Customer Reviews

Learn to Read Kindergarten Complete - Amazon Exclusive Edition

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a progressive phonetic learning package with 2 DVDs that teach new words (and basics of how to read) in the program and a bonus DVD with animals, advise for parents on scheduling time to spend with your child(ren)without doing it all yourself!

A wonderful adjunct to teaching your child to read, expanding their vocabulary, teaching them basic words that are mostly 3 letters in length. Program 1 focuses on the first letter in the word and the 2nd program switches to changing the end of words (again mostly 3-letter words.)

3 DVDs, 2 workbooks for the two programs, and books your child can read themselves once they've learned the words in the DVD programs!

This is a cumulative learning program that focuses on learning by ear (auditory), by sight, and by writing. It is an entertaining program for kids of this age group.

There are also rewards (stickers) included, which reward you child for learning new words, and keeps it fun and rewards at the end of section are books that use the words they have learned!

The DVDs have words (other than the rhyming words) that are used every day in reading, such as he, and, the, etc.

A wonderful start for kids learning to read (I recall when my kids were young creating a lot of materials, and reviewing many work-books and readers that were cumulative - not an easy thing to do when you are doing this from scratch!)

The only things I see that I would add to the DVDs is sign language (which is being taught in many if not most schools now in the US.)

I would add a few things from real-world experiences, but this program is a great start for a beginning reader!

They even have an interactive online web site that is mentioned in the starter section of both DVDs, which shows progress, has learning games and print-outs of fun activities for your child.

The program keeps it simple for parents, is easy to put aside a half hour or so each day to learn the basic idea of reading for children that perhaps know their alphabet, or for those who don't even know that (although by Kindergarten, I would hope most children would be reading at this level at least!)

The age group it says it is designed for is fairly appropriate (says starts at age 4), although its best to teach the child when they first start showing interest, so some kids might start this at even 2 years old! (Kids CAN recognize corporate logos by age 2, and many of them, so why not turn of the TV and have them learn what they really need to know!) I would strongly suggest getting this as a baby shower gift, as when a child wants to read, THAT is the time to teach them, and they learn best this way! (Not only for reading, such as this program, but for anything!)

The parent's guide wisely cautions as well against pushing children, and allowing them time to learn! (I've seen this left out of other programs for teaching a child to read, and it needs to be there, and is in this program!)

While some kids might get bored with the repetition of the same graphics at the beginning and end of each program, it is consistent, and consistency is needed when teaching anything!

I'd recommend that the child be able to recognize letters (get the pre-school program too!) before starting this program!

I would also recommend this program for schools as well, from preschool to through Kindergarten, and older kids as an ESL, special education or program for children that have been neglected in this area.

The program does not really address learning disabilities, yet it is a reading program, but it should be mentioned that if a child is having problems with these basics, that they may need vision checked or may need to be evaluated for learning disabilities or other health problems that may get in the way of a child who wants to learn from learning!

How do you know when your child is ready to read? When they ask things like "What does that say?", when they start trying to copy letters or write them on their own, etc.

I also STRONGLY recommend that parents read books of their interest in front of their child, and even read to them out loud (even if it's a college text book!)

Kids are smarter than most people think, and parents can get lazy - thus the lowered standards in our schools, and people who want their kids to be able to make the grade later on and be successful would benefit greatly from this program - especially if you don't know where to start!

Don't forget kids need to learn math skills as well!

Bottom line, this program is a great start for the little ones!

I STRONGLY recommend this program WITH parental interaction AND a comparable math program as well as a basic science program!

GREAT for home schoolers, preschools, AND Kindergarten classes for those kids who are behind!

I think the best part of this set is that the pictures are colored. The DVD is pretty good, but it is not has good as the Leap Frog DVD Letter Factory. The best part is that you get a workbook and readers that work together, which is nice. I do think that the books could be made better. Unfortunately, I don't think the little readers are made to last (thin string as binding).

If you are planning to use this product for more then one child, you might have a small problem. Each page has a place for a sticker. Once the child learns the page you can put a star sticker (included) on the page. I have a different set from Hooked on Phonics which came with a separate sheet for the stickers. I just copied that one sheet and was able to work with two children at the same time.

It's easy to see the appeal to this approach - stickers, books, DVDs - but I can't help feeling that it's just too much.

We had great success using the far simpler (and less expensive) approach found in Alpha-Phonics. You could keep it even easier with Ruth Beechick's method found in The Three R's.

Now, if you LIKE a more involved method, or your child/children respond to incentives such as stickers for learning, this is definitely a solid program content-wise and has worked for many, many children. The key is knowing HOW your child learns in order to determine whether this program is for your family.

You might find a copy of Better Late than Early by Dr. Raymond and Dorothy Moore before trying any early reading program.

Recommended, with reservations.

Frustrated by the fact that my 6 year old still wasn't reading, I took a friends advice to buy this kit. I'm SO glad I did! My daughter has had such a great time working with the program (which was a bonus to me) and she's now reading! Her Kindergarten teacher recognized she had gained 13 letter sounds and 6 points in spelling with just three Hooked on Phonics Chapters!

Hooked on Phonics is a program traditionally used with younger children and older ones that are struggling. As a fourth grade teacher in California I have decided to use it for a new demographic- for a Spanish speaking student new to the United States. It can be difficult to provide these students with one on one help during the day, given the large amount of students I have in my class. My student is very eager to learn English and as is her family, some of which speak English (these people will help her with the instructions).

