Many people are trying their best to fight against it, and you may even be one of them, but the fact remains that technological advancements are here to remain, and in order to succeed in this world our children will need to use them.

In other words, regardless of whether or not you want to teach your kids the same things you have learned, you shouldn’t shut them out from learning new things which never existed in your time… as a matter of fact, you should even encourage them to do so.

I’m guessing that I’m not the only one to have this point of view, and that’s what I’m here to talk about today: a learn to read program for children which can be accessed online via any computer. It’s simply called Clickn’ Read Phonics.

What Clickn’ Read Phonics Teaches Children

For starters, the program itself contains material appropriate for children between kindergarten and third grade levels. The program itself consists of about a hundred lessons which teach the entire language arts core curriculum taught in U.S. public schools for the grade levels mentioned above.

Each one of the lessons is directed by ClickN KID, a dog guide which explains what the lesson is about, provides instructions on how to perform the post-lesson activity, not to mention he even throws praises when the child has entered the proper answer.

For example, one of the activities consists of identifying the sounds D, N, T and L. A screen is displayed inside of which are each of those letters, both in capital and small format. The dog guide then explains to the child that they need to simply click on the letter which corresponds to the end sound of the word about to be pronounced. Once the word is said (it’s usually something simple like “bin” or “hat”), your kid simply needs to click on the corresponding letter, at which point he’ll go on to the next word.

Naturally, this program isn’t punishing towards children and allows them to try again and again until they finally get the right answers. The exercises get more and more complex, and by the end of it your child will have gone through 4 years’ worth of reading education.

The Benefits Clickn’ Read Phonics Brings to the Table

First of all, I have to talk about the obvious benefits of this program, with the first one being that it can be accessed through any computer which has an internet connection; no downloads or anything of the sort is necessary. Second of all, although the program may be very basic, it allows your child to get familiar with using a computer, a mouse and typing on a keyboard, and whether we like it or not, computers are already being used in one way or another in virtually every single enterprise. Finally, because this program can take your child from kindergarten through third grade you won’t need to keep on buying new programs every year.

In addition to that, the program itself is quite solid and has earned good reputation; the exercises which are found in this program help to develop multiple language-related capabilities in the child. For instance, one of the exercises is The Letter Sound Chamber, and it basically demonstrates combinations of letters and the sounds which they make, teaching children both visual recognition and pronunciation at the same time.

Another exercise, the Listening Cube, demonstrates how newly-learned sounds can be used when making words, and how the sound of the letter is going to be different depending on whether it’s placed at the beginning, middle, or end of the word.

The third type of exercise, the Reading Room, is dedicated to spelling and sounding out words which contain newly-taught sounds. It teaches your child everything they need to know about sight words, even asking the kids to spell them out. As if that wasn’t already enough, this exercise also teaches children about word families, not to mention that it also has them reading words and sentences.

Finally, the Speed Chamber is designed as a sort of test, requiring for children to practice the new letters and sounds they have learned at a higher pace than before; they have a limited amount of time to pass the last level.

All in all, it’s pretty safe to say that Clickn’ Read Phonics teaches children some pretty important qualities when it comes to reading, and it will surely prepare them for anything they may have to face in school, unless of course it’s a school for gifted geniuses.

How Clickn’ Read Phonics Sits with the Children

Regardless of what the program has to teach, it is practically useless if children don’t like it. The news are nothing but good in this case; the game was specifically designed to keep children attentive, giving them small rewards along the way as they work for their answers. While it may sound like a simple trick, these little rewards actually keep them going… as a matter of fact, this is the same model many video games are based on, and some of them have kept grown-ups addicted for years.

The lessons are generally captivating, especially seeing as how they are narrated by the guide dog who actually does a good job at being fun to watch. Naturally, you shouldn’t really expect your children to be glued to the computer for hours on end, but it will be fun enough for them to go through with it at least an hour or two per day, and that’s really all the program requires.

In conclusion, I’d like to say that the Clickn’ Read Phonics program is one of the most interesting ones I’ve seen; not only does it do a good job of teaching children how to read and speak over four levels, but it also brings to the table all the advantages of being an online computer software. Considering it comes with a 60-day 100% money-back guarantee, I strongly recommend at least giving the program a shot.
 

