Supporting a preschooler to learn phonics/sounds early reading

[Testyisanicerword]

Hi all.

Im looking to start supporting my son who is in preschool, due to start school next year, with starting to read and recognise sounds.

The school he's likely to go to seem to use cued articulation, is this the system used?

Any ideas for a ftm to a pfb would be appreciated. Also any apps as he likes to use these when allowed.

Many thanks

[Bubbinsmakesthree]

No advice but watching with interest.

The standard Mumsnet response seems to be don't push it, they will learn it in reception, you'll teach them the 'wrong' way, they'all get bored when the start school.

So I wasn't planning to actively 'teach' him anything - however he is learning bits at preschool and he obsessed with letters and sounds so I want to support his enthusiasm.

[PhilODox]

Sorry, I don't know the technical nomenclature, so don't know what cued articulation is... but the jolly phonics stuff is good, start with sounds s, a, t, p, i, n.
I think apps are a bad idea- you're encouraging a love of books not screens! There are thousands of gorgeous books available (use your local library if costs are an issue) which are beautifully illustrated- which devices cannot replicate well enough yet.
Rhyming books are good, to encourage them to listen to sounds, so things like Each, Peach, Pear, Plum, or Hooray for Fish etc. The Julia Donaldson books always rhyme too- Monkey Puzzle is a good one for younger children, and of course The Gruffalo.

[Bubbinsmakesthree]

I've got the Usborne 'Teach Your Monster to Read' app - so far I am finding the game is a bit sophisticated for my 3yo (good fine motor skills needed) but the phonics content is a bit basic.

Agree that apps shouldn't replace reading etc but assuming you allow some screen time, you may as well make it educational?

[HotSteppa]

My daughter just started pre school and the school has recommended we have a look at the jolly phonics app. She said just the free stuff is fine no need to pay for extras on there. I think it's more for parents than kids so you know the songs and action that go with each sound/letter so you can sing along with them. A friend recommended the teach monster app too , it was a free download the other week. Used it for the first time with dd this morning and I think it's good. It's more of a game too so they get the basics of using a touch screen which lets face it, they will need to do.

[PhilODox]

Hotsteppa- can't get that song out of my head now!!

Re use of touch screens etc- did you use touch screens as a toddler? Did it take you more than ten seconds to figure out a touch screen the first time you encountered one?
Very small children do not need digital technology, but schools are in despair about children beginning reception not knowing how to use a book.

[Testyisanicerword]

Thanks for the ideas.

As for reading, we read a lot all during the day and at bedtime, he prefers reading than TV which is on rarely and the tablet which is not a daily thing. He loves Jill Murphy books, a the Julia's Donaldson books which helped the trail we went on this summer numerous times and also loves the spot lift and flap books which he currently 'reads' to his baby sister.

Didn't need the judgey comments there really.

I'll look at the jolly phonics app. I know that he'll get it in reception and I don't want to 'teach him' bit just start to spark an interest and introduce language and ideas that will hopefully help with his settling in at school.

[LovingLola]

This reminds me of my son when he was about 3. All he wanted to do was to read. When he was 2 he used to sit on the arm of the chair beside me when I was reading and I remember him asking me what those things on the page were.
We were very lucky that a new pre-school opened very close to us when he turned 3 - he was one of 3 children there for the first year. The lady who ran it was fantastic - she quickly realised his desire to know about words and reading. By the age of 4 he was reading Ladybird books. 12 months later at just 5 he started school and was reading fluently. It was not an issue school wise - his needs were catered for very well. He used to sit and read every morning - it was the highlight of his day!

[Testyisanicerword]

Ah yes, the ladybird books. I'd forgotten about them. How did you introduce the sounds?

[LovingLola]

I didn't. I think he must have memorised the words and gradually built up a bank of words. His Montessori teacher was fantastic and because there were only 3 children she was able to spend a lot of time with him and did lots of reading.

[Iwasjustabouttosaythat]

DS could read independently before he started preschool, aged 3. He could read well before that actually and knew all his letters by 16 months. The best thing is to have the alphabet on the bedroom wall. I never pushed him but it's there in bright red and he always wanted to go through the letters whenever we were in his room. We also have letter blocks so we'd match them up.

From there he really just needed to be told about a few of the combinations, "sh", "th", etc, and he was putting words together in no time. We wrote them up on a blackboard or just paper and it stuck so quickly.

He had access to a word document on the laptop and enjoyed typing sentences out on there with a lot of help, me asking him to guess the next letter of the word he chose and so on.

