Although he's still in love with some books that I swear he'll never tire of (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and The Napping House being two of them), we've been trying to get him some new books and tools that focus more on words and/or repetition to learn new words, sounds and spelling. Some of the favorite we've tried out are:
1. Mouse Makes Words by Kathryn Heling : This book is a level one beginning readers title. Everett is still a bit rough on books with "real" pages, but he's getting better, so beginning reader books are worth the small investment. The "story" is all about a mouse who loves changing around letters to make new words. For example, substituting P for C changes "cup" into "pup," a great introduction into phonics!
2. Pout Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen : If you've never read "Pout Pout Fish," you should pick up a copy and read through it next time you're at the book store. It's a super cute story about a fish that believes all he can do is spread the "dreary-wearies" because of the way his lips pout all of the time. That is until someone comes along and shows him that his lips are perfect for smooching! There is a lot of repetition in this book and new undersea critters to learn... but the best part is, the ending gives a great excuse to cover your little one with smooches! :)
3. Now I'm Reading Pre-Reader: My World : I've been wanting to get Ev started on some phonics series books. Everyone recommended the Bob Books, but this series seemed to be more colorful and exciting when I was showing Everett options. This set includes 10 storybooks, a book for parents, and stickers. Right now we're mostly reading the books for fun and going through some of the "words to know" in the back of the book. We're not doing the official sticker program, because Ev's still a bit young. But, the illustrations are cute and if Ev takes to them I just might have to pick up more of these phonics books!
4. Flash Kids Sight Words Flash Cards : The Easter Bunny brought Everett a few sets of flash cards this year including this sight words set. We've had the LeapReader Junior Letter Flash Cards for a while now and he loves playing with them, so we upgraded to flash cards with words. He is constantly asking Eric and I to do flash cards with him. He likes to spell out the letters and then either sound out or ask what word it is.
5. The Endless Reader App: Okay, so obviously this isn't a book, but this app is AWESOME. It shows a word and then mixes up the letters so Everett has to put the letters back in the right order (they shadow what letter goes where so your child doesn't have to memorize spelling right away). Then the app uses that word in a sentence and scrambles certain words to be put back into the sentence. I downloaded the free sample (6 words) to see how Ev would like it... and he LOVED it. There are several levels you can purchase, and I'm not going to lie, it's not a cheap app, but it has already helped Everett learn how to spell and read several words. Plus, it's a great game for him to play if Eric and I have to get dinner ready or need Ev distracted for a few minutes. I'm not sure if this app is available on Android, but we have it on our Apple products.
What books and tools have you used to help your little one learn to read? There are so many things out there that it's almost overwhelming to choose the best products, but we've basically just been testing certain things and if they work, we'll stick to 'em!
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