Inside the Guide: LHFHG’s Phonics Choices Box of Plans
This “Inside the Guide” series provides a quick snapshot of Little Hearts for His Glory (LHFHG)! It’s a handy “how-to” reference, just one box of plans at a time. Have you ordered Little Hearts for His Glory from Heart of Dakota? Thank you – so fun! Are you getting excited to start? Totally understandable! Well, here’s your quick-start “Inside the Guide” for…LHFHG’s Phonics Choices box of plans!
Quick Start Info
Time It Takes: 15-30 minutes
Days It’s On: Days 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5
Description: LHFHG’s Phonics box of plans can be found on the “Learning the Basics” right side of the plans. Heart of Dakota carries multiple phonics programs, so you can find the program you like best! Likewise, these phonics programs range from easy, slow-paced instruction to higher level, quicker-paced instruction. They all include phonics-based reading material within their guides, and several come with the option of scheduled full-color, phonics-based readers.
Phonics instruction typically takes anywhere from one to three years, depending on children’s ages and abilities. Many families complete more than one phonics program over multiple homeschool years. So, you may very well get to enjoy several of these phonics programs. Carrie has carefully chosen the best of the best of phonics programs, as well as readers you will certainly love! However, if you have a different phonics program you prefer, you may certainly use that instead; this will not interfere with enjoying the rest of the LHFHG guide’s plans.
A Handy How-To for LHFHG’s Phonics Choices
Heart of Dakota’s phonics choices are top-notch! Choosing which one to use depends on your child and your personal preferences. I’ve listed the phonics programs from easiest to hardest below. Our website provides excellent details about each program, so just click on the program for the link and “view details” to find more information.
Learn to Read (for ages 3-5, gently-paced, great for little ones, engaging play-motivated learning, no-prep activities, fun and colorful, kiddos move on to Real Phonics Book 1 when finished)
Real Phonics (for ages 4-7, no prep, vibrantly illustrated one-page 4-panel stories, stories increase in complexity as you move through the program, flash cards, writing practice pages, option of Miss Rhonda’s Readers with provided schedule, kiddos can move on to Lesson 9 of The Reading Lesson when finished)
The Reading Lesson (for ages 5-7+, short 15-minute lessons, open-and-go, uncluttered black-and-white pages, user-friendly, option of Miss Rhonda’s readers with provided schedule)
Reading Made Easy (for ages , scripted 30-minute lessons, built-in reviews, visual cueing system utilized, fun simple games with some parent prep, option of four corresponding activity workbooks)
Miss Rhonda’s Readers (full-color delightful readers, Heart of Dakota’s plans link readers to Real Phonics and The Reading Lesson, plans tell which books to read, when to read them, and a few difficult words to introduce prior to children reading them, plans provided for free when readers are purchased from Heart of Dakota, package includes full-color motivational progress charts/stickers)
Sample Pages
Box Specific Notes
Children should know their letters and a sound for each prior to beginning phonics. Children who do not know their letters and sounds would benefit from doing Little Hands to Heaven (LHTH) prior to beginning phonics. If your child age 5 or 6 and knows some letters and sounds but just needs to learn the rest, you can do a quick trip through LHTH by doing two days of plans spread out in one day (i.e. one day’s lesson plans in the morning and the next day’s lesson plans in the afternoon). At this pace, your child will complete LHTH twice as fast. Watching Leap Frog’s Letter Factory (free on Spotify and other places) each day helps too!
Children need to complete at least one formal phonics program from start to finish. Most children, however, will benefit from completing several different phonics programs. Which phonics programs you use and how long you use them will depend on your child’s age at the start of instruction and your child’s progression of reading. Often times it is the second phonics program that helps everything “click” for them!
Even if your child seems to be reading well, don’t make the mistake of stopping your phonics program mid-way. Some children are excellent memorizers! They seem to be “reading” so well, but in reality they may just may be excellent memorizers. This is especially true for books you have read aloud to them that they then read to you. Usually around third grade, the books are too difficult for excellent memorizers to memorize, and children really do need to rely on their earlier phonics instruction to be able to sound out difficult, less predictable multi-syllable words.
Other Helpful Tips for Phonics InstructionÂ
For little ones ages 3 – 4 who know their letters/sounds already or for children ages 5 – 6 who have had a not-so-great start to phonics, choose a no-pressure, short, fun activity-based phonics program (i.e. Learn to Read Activity Book). If your child is not ready to write, choose a phonics program that does not require much writing (i.e. Real Phonics). If your child would like one-page lessons with full-color little stories (that actually mean something, are fun, and make sense), choose a phonics program with short, colorful lessons and stories (i.e. Real Phonics).
Alternatively, if your child is easily distracted, choose a phonics program with black-and-white pages with lots of uncluttered, open space (i.e. The Reading Lesson). Or, if your child is wiggly, choose a hands-on phonics program (i.e. Reading Made Easy).
If your child enjoys workbooks and writing, consider a program with a workbooks option (i.e. Reading Made Easy). Progress charts with stickers and phonics-controlled little readers (i.e. Miss Rhonda’s Readers) can be such an encouragement!
Once your child has started phonics, don’t take big breaks (i.e. summer) away from phonics. Kiddos backslide easily! That is discouraging. So, once you start phonics, stick with it even through breaks, for at least 3 days a week at a minimum.
Finally, be patient and encouraging! Get regular vision and hearing checks for your children. Switch phonics programs if it is not going well and you’ve given it a real try, but try not to be a “phonics hopper”. And remember, HOD has excellent phonics rescue programs if you have been through several phonics programs and still need help!
