The Best Phonics Programs
I feel that the best phonics program for homeschooling should be easy to use, inexpensive and interesting.
Most educators believe that phonics are the way to teach children who have learning disabilities. The best phonic programs for children who have disabilities uses a multi-sensory approach. The child should see the letter, say the sound, and trace the letter.
The Programs
I have used Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, 1,2,3 Read, Color Phonics, and an internet program. Our favorite was 1,2,3 Read. We liked the songs, and the Bible Stories.
Color Phonics is a computer software that shows pictures of how to make the letter sounds and color codes the vowel sounds. The short a is tan and the long a is colored gray. The program has a lot of detail. It would be good for someone who did not speak English. For each sound there was a picture showing how to make the sound. We felt that the program moved too slow.
Some homeschoolers are successful with Teach Your child to Read in 100 Easy Lesson. Teach your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lesson is a scripted book that teaches your child to read. Each lesson takes about 20 minutes.My children did not like the stories.
Others use Hooked on Phonics. With Hooked on Phonics children learn at their own rate. They have to master a new skill before moving on. The program uses games and books to reinforce new knowledge. I had heard that Hooked on Phonics was good, but at the time I could not afford it.
I have used Zoo Phonics in a school setting. My students liked the program and learned the sounds. Zoo Phonics uses pictures, sound, and body movements to teach the letter sounds.
Dolch Words
When you teach reading you should also include the Dolch words.The Dolch list comprises 220 of the high frequency words that were used in beginning reading programs in the 1940's.
Dolch words consist of pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions and verbs. You can find list of the words at the dolch kit The site also had flash cards, a student practice book, and games.
Internet Phonics Programs
The best phonics program on the internet is Starfall. I used it with my youngest child. He liked the stories and the activities. You can read the stories online with the computer or print the book out. There are a lot of activities that you can also print out to practice spelling and writing. Starfall was very popular with the autistic children I worked with in the school setting
Another phonic website is foniks You click on a box place your mouse on the pink word and the computer will say the sound or read the word.
It is hard to recommend the best phonics programs for homeschool because each child is different. Some learn to read easily. Other children struggle with reading. Some children are bored with the simple beginner readers. Other children are excited that they are beginning to read. Just remember that most children learn to read in their time.
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