Jolly Phonics in playgroup

[houndzrbetter]

do any other preschool playgroups use the Jolly Phonics 'Jolly Jingles' book and CD as part of their Letters and Sounds provision?

I hope they don't!!

gabid, I'd like to point you towards this TES EY forum thread:

Advice for parents re reading and writing for pre-schoolers
community.tes.co.uk/forums/t/476205.aspx?PageIndex=4

and ask you the question that poster no.33 asks:

'It is strange that the idea of a young child reading is very scary to some people...why is that?!!'

I find it scary to see 4 year olds in reception who are developmentally not ready to read, get extra support and sometimes are put off the whole thing, boys in particular. Nowhere else is reading taught as early as in this country and for a good reason. Yes, there are early readers, keen to learn to read, fine teach them, but leave the rest alone. I thought reception was too early, but even in the UK governemnt advice is against teaching reading at pre-school.

There are really better things 3 year olds could be doing with their time, e.g. being read to will expand their vocabulary, talk, discuss and explore all things around them.

surely phonics is about pre-reading skills, not 'teaching them to read', and wont they be more ready to learn to read given adequate preparation ? - we use it as part of our Letters and Sounds provision, alongside reading to them, story sacks, songs and rhymes etc.

DD is just starting out on this, she's just turned 3 and does two afternoons a week at pre-school and comes home singing about ampts (ants!) on her arm and hopping up and down. Is that what you mean? It's all new to me...

GwendolineMaryLacey, your child is doing Jolly Phonics Songs by the 'sounds' of it -and it is absolutely developmentally appropriate. Your DD will come to no harm having letter shapes and sounds introduced pre-school.

BTW, the Jolly songs and words are available on Youtube so you can do it at home too

Jolly Phonics Songs on YouTube:

I'd say that the jolly songs cd is more 'pre reading skills' than 'teaching reading' - it is just a bit of fun. Those who are ready will learn, but those who aren't will just think of them as regular songs. DD was in the latter category until quite recently at around 3.6, when something suddenly clicked and now she's really into it, just about ready to try some CVC words. But doing the songs before this 'click' did her no harm that I can see :)

I do totally agree that forcing children to start so early is a terrible thing - I just do not think that a few songs and actions count as forcing... Children will get out of it only what they are ready for IMO.

LOL. A friend sent me those links with dd was just 3. ONE listening to 'ants on my arms' had me humming it for days, so I've decided to outsource irritating songs to the school when she goes and she learnt letters and sounds through car number plates etc.

Each to their own though.

I don't know much about phonics, and I'm not convinced of synthetic phonics's usefulness/appropriateness before a child's speech is fully developed, but I'm happy to be corrected.

Thank you, yes, I was foolish enough to look on youtube and am now achingly familiar with jelly and jam, clicking castanets and driving Vic's van round the village :o

Are you telling me it gets worse than this?!! My mindees used to use Letterland in the 90's and that I can cope with. :)

My dd's preschool used Ruth Miskin's Read Write Inc. materials to introduce the letters. It was great, they would only do 5 letters a day so it would take about 3 mins in carpet time. It made the transistion to school easier.

DS goes to a different nursery where they dont do it like that and he hasnt grasped it as well

If anyone is interested in doing a gentle pre-school introduction to sounds AND those dreadful, dangerous letter shapes with their child or nursery class, then Debbie Hepplewhite has produced some free resources:

www.phonicsinternational.com/trs.html

All DDs other preschool (not the one that has the jolly songs cd, she attends 2 preschools) does is have a letter of the week. They loosely base the craft activities round that, and encourage children to bring in objects which start with that sound and talk about them at carpet time.

It's great - the younger children dont need to join in, there's no pressure. The older/more 'ready' children can really get into it. But this is what sparked DDs interest in letter sounds. I told the staff this and they were so pleased, it is the first time they have done any phonics (they've had new training)

It's very much pre-reading. DD's nursery class have been doing them since September (class which will be in reception next year - so rising 4's) - letter formation and sounds, along with the silly rhymes (down dinosaur's back, round his bottom - IIRC). Those that are ready (and only those that are ready) will go on to two letter phonyms (sp?) and the jolly phonics readers as optional things to take home as/if/when they want to next term.

It's not pressured at all (IMHO) but it gives scope for those that are ready to carry on.

Dd is 3.5, her pre-school teacher recommended jolly phonics jolly stories. I'm bidding on eBay. I didn't thing she knew any letters but she pointed to the back of one of our dinner chairs & said x. It is indeed x shaped so I think she is starting to recognise some letters. I don't think she knows any numbers.