Before giving this kit to my student to borrow, I reviewed it extensively and watched many of the lessons. I was pleased to see that it worked at a logical pace, covering the basic sounds through more advanced (-at in the first lesson of the kinder kit, moving to -ck in the last). While many Spanish sounds are similar to English, there are some differences as well. The workbook and reading texts are easy to use and provide great pictures that support the text (this will be key for my English learning student). The instructions are easy and clear, and the DVD is very simple to use. I really like that each kit inculudes a tougher, more plot driven picture book as well, that exposes students to different types of punctuation.

Content wise, I believe that this kit does a good job covering letter sounds, blending words, and vocabulary development (compound words are even covered in the last lessons).

Whether this is meant for a younger child or one like mine, am English learner, I don't believe that this kit should be the primary mode of instruction, but does serve as a great supplemental to a teacher and classroom.

This is the second set in this series that we have used. We started with Learn to Read Pre-K Complete - Amazon Exclusive Edition, which was a good start. This set builds on what was learned in the Pre-K edition, although it could certainly be used on its own (without starting with the Pre-K edition).

This set is perfect for busy parents (or grandparents, or caregivers) because it includes many items to use to teach a young child to read, including storybooks, workbooks, DVDs, stickers, and flashcards. This "Amazon exclusive" set also has a bonus DVD and online access.

We will certainly be back for the next level, and recommend the HOP series to other parents looking to help their kids get a head start on reading. Very pleased.

Yuck! As a child, I dreaded phonics. My mother used repetitve drills which still reside in my head to this day; teachers stressed and tested the daylights out of us kids. Where were these cute "Hooked On Phonics" programs when I was young!

Children learn different things at different rates, and hard as it is, we try not to constantly compare our 3 and 5 year olds' progress with those of family, friends, and neighbors. We tried the 1st grade edition with our 5 year old who loved it; she's by nature an avid reader and flew through the books. We plan to start the 2nd grade set soon.

Our 3 year old enjoys the colorful drawings and very easy, but not moronic, stories as well as the music and, of course, the stickers. We stay away from online stuff in general, just our philosophy, that there's too much TV, too much video, too much staring at a screen in our society. I know there's good material to be had there, but we believe, especially at this age, let little ones read, write, draw, run, play and create.

Overall, it's a great set and would be helpful for homeschoolers(us) or regular schoolers for extra, as long as it's fun not forced, practice. Indeed, variety and encouragement really stimulate learning.

I am not going to go into detail about this software because many others have done so. But I will tell you this -- I have always been a skeptic about "Hooked on Phonics." Nevertheless, I wanted to get my son, age five, up and reading on his own. I decided to give this a shot, so I got it for Christmas. I told him that it was a new computer game with which I needed his help. I ran it with him the first time and while it is somewhat simplistic (maybe that's the key!), he blasted right through the first lesson and was really happy about doing so. He now asks me if he can help me more with "my game" almost every night when I get home from work. Then he asks if he can read a book to me before bed, rather than the other way around. If that isn't the mark of a successful product, then I don't know what is. I will say it again -- get it, right now!

We primarily used the workbooks in this package. The video did not capture my 6-year-old's interest, and we already owned most of the booklets from previous Hooked on Phonics sets (though they had been updated in this new set). The materials were generally too easy for my daughter, which is understandable, as we started on these materials at the beginning of first grade z9she reads right at grade level -- neither above or below). They were, however, a good review.

The workbooks themselves were designed to be drills -- a series of words that vary by one or two letters: mat cat bat rat sat that. After the child masters those combinations, the pattern varies: mat cat car bat sat sad that. There are not many illustrations in the workbooks, though the readers are nicely illustrated.

My daughter found the drills to be boring and somewhat frustrating -- which probably means that they are exactly what she needs. She tends to read the first few letters of a word and then guesses. Therefore, when the variations are introduced, she would usually miss them. They can become tongue-twisters.

I would recommend the program, though I think that it is overpriced (from what I have seen at the bookstores). Through Vine, I received the whole kindergarten program. I think that a fair market value for it would be about $40 -- no more than $50.

This is a nice and inspiring program in a box for parents who want to get their young children interested in reading. We got this for our five year old son, who has not been overly enthusiastic about learning to read; his claim is that it is "too hard" and he gets frustrated very easily. While I can't say this is a miracle that changed his attitude entirely, it did help to push him along and increase his interest in learning some important skills.

In the box are storybooks, a couple reading workbooks, DVDs, and a guide on beginning to use the resources. My son was instantly interested in the DVDs. In fact, once he watched them he wanted to watch them again and again once they are over. The storybooks are colorful and appealed to him; he was more interested in trying to read them than anything we have tried up to this point. One thing he really liked was the stickers that marked progress in his workbooks. He loved getting a new sticker.

The primary skills covered in the Kindergarten set are recognizing letters by name and sound, upper and lowercase letters, and the blending of sounds. After spending several weeks working with my son and this set, I can see definite progress. In fact, his teacher's report a marked improvement in class that dates roughly to when we started the program.

I will reiterate--as other here have--this program, like any, requires commitment on the part of the parent and the child. They have to work together. It is definitely worth the effort. My son has shown definite progress and has begun to show a wider interest in reading. While much of this I attribute to his brother and friend's enthusiasm for reading, I think this set has helped him overcome some of the difficulties he confronted early in the process of learning to read.