenRoot]

Since so many of you here homeschool I though I'd ask - does anyone have any HS resources or just ideas for teaching letter recognition and basic phonics to a 5 year old with a probable learning disorder? My DS turned 5 in April and we think he may be dyslexic. The public schools told us it is too early to test him and that he could just be on the 'slower end of normal' on the spectrum, but mother's intuition and having worked with young children for years tells me otherwise. We have been working with him for years (yes, years!) and he still only knows about 7 letters cold and confuses several others. He also has trouble recognizing written numbers although he can count to 40 verbally. No social or behavioral issues, and generally takes in and retains verbal info well. He is very eager to please and gets discouraged easily so I'm looking for fun or easy to incorporate into every day type activities. Its heartbreaking to see him try so hard and be so frustrated. His brother is 4 and knows all of his letters, sounds, and is beginning reading.

If it helps with ideas or pointing in the right direction, he loves singing, dancing, anything artsy/creative in general.

I could see us yanking him right out of public school if they refuse to take it seriously this year in kindergarten so we could get him the help he needs in reading elsewhere and homeschool the rest. To be honest, we always saw our kids going through the PS system, so I'm not sure of where to start. Any help is greatly appreciated!

[topdog98]

Preschool Prep Company DVDs.

Preschool Prep Company | Educational DVDs, Books, Flashcards & Apps

You sound like a great parent! God bless!

[cookderosa]

I have 4 sons. For 2 of them, reading came very easy. For 1, it came normally, and for our youngest, it's sooo hard. He's turning 9 and is at about a first grade reading level but a very bright child. Same situation as yours- verbal info he's a rock star. Written, numbers and letters, it's a code that's hard to decipher. He still mixes up b and d, and well, you know how it goes. That said, what do you do? Read anyway. If it's dyslexia? Read anyway. If it's something else? Read anyway. At the end of it all, you just keep going.
There is a great little program I found last year, and we are really making excellent progress with, it's called Reading A-Z. Reading A-Z: The online leveled reading program with downloadable books to print and assemble It's $90 per year and can be done on the computer or you can print stuff off. I like having the option since I tend to like to do both. We are following the "leveled reading" and started at the beginning AA and will go all the way to Z, which I think will be multiple years for us. The Z level is around 6th grade-ish. After 1 school year we are in E. He really likes it (and by that I mean it doesn't make him too frustrated and it is interesting). What I like about this program is that the early books use TONS of picture cues and predictable words. Yes, they can still get tripped up (sometimes I have to tell my son to read the words not the pictures, but i will tell you, this is the first program that we made any advances with- and these little successes are ENCOURAGING!) This was the first time he could "read" and we are doing great. We also have a LeapFrog TAG which I like okay. It's a pen that reads the words on TAG book pages. It's fine, but didn't make strides like A-Z did.
There are so many reading programs/curriculums out there, tons, too many to mention. I'm sure you'll get tons of great suggestions.
I never advocate for homeschooling, never. I always feel like that's a huge decision and parents need to make it without confusion and influence by others. That said, if my Jamie were in school, he'd be getting resources and a label. Would he be a better reader by now? I doubt it. I work with him EVERY day, and I care more than any stranger. I will be sure he's a good reader, and I will be sure he's capable of doing what's necessary in this world, and that will come from my 100% commitment to his success. If that means we're reading elementary books through 12th grade, then we will be. Every day. I'd be far more likely to turn over one of my average kids to a teacher than one that REALLY needs help. You have more control over the situation from home, and you can always bring in additional help. If it were me, I wouldn't hesitate to pull him out, but I am highly motivated. YOU would have to be highly motivated. People who tell you homeschooling is easy, well, let's just say I think we might define things differently. Homeschooling is hard. Teaching reading can be hard. And working on your child's education every day is hard. It's just hard. HOWEVER, you can do it if you're motivated and dedicated.

P.S. I'm sure people will also tell you boys read later, blah blah. Don't let that dissuade your intuition. Follow your instincts. Your library probably has the book Better Late than Early which will make you feel better. Where there's research, there's conflicting research. Keep chuggin' you know your own child's struggles better than anyone.

[SoliDeoGloria]

I was homeschooled, as are my siblings. Two wonderful resources that we have used (links from Amazon):

Blumenfeld's Alpha-Phonics: A Primer for Beginning Readers by Samuel L. Blumenfeld
We have the whole set of this: workbook, cassette tapes (we've had it for a while ), and flashcards. It starts out slow and simple.

