My son learned his letters at 18-months-old. Ever since then, he’s joyfully obsessed over letters and the sounds that they make. Earlier this year, my mom bought him a LeapFrog Tag reader. As the months have progressed, he’s become more and more familiar with how the Tag works. I can always count on 15-20 minutes of focused, happy kid when we get out his books and reader.
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LeapFrog offered to share their new Learn to Read Phonics Books with us. I happily accepted two Phonics Books sets. Though my son is about six months shy of the recommended age bracket, he’s been enjoying learning more complicated sounds and reading along with the stories.
These books aren’t as entertaining as say, the Disney’s Cars ones, but they’re definitely educational. They come in sets and have a soft, floppy cover where the story books have a harder cover. For about $20 for a set, it’s a good investment if you want to start reading education but you’re not sure where to begin. I think it helps if your child already enjoys playing with the LeapFrog Tag.
I wouldn’t necessarily recommend these as a Christmas gift for a small child, but I think they’d make a wonderful addition to your library or a great gift for kids who have parents who definitely want to get involved with teaching reading at home. Remember, it’s very important to read to your child. Studies show that you should read to your child every day or night if you can. If you purchase this set, alternate between letting your child play with it alone and reading the books when you have storytime.
According to LeapFrog.com, the Phonics sets help introduce:
- Long vowels
- Phonics skills
- Word recognition
- Reading basics
Your child won’t magically learn to read, but the books serve as a great foundation. I believe parents need just as much help as kids when teaching early reading and literacy. For those of us who are first time parents of preschool-aged kids, reading can be pretty overwhelming. I’m excited to be at this stage, but I’m actively seeking reading related products to help me navigate through my son’s early education.
Free Stuff Alert
LeapFrog is giving one very lucky reader an exciting Learn to Read set, including TWO sets and a LeapFrog Tag at over $50 value.
To enter you must:
For extra, optional entries you can do any or all of the following:
- Share a tip about teaching kids to read.
- Tweet or blog or facebook status about this giveaway. Leave a separate comment with a link to your update or post to let us know.
- Follow Your Mama Reviews on Twitter. Leave a separate comment to let us know you did so (or if you already follow).
- Subscribe to Your Mama via RSS or email. Comment to let us know.
Contest is open to US residents ONLY. You must leave a valid email address to enter. Contest ends October 20th, 2009 at 12 p.m. Eastern. A total of five entries are possible. Your entries must follow the rules as stated above or your post will be deleted.
About the author: Maria is surrounded by boys. She gets all aflutter when she finds good deals, new episodes of Gossip Girl, and big bold bottles of red wine. Read more from this author.
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I learned that they have activities that you can print out. I think that’s awesome!
I learned about all sorts of fun activities you can do with your child one is
Activity: Pumpkin party!
Materials:Uncarved pumpkin(s), paper, pen or pencil, measuring tape, string, bathroom scale, measuring cupTime:One half hour per measurement activitySkills:Measurement, subtraction
I learned that picture/letter puzzles can help my first grader develop better reading skills.
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I have three kids in different stages of learning to read, I think the biggest tip I have is to follow the child’s lead. My son with autism is learning to read by sight word only now. My youngest loves phonics. And my middle son is not big into reading, but loves to read to his brothers.
I learned a tip for improving the daily teeth-brushing routine: Play a favorite song that is the appropriate length for the duration of brushing to make the experience more fun!
My oldest is just now 3, so I’m more in the market for learning reading tips than dishing them out. One thing I would recommend is getting a good set of magnetic alphabet tiles. It’s helping her understand how words are build. She loves things like putting up -AT and seeing that she can make BAT or CAT or RAT just by changing the first letter.
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I now follow you on Twitter! I learned a new game to play with my 9 month old – Climb the Mountain. We’ll pile a bunch of pillows on the floor and have some fun. It’s stormy here in Nor Cal today so it’s good to have some fun indoor activities.
I learned to use everyday opportunities to teach shapes, colors, numbers.
the biggest tip for teaching a child to read is to read with them.
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I learned that they have printable activites and crafts that you can print out and use. Right now they even have Halloween-related printables.
