Around the same time as he started being interested in letters, I was asked to be on the Reading Horizons Discovery Home School Panel and give my thoughts on the program. We weren't quite ready to dive in yet. However, by the time the prince turned 2 in September, he could recognize all of his letters. I wasn't quite sure where to go from there, so I asked the head of the panel- he said let's put him on Reading Horizons Discovery. I was excited and nervous because the program is designed to start at 4 years old. We gave it a shot.
When I received the materials, I studied them for a couple weeks so that I could figure out how to do it for him. (I was told ahead of time that I would need to go at a different pace than the other children) The panel and the company has been there to answer any and all of my questions. I am a believer.
Now, not even 6 months later, the prince knows the sound all of the letters make, knows several sight words, and can even read some words. Remember, he is only 2 years and 4 months old. This is huge! Who do I have to thank for this? Reading Horizons Discovery, the Home School Panel, and a 2 year old who loves to learn.
The moment I knew it was working was actually quite hilarious. As you know, I'm married to a gamer. The prince likes to help his daddy "win" by playing with an old xbox controller. One day, he was waiting to help daddy "win" and the hubs was turning on the xbox so they could play minecraft. He even said "I'm going to play minecraft, do you want to help?" The word xbox was not mentioned. When the xbox came up on the screen, the prince said "x (the cks sound x makes) box." It was adorable and my hubby was glowing. He said "did you hear that, he just read xbox." He was one proud daddy and I was one proud momma!
He can also read the word "stop," although I'm not sure if he is recognizing the word or actually reading it, either way, I'm happy though.
I actually didn't have to make many changes to the program for it to work for my prince. Basically, instead of doing a chapter at a time, we focused on one letter at a time, took our time, and changed some of the terminology. I would say "what does an a say" instead of using the more technical terms one would use for 4-9-year-olds.
Thanks to Reading Horizons Discover, I know that we have made the right decision in homeschooling our little prince. (I'm keeping my fingers crossed for math from them!)
Reading Horizons offers many resources to get you started, free of charge. Be sure to check them out, I'm sure you will find something you can use. You will most likely be as impressed and want to purchase the program for your own children.
- Free E-newsletter
- 7-Day trial (10+)
- Free Parent Phonics Training
- Free Webinars
- Free Reading Assessments
- Free Printable Worksheets
- The Reading Corner Blog
This is definitely a program that we will continue to use for years. I will also continue to revisit the lessons he has learned until I feel he is ready to move on to the next set. We're in no rush. The prince loves to learn, so I don't push him, I just want to encourage that love of learning that he has.
Disclosure: By being a part of the panel and reviewing the product, I received Reading Horizons Discovery for compensation. All opinions are my own.
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