Early Reading - Setting Up for School vs Going with the Flow

[chillikate]

My DS is due to start school next September. He is storming ahead in terms of learning letters, sounds and how to put them together. He is our first so I have no idea of the best way to teach him, I am just doing what feels right (with a little help from the Jolly Phonics story book). His nursery are providing extension work but TBH I think are starting to struggle to keep up with him.

Someone has suggested I contact his prospective school and find out what methods they use - so that I can try and avoid any issues when he starts school, or am I best to keep going as we are now??

I work full time and he is so hungry for knowledge I'm finding it exhausting. But I am loving having time off at the moment, but he keeps asking if we can do some letters together. We are planning a trip to Intech Science Centre next week.

My DS (also due to start school next Septmeber) loves the AlphaBlocks game on Cbeebies here
which takes them through all letters and sounds in a fun way.

dd2, loved the alphablocks game on cbeebies. She started reception this september reading fluently. The school waited about a week for her to settle in and then sent her home with the appropriate level reading books. They actually started a bit easy for her but she loved the stories so i didn't worry (but then she is no. 2).

We didn't do books for her at home for a while. We wrote her simple sentences. e.g.
My cat is ill.
My cat is at the vet.

Then we went to the library and picked up lots of phonic type readers and she read the ones she liked. The librarian was great and if she liked a series they would order the whole lot in for her.

If he is hungry for knowledge look at things he wont do at school like your visit to the science centre. I avoided reading pre school with my ds as i could see he would pick it up quickly at school. We had great fun at museums, making things and looking at books about space, the body, etc and by the end of reception he had overtaken the kids who read before they started school. We did 'projects' involving cutting and sticking pictures, looking on the internet and collecting things outside. His general knowledge is great and he found reception year exciting as the words on the pages of his books started to mean something. All kids are different though and your ds may prefer a different approach.

Thank you.

I brought the Jolly Phonics word book to work today (free use of photocopier and laminator). I think I may select some of the words and make them into flash cards. I think he'll enjopy putting them together to make up short sentences (he is VERY imaginitive in his thinking). He is going through a phase of making all his sentences rhyme

After today I'm off for 5 days so we can have some real fun. He has asked we do 3 things:

1. Visit the Science Centre
2. Do some letters
3. Do some craft

I think I can manage that!!!

Oh, and for anyone with a similarly aged DC, we got DS a Mobigo for Christmas. Whaty a great find!! He has the Shrek game it came with and the Toy Story 3 game. He is loving bashing up letters to get Buzz Lightyear across the Caterpillar Room!!!!

Thanks again for your suggestions.

BTW "do some letters" is his words!!!!

My 3yo dd can read. I didn't teach her, I don't read reading books with her, just go to the library regularly and read the books she picks. I've never actively taught her anything like letters beyond answering questions. She too starts school in September and tbh I just carry on doing what she wants to do and making sure she's happy. I'm sure it'll all be alright in the end.

I could read at 3 too and at school they just gave me books suitable for my reading age.