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A tip about teaching kids to read is to set an example by doing a lot of reading yourself. My kids see how much I love to read, and they learn that’s it’s not boring, it’s fun and a great life past-time.
I learned that picture/letter puzzles can help my first grader develop better reading skills.
I learned Only the LeapFrog Learning Path lets you:See the skills your child is exploring with LeapFrog See time spent playing, challenge level and more Find learning ideas to match your child’s passions !
How cool is that!
When my Son started learning to read, it helped that I introduced him to books at birth! I always read to him and taught him a love of learning and exploring through reading, thats my tip, start at birth reading to your child, every day!
I posted your giveaway on my blog!
http://littertidbitsfrommschat.blogspot.com/2009/10/leapfrog-is-giving-one-very-lucky.html
I learned about their learning paths and that you can print out activities for the kids!
I try to make story time with my toddler as fun as possible. Right now we are reading How can say dinosaur, a Dr. Suess book, and we have a few dinosaur toys that we play with while we read. I have our son point out the dinosaurs in the book and the ones that are on the floor. We cuddled on the floor and read.
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I facebooked about the giveaway.
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I learned that there are a lot of activities for toddlers & preschoolers that my two youngest kids would really enjoy.
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Learning to read is very individual for each child. I think it is important to read a variety of books to young children & encourage them to spend time enjoying their books. A LOVE of books makes learning to read easier when they are developmentally ready.
I have no idea you could print out activity sheets for your kids and I found that out at the LeapFrog Parents Community. My printer will be busy as I can never seem to have enough for my almost 4 year old to trace, sort, cut, color, etc. He loves activity sheets!
I posted about the giveaway on Facebook
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Regarding teaching your kids to read: We’re working on this but I’ve found my older son loves to sing songs about words and also rhyme them. We also don’t just working on reading with books. We read traffic signs, signs at the grocery store, on packages, anywhere. We also love to read ourselves and are trying to set a good example by reading in front of the kids. But seriously, have you ever tried to sit down to read a book while your preschooler and toddler are still awake and who, up until you sat down to read said book, were completely ignoring you? :)
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I liked the Things that Go Bump in the Night article, very helpful in reviewing with the kids safety measures to take on Halloween
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I like the Music Immersion learning tip. I’m always for anything the encourages kids to appreciate music.
I learned that picture and letter puzzles can help develop better reading skills,, thanks.
kport207 at gmail dot com
I learned that they have printable activities.
picture and letter puzzles can help develop better reading skills
learning tip = Visit the zoo or look at a book of zoo animals. Look for animals that start with a single letter and write them on a list. If you choose L you might find a lion, llama, leopard, lizard, lemur and more. Choose a new letter on your next visit
tvollowitz at aol dot com
I find some of my little boy’s books in song form and he learns the story faster (and keeps his interest)
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I learned that asking my child to tell me a story will help inspire his imagination.
I learned you can hook it up to print out hard copies to do by hand
I learned that reading to your child requires focusing on the parts of the book that are most interesting for your child. Let them set the pace and not rush to finish the book.
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I learned a tip for improving the daily teeth-brushing routine: Play a favorite song that is the appropriate length for the duration of brushing to make the experience more fun. jelly15301@gmail.com
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Not a tip,but I take a couple grandkids along with me when I go to the library and let them each pick out two books. The younger ones I read their books to them.
I love the Pumpkin Party idea about helping kids learn to measure. We grew our own pumpkins this year and plan to pick them this weekend. This is such a wonderful idea in helping the kids learn about measurements. Thanks so much.
I’m a subscriber. Thanks again.
wow I learned I can print out activitie for my grandkids to do
I love their Activity section there isasome great ideas to make learning fun for the children.
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I sit and read everyday wih my granddaughter and we always go over the alphabet sounding out the letters.
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They had a great idea for brushing teeth, playing a song while the child brushes their teeth. A great idea since this is where our problem are is.
I’d love this for my son one of his first words was book
kids learn by example – read to them!
autumn398 @ yahoo.com
I learned a great tip for helping kids brush their teeth: Play a favorite song that is the appropriate length for the duration of brushing to make the experience fun.