It really was so easy and took no more than a few minutes each day.

All that said, he does have a bit of trouble settling at kindergarten and they think it's because he's "operating on a higher level" and thinks the other kids games are a bit daft. Do I think it's because he can read? No. I think he can read because he's a clever kid - I don't think he's clever because he can read. See the difference? Before he could read, when we went up the park he preferred having conversations, exploring, collecting, playing proper games and so on, while other kids mindlessly went down the slide over and over and over. He's just very bright.

Now my two 14 month olds are showing an interest in learning to read, picking up letter sounds. I have the choice to deny them the joy of reading at a young age in the hopes they socialise well, but I seriously doubt it would have that result, regardless of what mumsnet thinks. I'm pretty sure there's no rule that educated kids can't play with other kids.

[Norestformrz]

Cued articulation isn’t phonics, it’s a system of hand signals for the sounds and was devised for children with severe speech difficulties
I recommend this free course to any parent wanting to help their child with reading and writing
https://www.udemy.com/help-your-child-to-read-and-write/?siteID=TnL5HPStwNw-0UIdunE7B8tqNTGmu5Ci8Q&LSNPUBID=TnL5HPStwNw

[Testyisanicerword]

This is a great link. Thank you. Just started the lectures. Really helpful, thank you.

[Norestformrz]

If you have an iPad the author has an app you can try for free http://www.sounds-write.co.uk/page-82-app-for-ipad.aspx

[Testyisanicerword]

Thanks, sadly we're an Android family! I've found some that seem similar. Thank you for your help

[FineAsWeAre]

My son could read well before starting school. He was obsessed with letters and constantly asked me what things said so I knew he was ready. The oxford reading tree books are common in schools and he enjoyed them at home too, as well as Dr Seuss. I think my son's school used jolly phonics. He liked watching Alphablocks on CBeebies and there is a game on the app. Make it fun, read everything when you're out and about (logo recognition e.g. McDonald's is a good starting point). Have a look at the letters and sounds programme, it's not widely used anymore but there are some good game ideas. Label things around the house, get some magnetic letters and build words with them, scribe when he tells you stories, make shopping lists together, make placemats for the table with your names on, put up alphabet posters and read all different types of books together including non-fiction if he's interested and bake following simple recipes so he learns that print has meaning in different contexts. I've seen threads like this before where people have said "don't bother... he'll be bored in reception... they all catch up in a few years anyway so there's no point." That wasn't the case with my son, he's 7 and excelling in most subjects which his teachers have attributed to the fact that he reads so fluently and so widely. If you feel your son is ready for reading, go for it.

[laramumofboys]

My son showed an interest in learning letters, so I got some a-z snap cards, alphabet shape puzzles, alphabet thomas the tank engine book and a peppa one, I let him explore it at his own pace and told him what the letter sounds were when he asked. Ooh also alphablocks - CBeebies, amazing! It didn't take him long to be able to recognise all of the letters! It was before he was 3 and I searched for similar posts for ideas and lots of critical people commented it was a waste of time and they taught their child that and they'd forgotten it all by the time they started school bla bla, but he's 3.5 now and he still recognises them all because we played lots of games learning them :-) and he enjoyed and loved doing it, all led by him! Yes he'll learn it all in reception so we didn't need to do it, but what's the harm if he wants to? He's now in preschool and they're starting to sound out letters to read them! X

[crazymumofthree]

I work in a preschool -

Lots of reading - rhyming words are really good - take a look at the oi frog/oi dog books my children love them as do all our preschoolers.

The orchard brand have lots of great games and puzzles to play regarding both letter and numbers. The other day we were playing alphabet lotto - it literally is a case of keep repeating and they will learn.

The little plastic magnetic letters you put on the fridge, the flash cards you can write on are also really good.

Also if you look in Pinterest for sensory trays they have some good alphabet ideas, writing in sand etc just incorporate phonics into everyday. I have made tubs of jelly and you dig the letters out, Cheerios with wooden letter from a puzzle she used tweezers to grab out (this also helps develop the muscles in hands needed to write).

Practising writing his name and other short words is also a good way to help remember letters. For our youngest ones we write with a highlighter and they trace, moving on to copying underneath and then alone.

For my daughter I've also got some mega blocks and sharpie'd on some letters and we play games where we spell the words e.g at sounds so cat, sat, hat, bat etc and I line the letters up and she picks them out and we say them together.