Teaching My Girl - Hooked on Phonics -- using spelling approach.

This is about the Hooked On Phonics that I introduced quite some time ago. I am glad that I used this set for my son because without my supervision, he managed to get 100% almost all the time in his spelling test. I have started this for my daughter 6 months ago.. We make some progress, but we also see some challenges.

My son's characteristic is different from my daughter. My son, from the very beginning, learned how to pronounce by looking at the phonetic sound of each letter. My daughter, on the other hand, memorized the phonetic sound very quickly. She tends to memorize pronunciation of each words without looking at phonetic sound at all. She just read without really looking at the words.

This gave us a hard time because there's always a limit, and she can't pronounce new words that she never learns. By right, using the Hooked on Phonic Material, she should be able to read new wordslike "Magic". For your information, the Hooked on Phonics material teaches basic phonetic sounds, and put words together that children can read words in stories book by on their own.

Her progress slowed down... In order to encourage her to look at each phonetic sounds, I play "spelling game" with her. She likes to write on white board. So, when we installed a new book cabinet, I added in "my designs" having white boards for her to write on. (Actually copied from a blogger friend cum colleague).

Here you go... see her happy face and the confidence in her! She can spell many words. Like many other kids, she tends to write in mirror... for example, mixing up "b" and "d", "p" and "q" etc. But overall she does very well. Whenever she can't spell a word, I guided her. And she tried to guess the phonetic sounds.

1st half...

2nd half...

Note : Although I corrected her, I never emphasis on what she did wrong, only on what she did right. Again, the power of singing praises.

After few rounds of this spelling game. Now, she can read new words... "Daddy, I never learn this word but I can read!" I am very glad. "Different strokes for different folks".. This is another management technique learned at work applied in parenting.

The only obstacles now is discipline. Right now, I only conduct the lessons as and when both of us feel like to do so, and sometimes, I realized that the last lesson was actually 3 weeks ago!

I will improve on that and I hope my daughter can read and be ready for school by 7 years old. Wish me luck, OK?