While it is true that the Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read Program comes with instructions and such, there are still a few unwritten general guidelines you should aim to follow when using the Hooked on Phonics in order to educate your kids. I highly recommend that you take a few minutes reading this post as it may end up saving you some trouble later on.

Starting Things Off

Naturally, you will want to start your child on the first level of the Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read Program, dedicated to learning letter sounds. Slowly go through the first steps of the program, and as your child becomes more and more skilled try combining letter sounds in order to already have your child practice reading parts of words.

You will know that your child has mastered this level of the system when he or she can fluently string together letter sounds as well as retain information related to them.

How to Go About the Second Hooked on Phonics Level

When it comes to level two, you will begin teaching word sounds and sound combinations to your child. You should start by practicing on very common items or extremely familiar words, such as names or everyday tools. A fun and effective learning technique is to walk around the room with your child, having them identify the first letter and syllable of everything they can.

As your child is learning, you can make have them try and find objects beginning with the same letters as the ones provided on the flash cards included in the package. Once your child has mastered individual syllables and word sounds, it is time to get him or her to read entire words based on the knowledge they acquired. Until your child can read independently, do not move onward to the third part.

Teaching the Third Level of the Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read Program

The third level is dedicated to teaching your child ending sounds of words, as well as how sounds can be combined together. After having gone through the theoretical part of the process, ask your child to use their knowledge of the beginning of words and think about whether or not those sounds can come at the end. Have your child go through the reading material with their newly-acquired knowledge, and keep on working until your child can read simple stories fluently.

Going Through the Fourth Hooked on Phonics Level

Once your child can read fluently, it is time to move on to level four, dedicated to teaching about vowel sounds through flash cards, musical materials as well as hands-on activities. A very effective way of speeding up the process in this part is to have your child identify nearby household items that start or end with vowels.

While you are learning you can put into place a system where each time your child wants to use an item, he or she must name it and identify the vowels of the word out loud. Of course, don’t overdo this outside of your learning time as your child will grow very weary of it.

Mastering the Fifth Level of the Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read Program

Finally, once your child is capable of reading the workbooks as well as reading books out loud, it is time to move on to the fifth level of the Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read Program. This level is dedicated to the learning of additional sounds and combinations that can be made with them, teaching your child to read more difficult words and more detailed stories.

In order to help your child practice at this stage it would be wise to have them read things such as cooking instructions, assembly directions or even whatever they print on cereal boxes these days. Ideally, at this point your child should have progressed tremendously from when you first started as he or she should have very little to no problems reading new words. When your child is able to read texts aloud to other people, such as the family for example, then you will know that the fifth level has been mastered.

All in all, keep in mind that there is no one concrete, foolproof approach to teaching the Hooked on Phonics system; every child is different and will require as somewhat different approach in order to succeed. If you would like to know what I thought of this program in general, then I recommend you take a look at our Hooked on Phonics review.
 

Hello, if you’ve landed on this page then I am guessing that you are looking to get a bit more insight into the system of thought behind reading readiness concept in relation to the Hooked on Phonics Learn To Read Program.

What is Reading Readiness?

To start things off it is necessary to define what reading readiness is. According to the official definition of the concept, it is a point at which a person is ready to start learning how to read. In other words, it is the phase during which a non-reader transitions into a reader.

How is it Acquired?

Contrary to what some people may think, babies actually start to work on their pre-reading skills starting from birth as they listen to what is being said around them. While they cannot really distinguish meanings yet, they can make out sounds and associate certain emotions to them. In order for a child to learn how to read, they first need some type of a grasp on the oral aspect of the language. However, it is theorized by the Ontario Government (2003) that while acquiring knowledge of the oral language comes naturally, reading is something that must be taught.

How to Develop Reading Readiness in your Child

It has been observed that children who were more exposed to literacy-related activities from a young age were much more successful when learning how to read. It is recommended that you engage in pre-reading developmental activities, which basically means that you will have to work the oral aspect of the language with your child, such as reading them children’s stories for example. What your child will learn during these critical early stages will serve as the foundation for all the knowledge they will absorb from that point on.

