Can anyone recommend online Reading / phonics programmes?

[PeterParkerSays]

DS's school report has expressed concern about his reading and writing ability. We weren't unduly worried because he's a summer baby, but DH has spoken to the teacher this morning, and the teacher is concerned about DS's refusal to buckle down to read and write even compared to other summer born children.

We suspect that DS would take to online word / reading programmes and games, as he doesn't get on the PC often so he would see it as a treat, so we're looking at doing some online stuff with him over the summer holiday to help prepare him for Yr 1.

I've found a few free games, which look good, and Reading Eggs, but the sample parental comment at the top of the home page is from an American parent, so we may do the 2 week trial to see if there is any US bias.

Can anyone recommend any other online resources for reading / phonics, either paid for or free.

I'd start with OXFORD OWL Home version - which is free by the way: www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home

there's e-books/ resources/ advice for parents on how to support early maths/ reading/ phonics - basically it's a good place to start.

----

Find out from the teacher what phonics system the school is using - ours uses Jolly Phonics for example - most of these have workbooks (more like colouring books) that help your child to form letter shapes/ write words (within traditional three lines to help gauge letter heights). We used the Jolly phonics sets to great success with DD2.

------

CBEEBIES alphablocks episodes are still available on line and these shows are full of catchy songs and sweet stories to explain how to sound out words. DD2 watched these and DD1 (2 years older and a struggling reader) started to drift over and watch these with her and suddenly things started clicking. Link here: www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/alphablocks/

------
Not sure what age your DC is - but if older than Y1 - my final advice having had a struggling reader (DD1) is don't get caught up on only reading certain types of books or it only being books. DD1 adores her TV shows (now Dr. who especially) and we found a lot of reading could be achieved with show related magazines and it didn't seem like work to her.

Comic books/ graphic novels are also a really useful way of getting reading in which doesn't seem like reading. Also the pictures really help struggling readers to decode what is being said.

HTH

www.starfall.com

It is a bit american, but my daughter found it helpful and free.

www.oxfordowl.co.uk/

Again this is free

jolly phonics has a lot of good paid for resources. It might be worth looking on ebay to see what you can get second hand.

Teach your monster to read is really good - and free!

We've done Reading Eggs - it's not too American. I wouldn't worry about that. It's quite a long programme though - we are coming to the end of it now and it's taken months and is sometimes a bit repetitive so I sit with DS to encourage him through it. It is good.

DS would always prefer to do Teach Your Monster to Read but he's gone through the phonics section and is now on the reading section and that doesn't really take them forward very much - after a while all the sentences they have to read are basically the same. At this point it's more for fun than for learning. Perhaps if they expand the site it will become more stretching.

www.phonicsinternational.com/ is a systematic synthetic phonics programme written by a UK phonics expert and experienced primary teacher/HT.

While PI is very good I don't think it's online in the way the OP wants. Probably for a good reason.

There seems to be a gap in the market for a good quality online synthetic phonics program. Unless they've changed it Reading Eggs is mixed methods and while Teach your Monster to Read is better, it is a bit repetitive after a while. It also has a big error in the middle which I don't know if they've corrected yet.

SoundsWrite do an app, which I assume is pedagogically sound, but I think it's only available for ipad.

My son is screen mad and absolutely loved Reading Eggs. He still asks to go on it now. You can get free trials, and keep an eye out for special offers.

Our school recommended phonics play

Wow! Thanks for all these. DS is finishing Foundation and starts yr 1 in September. They use a range of reading schemes, and not Jolly Phonics.

I've found starfall as one of my freebies, but hadn't come across Teach your monster to read, which looks like a good addition to our arsenal.

We're doing reading eggs - it is an Australian programme but the British website partially anglicised.

we use headsprout.com and it is brilliant. it teaches reading by using phonics. it is an american programme but the
american english was not a problem at all.

Reading eggs was brill for my DTs

My DS has been doing Reading Eggs since Easter and his improvement has been fairly dramatic in that time.

Before starting it, he could not blend words at all and literally couldn't read but has now just moved up to Band 3 at school which is quite a significant improvement in a term. The only change is the Reading Eggs.

Also he loves doing them - i never have to persuade him which makes life easier

itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id769196201?mt=8&affId=1736887

be aware that many programmes originated in the US and teach phonics very differently to how we teach in the UK.

join the library summer reading race, bug club, phonics bug and education city i would recommend!!

I would recommend reading eggs. Lessons are a reasonable length and DD is now a NC level 3 reader in Y2