Hooked On Phonics

Review Title: Learn to Read By Hooked On Phonics

Title: Learn To Read

Review Body: My 5 year old is trying so hard to read, so last month I found some “Hooked On Phonics” on the internet, so I thought I would order the set – it was at a great price. She is in pre-k and her teacher says she is more than ready, so why not get her started now. The entire set was so cheap I couldn’t pass it up – I am one of those bargain hunters.

Well, she has been watching the DVDs, learning and practicing the new words and sound combinations in the workbooks. She follows everything with stories and is just zipping through the books. I couldn’t be more pleased with the materials and all that she is learning.

She starts kindergarten next fall and she will be more than ready with the materials that she has been working with. She is so smart – at bedtime she is reading to me instead of the other way around.

The set included eight DVDs with workbooks, and thirty-six storybooks. Also included are four flashcard sets and eight sets of stickers as well as full online access to my.hookedonphonics.com. Wait, that’s not all – also we got a free bonus of three phonics flipbooks, four workbooks, sing-along CD, DVD with music and cartoons, and a kit that teaches how to make a book. It said that this was for children from 3 to 8 and she is enjoying herself, so I know that I did the right thing. I just didn’t want her to think I was pushing her to do more than she was ready to do. She actually surprised me – she was very ready for the entire set.

She has just blossomed since we got the set – the instructions said to do one 20-minute session a day, but she begs me to do more. She has finished the first two books twice – so I guess if she wants to begin with book three we will start it tomorrow. She is so proud of herself and tells everyone that now she can read.

I told her that she had to remember to go outside and get exercise and that her learning to read is great, but there has to be a balance in life with work and fun – she looks at me like I am crazy. Some new people moved in next-door and she has already made friends with their kids – she is the welcome wagon in our neighborhood. Her best friend moved away last summer, so I am glad that new kids are moving in.

I love watching little kids when they are learning new things and you can see the excitement in their eyes. They are so ready to soak up all they can – they are like little sponges. This child brings so much joy into my life – she is an amazing little girl.

Pros: Teaches phonics at the child’s level, has many visual aids, stories that are clever and innovative, access to their website if we have questions, 60-day guarantee, and many free bonus materials.

Cons: None

Website Experience: The website orders.hookedonphonics.com was only one page with no navigation; all you have to do is just follow the information down the page. There were some sample videos to watch, so we watched them together. They have security on the checkout page to protect personal shipping and address information as well as for credit card and bank information. Simple website – good experience shopping

Amount Paid: $15.00

Purchase Date: January 15, 2013

Online or In-Store: Online

Final Notes: What a bargain for this set – and we got bonus material also. Even if she had not like it so much it would have still been worth the $15.00 to buy the materials and save them for when she was older. I keep waiting for a letter in the mail saying that the price was a misprint and it was really $150.00. This was a real bargain.

Recommended: Yes

Overall Rating: 5 stars

My mom had me using Hooked on Phonics when I was a kid, and now I’ve been using it with my daughter. It isn’t perfect, since the instructions are phonics based and, obviously, not every word in the English language follows phonics rules, but it’s a great starting point for any child struggling to read. My experience was similar to other reviewers in that my daughter picked it up quickly and has actually had fun with the program. I can’t say that for many others we’ve tried.

As an elementary school teacher, I know how important it is to lay the groundwork that is required to help young children know how to read at an early age. I feel that the hooked on phonics program is one of the best programs on the market to do just that. I have utilized this program in several of my classes and always see fantastic results with my children. Hooked on Phonics uses simplistic teaching methods that are easy to follow and very interesting to the children.

Hooked on Phonics worked for my son. He was having a difficult time learning to read in school, so his teacher recommended that we try to focus on reading with him at home. I asked her about Hooked on Phonics, since it was something around when I was a kid, and she said it wouldn’t hurt for us to give it a try. My son has definitely improved in the three months he’s been doing phonics, and it was amazing to see his face when those tough concepts finally connected. Phonics may not be for every child, but it’s certainly helped mine.

I have been home schooling my three children for the past ten years and recently purchased the Hooked on Phonics program for my youngest daughter. She had been really struggling with the curriculum that I used to teach my other children and thought that this would be worth a shot. She absolutely loved the program and learned more about reading than I could ever imagine. Overall, I am very happy with this product. I only have a problem with its cost, which is quite a bit. However, it is worth it to help a little one learn to read faster.

I had an almost impossible time teaching my daughter the principles of phonics. She finally got it after a few weeks and her reading improved quite a bit. I think that maybe phonics is too abstract a concept for some children. It just kind of assumes that children know the differences between sounds, when they may not have really thought about language in that way yet. It did make a difference once my daughter finally got the concept.

Before placing our son in school, we ordered the Hooked On Phonics program. While he enjoyed the DVDs, the online games were a bit on the boring side. The games failed to keep his attention. For his age level, there are only two games available. The workbook was great for reviewing information that was contained on the DVD. However, the flashcards are not well constructed. They offer very little interaction. My son did like the enclosed musical CD's. They offer him a chance to dance around while learning the alphabet.

Hooked on Phonics has a very good reputation and while I can see why early on, it's just not a program I'd feel I could recommend overall. The lessons start out easy and simple to follow but the game is almost too easy. There doesn't seem to be any challenge to it. In addition, it really doesn't teach skills needed to read everyday things with a high level of proficiency. It's a decent program for what it is but there are much less expensive ways to teach a child to read.

When you want to teach your child how to read, Hooked on Phonics is the way to go. I have been able to teach my son all about reading through this program.

This really helped my kid figure out how to read. He was always a smart boy, but something about reading was difficult for him to grasp. The phonics learning tools did the trick. He can now easily associate sounds with letter groups. He can read and spell above his grade level. This would not have been possible if I had left his education up to the teacher. She has too many children in her classroom to worry about one that is struggling.