jolly phonics

[Pizzahutlover]

is it any good

[PenguinBear]

Fantastic :)
I use it with my class from day 1 when they come in and it is fab (although I use it alongside other things as its not strong enough on its own).

[Pizzahutlover]

well im a parent my child is starting reception in september and will start learning phonics. when is it right time to start and is it a good idea to start without knowing what the school is using

[Pizzahutlover]

he is 4 going on 5

[PenguinBear]

I would wait until you know what the class teacher will be using.

If you're wanting to help your DS be ready for school, you could teach him to recognise his full name and write his first name. :)

[Pizzahutlover]

he knows that already he can write now by tracing over letters and recognises his name. nos numbers and colours and seems quite prepared just want him to do well and am abit nervous as its my first

[PenguinBear]

It's fab that he can do all that already, sounds like you've been working hard with him to help him get ready.

I know what you mean, I still remember what it was like when my first went to school, I was more nervous than she was! :)

[Pizzahutlover]

yes crazy their all relaxed and we are the ones smashing our heads and really nervous. like we are starting

[Pizzahutlover]

yes have worked with him but some he has learn himself and from nursery

[Pizzahutlover]

making spelling mistakes sorry

[Pizzahutlover]

thanks penguinbear made me feel much better about my child starting especially with the fact your a teacher will be patient and wait till he starts to ask teacher whatthey use for phonics and will just continue what imdoing with him. thank you

[olibeansmummy]

I find it ok, but as a pp said, it needs to be used alongside other things. The best thing for me is the actions as ds (also starting school in sept) has hearing difficulties and if he can't hear an unfamiliar word clearly to say it, I emphasise the incorrect sound with a jolly phonics action which helps him articulate it, almost like sign language. Personally I'd only start teaching him phonics now if you're sure you know what you're doing as if you teach it wrong it can be difficult to undo ( I'm lucky to have been a ks1 TA although now ks2).

[Pizzahutlover]

no dont know what im doing was planning to get cds.dont know sounds or anything but want to support my son while at school and if jolly phonics cds made difference then would buy it but have to find out what their using at school first.ill ask his teacher as i dont want to make any mistakes. should i leave teaching abc alone as well as dont know how they learn to read at school

[olibeansmummy]

Yes leave abc as some school teach it alongside phonics and some later on. Ds's school will have an evening where parents can learn about how they teach phonics and reading and give out loads of handouts, perhaps your school will have the same? If not pop in and ask the teacher I'm sure she'd be happy to help :)

[Lonecatwithkitten]

Pizza I just wanted to reassure you with the benefit of my hindsight. DD started school able to recognise her name and write it. She could do all the personal care stuff and play nicely.
I just did the letters and reading the teacher sent home, nothing more. To be quite frank she was so tired nothing else would have been possible.
We are now going into year 5 and really there is no difference between her and the children who had been reading since 2.5years.
If I can save anyone the anxiety I suffered with my story it will be a good thing.

[PastSellByDate]

Hi Pizzahutlover:

I agree with a lot of what people are saying. I absolutely understand you're excited about your PFB starting school and like any parent want them to get off to a flying start - but as my brother who is a primary teacher says - this is a marathon not a sprint.

I'm afraid I agree with many who say it probably is best to wait until school starts (which is really only just over a fortnight away now).

What you can do now over the summer:

Read to your DC as much as possible

Visit local library (maybe attend activities, story reading sessions).

Talk about book parts/ sturcutre: Author, illustrator, cover, title page, introduction, etc....

Discuss the story as you read it.

(Lots of great early reading ideas on Oxford Owl: www.oxfordowl.co.uk/home/reading-owl/reading

-------

Once school has started:

Like olibeansmummy suggested - wait until school starts. Give them a few weeks to settle children in and assess them, but most schools usually have a meeting for Reception parents to explain how they teach letter sounds and learning to read. They also tend to have regular reading mornings where parents can come in (and again this is a nice time to have a brief word with the teacher/ TA).

If nothing has been said by your first parent/ teacher meeting (usually in October around here) - well that's the point to ask. Certainly if you haven't had any information by November, ask the teacher/ send in a note to the teacher.