Before you start teaching your child you must remember that reading readiness is something arbitrary, meaning that different children will require different approaches. It may take you some time before you find a method that will produce good results. A child always learns better with someone more skilled guiding them through the learning process, whether it’s a parent or a more capable child.

How does the Hooked on Phonics System Integrate this Concept into their Program?

Well, the Hooked on Phonics Learn To Read Program actually has pre-kindergarten levels that are based on the concept of reading being a skill that is best learnt through coherent and skill-based instructions. Naturally, these levels are meant to give your child a better understanding of the oral as well as the written language before he or she goes off into kindergarten.

In order to help children attain reading readiness they provide a variety of learning materials including workbooks, flash cards, education online games and DVDs as well as step-by-step instructions that come along.

If you would like to learn more about the Hooke on Phonics system itself, then check out my Hooked on Phonics Review.

Hello! I imagine that if you got this page, then you’re curious to know how you can be sure that the Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read actually works. It’s a perfectly reasonable thing to ask, especially considering that you only have one chance to get it right.

Luckily, the folk behind Hooked on Phonics don’t expect you to trust them blindly… and so they’ve released verifiable official statements about their program.

How the Hooked on Phonics Approach was Developed

First of all, they declared that the techniques and approach to learning are all based on current findings from studies about how children learn to read. Instead of simply going for old, time-tested methods they prefer to turn their attention to the latest scientific findings on phonics, phonemic awareness, oral language, alphabetic knowledge and print awareness.

To be a bit more precise, their program works progressively from letters to sounds, to words, to sentences, and finally reading fluency. It’s a very gradual method that is designed to keep challenging your child just enough to allow them to consistently progress and build their confidence.

Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read use an approach they refer to as learn-practice-play, and it basically works in three steps: first they learn new concepts, they practice them until they are mastered, and finally they play phonics games or read books that reinforce that knowledge.

What did they base the development of their program on? Well, apart from basing themselves on the latest scientific findings as I mentioned it earlier, they also claim to have been working closely with many parents, teachers and even children’s authors… that’s what I call going the extra mile.

Also, the Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read has allegedly been tested not only by parents and teachers, but also by kids themselves in order to make sure it lives up to its own hype.

The Main Goal of the Hooked on Phonics Method

The method was developed to provide children with an individualized approach to learning, an approach that will adapt itself to the aptitude of the child. With the concepts and exercises being neatly categorized into various levels based on difficulty, you can easily choose to work on the activities in which your child is lacking.

The people behind the program understand that children of different ages all have different needs, which is a consideration that can make a big difference in how well the child learns.

According to the founders of the Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read Program, their approach which consists of exposing children to varied reading materials is a necessary step to slowly and carefully unwind the child’s abilities and have him or her blossom.

According to the researches they based themselves on, a child who understand show sounds make up words is better and interpreting the words, not to mention reading them.

What Other People Say About the Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read Program

I won’t spend too much time with this, but I believe it doesn’t hurt to know what results people obtained from this program. For example, Sarah from Sarah Reviews says that her kids “wanted to do “lessons” twice a day. My kids can read now. I’m not kidding[…]They can sound words out. Neither of them could do that three weeks ago ”.

To reiterate the point, in only three weeks the Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read Program allegedly allowed her to teach her children how to pronounce words, and even read an eight-page book called “Cat”.

Do I Believe the Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read Program Works?

Well, to make a long story short, yes I believe that the Hooked on Phonics system does indeed work. Why do I believe that? Well, first of all I actually tried it for myself and obtained some very impressive results,

I can’t really expect you take my word for it just like that. However, I should remind you that the method used in this system was developed through meticulous scientific research and opinions given by parents, educators, and children’s author books.

In order for us to be able to truly progress, we need to be willing to set the old methods aside and try some newer and more promising ones that were developed with modern knowledge. The education sector is one of those which has remained old-school longer than pretty much anything else, and is in need of change, of a true overhaul.

As of now, it seems that the only people interested in making this kind of thing happen are the people behind Hooked on Phonics; they are doing their best year after year to develop ways for children to learn faster.

If you are interested in learning about my experience with the system, then simply check out my Hooked on Phonics review.

If on the other hand you would like to try the Hooked on Phonics program for yourself, simply follow this link.