Explode the Code
This series starts with "pre-code" books A, B, and C, then books 1-8). These have been very helpful teaching reading, phonics, and spelling for my younger siblings.

I'm not sure that these kind of books are exactly what you are looking for, but they have been very helpful for us.

[a4tunatemom]

For letter recognition - The Letter Factory DVD by Leapfrog (also teaches letter sounds at the same time)

For phonics - Hooked on Phonics

[Lindagerr]

I am not a home schooler but I do have a son with learning difficulties. When he was young I did not think my son would ever learn to read on his level, then when he was in 5th grade a new teacher came to the school. This teacher taught my son a new reading method called Phono-graphix, in middle school my son was taught by a teacher who had learned from the 5th grade teacher. My son now reads at an appropriate level, his writing has also improved to an amazing degree. When my neice was having trouble reading I asked the teacher for suggestions how to help her. The book she recommended is available from Amazon and I highly recommend it. From what you said about your sons difficulties I think this book might help.

Reading Reflex: The Foolproof Phono-Graphix Method for Teaching Your Child to Read

Carmen McGuinness (Author), Geoffrey McGuinness (Author)


As the mother of two children with learning difficulties I can only say don't give up and fight for what your child needs. Sometimes homeschooling is right and sometimes a good school system with the right teachers and resources is better. I don't know if I could have done any better if I had homeschooled this son, he had all of the extra help and knowledge of some great teachers to help him come so far. He is 25 now he still has other di9fficulties but his reading, writing and spelling have not been a worry for some years.

When my daughter was diagnosed with learning problems I did not know enough to advocate for her as much as I should have (she is more than 10 years older than her brother). I know I could have done so much more for her if I knew then what I know now. So if the school will not test your son find a Dr. or Hospital that will. Have his eyes checked ( I did not know my son had a severe astigmatism until he was 6) a pair of glasses did not fix everything but they helped a lot. Also look into every disability that has to do with reading until you find the one that fits him and then learn everything you can about it.

As one very intelligent school Psychologist once said to me; “we cannot advocate for Your Child the school won’t let us, You need to be your child’s advocate” This may seem contrary to what we think it should be, but the school wants to save money above all and if you do not point out the problems and demand the resources to get help no one else will. With my son I had to get a state mediator to solve one disagreement with the school. Once you prove you will go the distance for your child they will listen a little closer to what you suggest.
I know how upsetting it can be to see a younger sibling learning so much easier, this happened to both my son and my neice. The older child feels “dumb” and resents the younger child. Don’t let that happen the earlier you address these problems the faster they can be rectified.

Of course this is all just my 2 cents.

[columbia]

Hooked on Phonics

[Momof4]

You've gotten a good response already, but in case you're still undecided...

I homeschooled my kids for 11 years. We were also part of a co-op so I got to see what other moms were using.

The best things I've seen are:

The Writing Road to Reading - Buy the flashcards for phonemes (separately) and use the ideas they give there for creating a notebook of the words associated with each phoneme. There are some companion guides that help to explain how to use it well. It's not the most user friendly and takes a little time to learn but it is VERY effective and very worth it. (It also helped me to identify speech delays in my 4th child as we worked through the phonemes.)

Sing, Spell, Read and Write - Lots of friends have used this with their children and loved it.

Explode the Code - it's good as a supplement but I wouldn't base my entire phonics curriculum on it.

Hope you are able to get exactly what your child needs. He/she is blessed to have a mom like you looking out for him/her!

[HorseManiac]

For letter recognition - The Letter Factory DVD by Leapfrog (also teaches letter sounds at the same time)

For phonics - Hooked on Phonics

I second the Letter Factory DVD! My brother had a hard time learning his letter sounds/letters and he LOVED the leapfrog videos!

[Daithi]

Others have already provided you with some good recommendations on products, so I'll just offer some words of encouragement. My oldest son also has dyslexia (as does his mom), and he struggled in school. Just stick with it and do the best you can. I think you're on the right path trying to keep it fun while he is young. As he gets older make sure that he practices reading every day. Lots and lots of practice really does help. My son is now in his 20s, and reading and academic based activities are still harder for him than they are for others, but it isn't the same struggle it once was. He now even reads books for fun. I've also seen stories about some kids with dyslexia, who with help from family and teachers, were able to go on and become physicians, MBAs, and pursue other careers that require lots of reading and academics, so don't let yourself get discouraged.