I learned there are fun activities for both infants and toddlers. Thanks for the chance.
mogrill@comcast.net
Reinforce the names of colors, shapes and the concept of size using everyday opportunities, personal items and items in nature. Examples: What color is that bird? Whose shoe is bigger: yours or mine? What shape is this ball? from their site,my advice take time an keep books always around an give them the time they need to learn
we always had a set time before bed to read or be read too,they love trying to read the book back,let them know the love of books is okay an can be fun!
I posted on facebook;Vickie Couturier http://yourmamareviews.com/your-mama-loves-the-leapfrog-learn-to-read-series/#comment-17730
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Learned a cool activity “thinking on your feet” taking turns on making a story, gets the kids to think quick on story telling
karenmed409 at comcast dot net
best tip is get them all relaxed and focused, best time for us is after bath time, when they are winding down and will pay attention
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I like the article about pumpkin party and how much does a pumpkin weigh. Great idea!
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I learned about the “Ghost Writing” activity.
I think the best way to teach kids to read is the “Lap Method.” Sit with the child on your lap and read a book together.
I learned this great tip for helping kids brush their teeth: Play a favorite song that is the appropriate length for the duration of brushing to make the experience fun.
The Ghost writer activity sounds like a lot of fun and something they would enjoy!
play a favorite song to improve teeth brushing routine
great idea playing a song while brushing teeth
I learned that downloading a song for teeth brushing is a good way to get your toddler to brush long enough and have fun!
I learned the teeth brushing tip, awesome! I can never get my daughter to brush for longer than 30 seconds.
I like their pumpkin party activity
the best tip I can give is to be patient-my daughter is dyslexic and she gets frustrated easily, but I never give up on helping her practice
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I learned “For greater visibility during dusk and darkness, decorate or trim costumes with reflective tape that will glow in the beam of a car’s headlights.”
A tip that I use to help my children read is by helping them learn their sight words. Once they learn those, reading seems to be much easier.
With 4 children under the age of 8 I have a many young readers at my home. I know they are learning to read from following my example. I am always reading. Thanks for the chance to win!
I learned that they have activities that you can print out.
I think their crafts and printables are nice.
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A tip is to be patient with your child and praise them.
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I learned they have many printable activities for children.
I learned ways to make carving a pumpkin an educational experience for your child. They had some good tips!
I follow you on twitter as greatgiveaways.
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I love their printable activities and crafts – especially the timely halloween pages.
Following you on twitter as ky2here.
Here’s a tweet: http://twitter.com/ky2here/status/4991106750
I blogged about this giveaway as part of my daily “Take 5″
http://addingtothepiggybank.blogspot.com/2009/10/take-5-oct-19-christmas-gifts-for.html
I learned that there are lots of articles on ideas & insights for every age.
My tip is to pick a few books that they really enjoy and read them over and over again together with your child. They will learn to recognize the words.
I follow on Twitter as tomandmollyk
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I follow on google reader.
I leardned that they have a music immersion site where kids can try out 15 different instruments!
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I learned they have printable activities. Thanks for the giveaway!
My son’s learning how to read right now. It’s such an exciting thing to watch! We’ve been using flash cards that end in “at” “an” “in” and then placing the single letter cards in front to spell words for us to sound out “ban, can, fan, man, pan, ran, tan” etc.
You can print out activities..great idea!
They have a lot of fun printable activities.
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I learned that girls usually talk earlier and better than boys. However, not true in our case.
I subscribed.
I learned that a good way to help my kindergartener learn to read is to fill a calendar with the letters of the alphabet, assigning a letter to each day.
They have activities that you can print out.
I learned that they have forums which share tip on all their products.
Following on Twitter @angelasbits
I learned that picture and letter puzzles can help develop better reading skills
I signed up for your rss feed.
Picture and letter puzzles can help develop better reading skills
I like the idea about having a small Halloween Party at home!
I learned that you can print activity sheets…which I did for my special ed class. They love them.
I found forums there – you can find other people’s product reviews, tips and hints, lots of stuff on Tag.
I learned that I should sit down with my daughter and have her pick a few shows she likes and limit her tv time.
