Hooked on Phonics - Levels 1 thru 5

by Laura O
(Maryland)

Product: Hooked on Phonics
Subject: reading/phonics
Levels Used: 1 - 5 (deluxe edition)
Dates Used: Sept. 2008 - present

Likes: Most of the materials are colorful which helped to grab my son's attention in the early stages of reading. The material is laid out well and makes it easy for just about any motivated parent to help teach their child how to read.

The included audio tapes (or CDs if you have a newer edition) with the sounds for the child to listen to while looking at cards. Often times, we opted to do this without the tape. But, if you are concerned about your dialect interfering with a clear pronunciation, then the recordings are good to have.

Dislikes: We had great success with this program (as did my sister who passed it on to me), so no negatives really come to mind. The only thing that some might wish for would be that the charts recording progress were made reusable for multiple students. We tried prying off stickers from my niece's use, but found they really couldn't be reused easily.

It wasn't an issue for my son who was just so excited to have it all click and start reading. But, it could be an issue if a family plans to reuse this for multiple kids and there is one that needs the extra motivation.