Once you know what system they're using and are aware of the amount of homework/ resources they are providing then you can decide whether you need to do additional work at home or not. Regardless, keep up the reading at home. Don't just limit reading to books sent home from school, and don't feel you have to read the school book every night (especially if you have the same book all week & DC is getting 'bored' with it/ doesn't like the story).

HTH

[mrz]

Jolly Phonics was one of the first commercial phonics programmes published and has been around for 20 years. It works very well in reception (not sure why people are finding they need other things - or what other things they are using ). It uses a multi sensory approach - children see the spelling (letter or letters) hear the sound and learn an action. Sounds are taught s-a- t- i- p- n so that by the end of the first set children can begin to read and spell simple words at, an, in, it, sat, sit, pin, pit, pan, pat. When it was published the idea was to teach 6 sounds per week (schools rarely do that many now) Personally I wouldn't buy the DVD, workbooks, software, reading books toys, games as they aren't necessary IMHO.

As others have said there are now lots of phonics programmes available to school, all slightly different in their approach - some use actions - some introduce sounds in a different order so it really isn't worth you starting JP only to find the school uses something different. Your son isn't going to be disadvantaged. The very best thing you can do is read him lots of stories. Perhaps play sound games - "Simon says can you "h- o- p" (s-k- i-p, j-u-m-p, s-i-t, r-u-n etc) so he is listening and building words aurally (no letters) Make sure you say the sounds clearly no added "uh" jollylearning.co.uk/2010/10/29/hear-the-letter-sounds/ lets you hear the sounds

Good Luck I'm sure he will do very well

[Pizzahutlover]

thanks alot will try and relax abit just my experience with the school that has made me nervous which should not be the case i know. well ill just see what happens anyway. lonecatwithkittens your child sounds like mine exactly. so if she was ok sure mine will be. thanks and know its not a race just want to do whats best for him.doing oxford owl ebooks with him already.abit crazy as im doing everything i can with him already anyway rhanks

[KirkdeneWren]

My DD used jolly phonics at school and I can't believe how fluent her reading is after just one year (reception). My second daughter has learnt all her phonics at speech therapy and I hope it will help when she starts in reception next year.

[Ferguson]

Hi

Once he has settled in, a book that I think is very useful, and will remain relevant throughout primary school, is:

Oxford Phonics Spelling Dictionary

You can see sample pages from it on Amazon, who sell it for £5.66:

www.amazon.co.uk/Oxford-Phonics-Spelling-Dictionary-Reading/dp/019273413X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373490750&sr=8-1&keywords=Phonics%20dictionary&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21#reader_019273413X


And remember, there will be lots of fun things going on in Reception, and it certainly shouldn't all be work!

[melmo26]

Hi my first dd has just started primary 1 last Tuesday.
Like your ds she could recognise her name, write her name and count. Before the summer hols we had a meeting with p1 teacher who gave us all the info about how they would her. We got leaflets that explained the sound and action that goes with each letter/s.
So far she has learnt S A T I P N, she is given a letter a day to learn ( except the first day) with a homework sheet to colour in/paint or stick things on.
I was so worried about how she would cope at school but we have had nothing but good reports so far :)

[Pizzahutlover]

Glad to hear that thanks for all the lovely replies and making me feel much better about him starting. Taking info on so any more suggestions who be welcome and thanks for link ferguson will buy once he starts but looks good as kids do like kipper books

[mrz]

You need to be aware that phonics is often taught very differently in the US to the UK methods

[ClayDavis]

That free trial is also not free. It's a risk free trial for $15, with a possibility of getting your money back at the end. If you live in the US. If you live in the UK there's also a non-refundable $39 shipping charge.

That website is spectacularly uninformative. Despite looking through the website and watching 5mins of youtube clips about the scheme I have no idea what principles it is based on, what it is actually teaching or how well it goes about it.

[dianashaw]

Kids can learn to read at different ages. But if given the right stimulus, kids will amaze you with what they respond to. My 3 kids responded well to learning to read with phonics.

My kids got an early start to read…before they ever entered kindergarten. I can’t overstate how much it helped their overall confidence level in all subjects. My boy started reading at age 3. As he entered first grade and they told me he was reading on the 5th grade level. Kids love reading when they can learn with no pressure.

Diana S.
www.Early2Read.com