Don’t force a child to read. Let them slowly get into reading and keep it going. Also be patient. If you try to force they will not read and will hate it once they start.
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I like the tip about using a favorite song to help them brush their teeth long enough.
I learned about the Pumpkin Party Activity!
I love the brushing your teeth song idea. I really did learn a lot from the Leap Frog Parents Community.
Tip: I get as animated as possible. My kids love it when I act out parts. If there is a lion in the story I roar and talk in a deep lion-like voice.
I learned that you can print out activity sheets.
I’m following you on Twitter. My twitter name is @ThriftyJinxy
I’m subscribed to your RSS feed!
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I learned about the activity sheets. These will come in handy since I homeschool.
I learned you can print out activities for the kids
Picture and letter puzzles can help develop better reading skills :)
I really like that they had a multitude of activities that can be printed.
I learned about the Activity: Pumpkin party for kids. Nice way to keep them entertained.
One tip I have to get kids reading is to get them excited by helping them along. Use one with lots of pictures!
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I learned that they have fun activities for all different ages!
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I like the pumpkin activity. Thank you
My kids love playing the letter games on the website. It’s helped my autistic son with his letter recognition
I love that they break it down by age/grade level.
I also like the printables, Ian and Asialea really enjoy doing them.
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Start reading to the kids early- and let them see you reading, hopefully that will foster a love of the written word in them.
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I learned that they have all kinds of fun activities to help teach children the basics.
Thanks!
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For a young child’s first cultural experience, choose an outing that is almost guaranteed to be successful, like a trip to the public library for the weekly puppet show or a shorter concert specifically geared towards children.
My daughter gets sight words from school every week. We print them out on magnet paper and put the on the fridge. That way she is always seeing the words and can make her own sentences.
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I learned that you can have a pumpkin party to teach measurement and subtraction skills.
I subscribed by email.
I learned that Leapfrog offers multiple articles and learning activities that will enrinch a child’s learning opportunities.
When I read to my son I try to engage him in the process. If we read a book about the jungle we will gather all of his jungle animals so that we can identify each animal in the book as well as on the floor. I belive this helps him make a connection with the book.
* Purchase or make costumes that are light and bright enough to be clearly visible to motorists.
* For greater visibility during dusk and darkness, decorate or trim costumes with reflective tape that will glow in the beam of a car’s headlights. Bags or sacks should also be light colored or decorated with reflective tape. Reflective tape is usually available in hardware, bicycle, and sporting goods stores.
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I learned that the Make Your Own Monster printable lets kindergarteners practice developing fine motor control necessary for cutting effectively with scissors.
I learned that picture/letter puzzles can help my first grader develop better reading skills.
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at the leap frog parents community i learned that Treats not Tricks
* Warn children not to eat any treats before an adult has carefully examined them for evidence of tampering.
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Kids should see US reading.
We’re going to print some of the activities I have now found on their site. Thank you.
I learned that they have a whole bunch of fun activities you can do with your children!
I’m a subscriber
I learned that they have a bunch of activities that you can do with your child and it is broken down into different age catagories.
I learned giving my toddler large sheets of paper and crayons is a great way to practice letters and numbers.
Twitter follower and I tweeted! (retelling)
reading to your child everyday is the easiest way to encourage young children to read for themselves!
I learned that there is an amazing resource out there to help us teach our kids! Thanks!
I subscribe via google reader!
My tip is to let them see you read…if they know you love it they will be more inclined to want to as well. Kids learn so much by just watching us..not only by what we tell them!
Teaching children to read should start at a young age. Learning to love books starts young but will last a lifetime.
They Have printable activities
I believe kids get interested in reading better if they have books that interest that individual child
I follow U on Twitter[pkbailey01]
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I liked their idea about focusing on one letter when visiting the zoo (or elsewhere) and writing down everything we see that starts with that letter.
Demonstrating my own love of reading is a great model.
They have a great article about whether for child is ready for firt grade-Wish I had seen it last year when I was trying to decide is my son was ready
The best advice I can give is to be patient-My daughter is dyslexic and it can be very frustrating sometimes
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