Hooked on Phonics

Hooked on Phonics - does it work?

Sept 2006

Hello Everyone - Has anyone had success with the Hooked on Phonics program for their children? Our son just started kindergarten, and he has some speech and communication delays. We want to work on phonics with him, so I'm looking for feedback before we consider purchasing it - it's also a little expensive. Any positives or negatives? I appreciate your feedback. Thanks! cj

I am the director of a pre-school. I reasearched a few different programs (zoophonics etc.) before purchasing Hooked on Phonics from Coscto last year. I like the program. Level one takes the longest, they learn the sound each letter makes. After that, it goes fairly quickly. I have a four year old and a five year old, reading at 1st grade level (they both started kingergarten last week). We are now working with a three year old who already knows the sounds each letter makes and will start putting two sounds together! I can't say how the program will work for a child with speech delays. You may want to consult a speech therapist for recommendations Good Luck

Jan 2005

I have a kindergartener and I am interested in accelerating his learning to read. I am looking for recommendations for or against the Hooked on Phonics Program. It is quite expensive and I am wondering if it is worth the investment. I have checked the web site, but haven't found any mention of this program. bookworm mom

I can not say enough about how happy we are with the Hooked on Phonics program. Our 5 year old was having some trouble picking up letter sounds (on top of challenges with attention and focus), so we purchased the program (got it on ebay for almost half the price). Within two days, doing about 15 minutes a day, he had mastered the letter sounds. We've been doing it consistantly for the last 5 weeks and he's reading nearly 200 words. It's fun, and we enjoy doing it together. I've noticed a big difference in his confidence too. We're hooked!