Beginning Reading at Home

by Elizabeth Peterson

Individualized Education Systems

This program beautifully suits the young learner ages 3 to 6, with simple, age-appropriate introduction to letters and sounds, accompanied by development of basic reading skills. A simple readiness test is included which helps you figure out when your child is ready to begin. The format is unusual—ten sets of 8 1/2” by 5” cards, tied together as books. Each book includes blue letter/picture cards for introducing letters and their sounds (plus some blends and sight words); green cards with raised-surface, lower-case letters so that children can feel the shapes; orange cards with one-syllable words for children to learn to blend sounds together, then practice reading; and yellow cards that can be separated from each book to make nine simple storybooks which are illustrated with cute line drawings. The separate sets allow children to learn a few letters and sounds, put those letters together into words, and then read a simple story with those words.

Short vowels and consonants are taught first in the first six kits. “Ch,” “sh,” “wh,” “ck,” and “th” are taught in kits seven and eight. Long vowels are in kit nine. Kit ten teaches some sight words, opposites, and a few phonetic “fun words.” The card format is great for young children, because they can handle the cards themselves and the large letters will not cause eyestrain.

A Parent’s Guidebook gives simple instructions and suggestions for games. Beginning Reading is a low-stress phonics program that does a good job building a foundation. It does not cover all of the phonograms (“ou,” “igh,” etc.), and it introduces only one-syllable words, but it will be easy enough to continue on from here with or without a program. This is not a fancy program, but it is simple to use and portable—real advantages for busy homeschool families.