The 5 Best Programs to Teach Your Child to Read: Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, Reading Eggs, Teach Your Monster to Read, and Hooked on Phonics
by Mary Follin
The best programs to teach your child to read.
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Reading Eggs, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, Teach Your Monster to Read, and Hooked on Phonics are among the 5 best programs to teach your child to read. And yes, we feel Teach Your Child to Read™ is also an excellent choice! Since we have what we think is a great program, you might be wondering why I'm promoting these OTHER programs, too.
Good question! The simple answer is, our goal is for all children to learn to read. Every child is different, and every family is different. No single program will work for every child, which is why it's so critical that parents evaluate each program, take advantage of free trials, and let your child weigh in. However, we do feel it's important to use a phonics-based approach, so keep that in mind as you read on.
To help you with your decision, read my review below of Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, Reading Eggs, Teach Your Monster to Read, and Hooked on Phonics. And of course, Teach Your Child to Read™ is in there, too! |
Check out 'ASK MOM' in Fredericksburg Parent & Family magazine for advice on issues you may be experiencing as a parent!
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The 5 Best Programs to Teach Your Child to Read: Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, Reading Eggs, Teach Your Monster to Read, and Hooked on Phonics
1) Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
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Published in 1986 by Siegfried Englemann and Phyllis Haddox, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons empowered parents to believe they could teach their children to read at home. Simple and straight-forward, this can't-miss little book takes you through the process of teaching your child to read with phonics.
That said, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons has an academic 'feel' to it, and your child might be used to a more exciting way of learning. But if you feel confident in your own creativity, most parents can easily learn how to teach phonics from this book. Lessons do not involve tools, flashcards, or storybooks—just you and your child. The book promises you will see results if you can spend 20 minutes per day with your child. With only 100 lessons you will be surprised at how competent your child can be after working through this step-by-step program. One caveat: Because of the length of the lessons, this book may be more effective for children who don't mind sitting still for longer periods of time. |
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2) Reading Eggs
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We feel Reading Eggs is one of the most comprehensive programs on the market. With hundreds of activities to choose from, your child will never get bored! Reading Eggs addresses the learning needs of children ages 2-13. Designed by elementary school teachers, this program covers all aspects of learning to read: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and fluency.
The program is not designed to be a one-on-one experience with your child, but if your child is an independent learner, that may be okay. We like that the lessons are 15 minutes or less—short lessons for short attention spans. One caveat: Because there are so many activities to choose from, you may find it difficult to determine which foundational skills have been covered—and which haven't. |
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3) Teach Your Monster to Read
How can you not love free? Teach Your Monster to Read is a series of well-crafted games designed to take your child through the first two years of learning how to read—pre-K and kindergarten. Please check this one out! While this may not be the comprehensive program you are looking for, these simple (and fun) games will support whatever path you choose to take.
Teach Your Monster to Read is made possible by the generosity of the Usborne family foundation in support of developing early literacy.
Teach Your Monster to Read is made possible by the generosity of the Usborne family foundation in support of developing early literacy.
4) Hooked on Phonics
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If you are teaching multiple children at once, Hooked on Phonics may be the program for you. A hybrid of digital and 'through the mail,' Hooked on Phonics has materials that specifically address all levels of reading skills. The program was first introduced to the market in 1987 and continues to be a tool that families use to teach their children to read. And as the name implies, the program takes a phonics-based approach, which we whole-heartedly applaud.
If you have a preference for teaching the old-fashioned way, you might like this program. Many of the learning materials come to your child through the mail. (What child doesn't like to receive mail?), so lessons can be spread out on the kitchen table. But there are online options as well, so you get to choose which style you are most comfortable with. That said, it can be a little confusing to consider your options and determine what skill level is right for your child. Caveat: Hooked on Phonics is designed for children to use on their own. If you want to be involved in the process, you will need to figure out how to insert yourself. Also, many of the lessons are 20 minutes, so this program might work better for children who can sit still for longer periods of time. |
Winner of the Gertrude Warner Book Award and the Moonbeam Children's Book Award, Available on Audible, Kindle & paperback.
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5) Teach Your Child to Read™
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If your child is between the ages of 3 and 6, you might want to consider Teach Your Child to Read™. Our program was designed for short attention spans (lessons are only 5 minutes), and the program guides you step-by-step through the process of teaching your child to read. It's so easy to use, all you need is about 10 minutes to review lesson one, and you're ready to get started.
Here are some of the ways our program is different: |
- 5 minute lessons, no tears, no fuss
- Minimize screen time—no guilt
- Fully interactive program, no passive screen time
- Designed for parent and child to work together
- Only 6 Steps, so the program is easy for you
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We particularly like the last one, only 6 STEPS. Many of the other programs are somewhat complicated to figure out what to do, what's been learned, and where to go next. Our program takes a sequential approach, so you'll always know what's been covered and where you are. And because the program is so linear, your child will get to the reading part pretty quickly. (In STEP 2, your child will actually start sounding out words.)
It's pretty exciting to see how quickly your child gets to the reading part! While there are a lot of tremendous resources out there, we feel that none of them is as simple, fast, and easy to use as Teach Your Child to Read™. But we encourage you to try them all! Reading Eggs, Hooked on Phonics, and Teach Your Child to Read™ all have free trials. You can even 'test drive' Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons by reviewing the sample pages on Amazon. And of course, Teach Your Monster to Read is completely free. Regardless of which program you choose, we are excited that you are going to take this learning journey with your child at home. Please reach out to us and tell us how it goes! |
One of the 5 Best Programs to Teach Your Child to Read!
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Founder and creator Mary Follin started her career as a systems engineer with IBM. She's worked in product development, market research, and more recently provides marketing consulting to professional services firms. Beyond creating Teach Your Child to Read™, she is also the author of Ethyr, winner of the the Moonbeam Children's Book Award and the Gertrude Warner Book Award.
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Mary is also author, with Erika Guerrero, of the advice column ASK MOM, featured in Fredericksburg Parent & Family magazine and winner of a 2021 Parenting Media Association award. |