I may be risking a flaming, but...

[MathsMadMummy]

...is it too early to start phonics with DD?

Never dreamed I'd be asking this yet, as she's just turned 3.

She's known a lot of the letters for a while (just picked them up from a computer thing) but recently became obsessed. It was a bit accidental, the other day a helicopter landed by our house (blew our bins over!) and that led to a couple of days of learning about /h/. We've done tactile stuff like making an h-shaped train track etc, and she's loved it. Before anyone shouts/types-in-capitals at me, it's not like that's all we're doing, I'm not wanting to sit her down and coach her obsessively, she just suddenly got interested in the sounds letters make. I was until recently very reluctant to teach her any phonics.

I can't see her understanding about blending/'sounding out' etc for a long time, I don't think she'll be reading properly by the time she starts school. But is it worth carrying on and doing other letter sounds? I suppose what I'm really asking is, as long as she's having fun and wants to do it, is it doing her any harm?

And any tips on fun games etc? We do some of the Jolly Songs CD (/a/,/h/,/s/) and have various resources, magnetic letters, blah blah

TIA...

No it's not IMO. If she's interested go for it. My DS1 was fascinated with letters and numbers by the age of 2 and could read pretty fluently by 3 as a result. No pushing from me, honest

As long as she's enjoying it, keep up what you're doing!

Why would you be risking a flaming? And why would you be doing her any harm?! If she's clearly showing interest then go for it. You'll be giving her a head start.

hope so... suppose I was worried as some schools seem to think parents shouldn't teach anything, in case the DC gets confused when they start school

Just teach it correctly! it is very hard for children to "unlearn" bad habits. I once taught a Reception child who had been taught to write her name beautifully but in capitals and even now, in yr 4, she still struggles to write these particular letters in lower case, she automatically writes them in capitals! You also need to be very careful of the pronunciation of the sounds-basically as short as possible!

DD's 3, and really into i-spy atm.
Likes spotting all the things that begin with "d" or whatever. Were you thinking more written stuff?

She knows the letter sounds but I am deliberately not teaching her to read properly as I don't want to feel I'm pressurizing her, and I don't want her to be bored at school. Not just a lazy mummy, honest!

I think if she's asking about it, and showing an interest, then you'd be daft not to go along with it. It's different when a parent decides to teach something when the child has no interest, I think that's what tends to get people flamed.

thanks

that's a major concern, that I don't teach it wrong ( at the girl writing in capitals though!) - I learned to read at 3, it just sort of happened naturally, so I've no personal experience of phonics. I've read a lot about it though.

how do you introduce the concept of capital letters though? DD recognises some capitals, some lower case. I read somewhere about calling them a mummy letter and a baby letter...

(oh and primarymum - yep I know about the pronunciation, /l/ is llll rather than 'luh' etc - DD is very good at sssssss )

it's never too early if they're showing an interest IMO

i hate people who feel they "have" to teach their child to read/write before school, just means they must be a bit bored once they get there and are ahead of everyone else?

BUT, I think if they're showing a real interest and genuinely enjoy finding stuff like that out then it's your duty to help them with it

My dd can recognise and make the sounds of all letters, can work out what a word is based on this. I have taught her nothing.

I am slightly worried because I know bugger all about phonics. She's just picked things up from me reading to her/with her. Is she going to have a hellish time when she starts school?

TBH I can't be arsed to learn it myself but is she shooting off down an avenue that's going to make things difficult come formal learning? Pleeaassee say I don't have to learn phonics just to teach them to her.

You could go on from eye-spy to, guess the word, and sound out d- o- g, etc. Or what sound does you name begin with. Also do lots of nursery rhymes and rhyming poetry.

You don't have to learn all about phonics unless you plan to teach your child to read before they go to school. The stuff you can do with DC just for fun is the sort of stuff they used to do in Sesame Street - just mucking about with words that start with "b" or whatever. They are only learning that a shape makes a letter and that shape goes with a sound. It's only when you move on from there that you have to think about whether the child will have to "unlearn" any of what you've taught them.