Reading Reflex: The Foolproof Phono-Graphix Method for Teaching Your Child to Read Paperback – August 1, 1999

I was taught using the rigorous Spalding Method - Writing Road to Reading. I felt the phonics based nature of Spalding gave me an excellent grasp of the English language, but I dreaded dragging my homeschooled children through memorizing a hundred spelling rules and exceptions (none of which I even remember anymore). Something just felt "off" about that... but I also knew that a ton of common reading programs just don't work well, and I had heard that the 100 Easy Lessons book can be agonizing for many as well. Discovering the phono-graphix method was exhilarating - a breath of fresh air! It uses the reliable, time tested phonics-based foundation, but in an extremely intuitive way that just makes sense for how kids' brains naturally work.This reading method feels like play-based learning. The first section of the book, despite its length, is important to read to understand WHY the phono-graphix method works so well. Methods that involve heavy rote memorization of letter blends, word families, sight words, or a hundred spelling rules and exceptions do not set kids up with an intuitive ability to decode new words and spell properly the way the phono-graphix method does.Instead of the drudgery of battling through page after page of repetitive lessons or rote memorization, you're using letter tiles to create, sound out, and manipulate words, then writing while sounding them out to mentally solidify the link between sounds and the "sound pictures." Even many nonsense words are used to prevent the dangerous "guessing" habit and ensure that each "sound picture" is deliberately decoded. Mistakes are an important, positive part of the learning process as well. This, along with the creativity wiggle room afforded by the play based method, makes it ideal for my strong willed child.Cons: You really have to spend the time learning the system and how to use the book to understand your objective and why it's important to teach this way. It also takes time to cut out the letter squares and store them in numbered envelopes. Tip: If you don't want to cut up the book, you can get a PDF of just the manipulative pages to print (maybe on heavier paper) and cut out: https://shop.phono-graphix.com/Reading-Reflex-Manipulatives-Pages-downloadable-PDF-RRpdf.htmAnother con is that the complexity of navigating through each activity/lesson in the book; It's a bit of a maze to get from one activity to the next in the correct order and then repeat the process with each set of phonemes. Still 100% worth it, but if you need a system that's laid out more clearly, more linear, and easier for the instructor to navigate, the ABeCeDarian program is also based on the same Phono-Graphix approach and is known to be a little more user friendly (at the cost of more expensive and numerous books.One of my favorite benefits to the phono-graphix method is seeing my child easily advance to decoding longer, complex words with very little overwhelm, as well as watching him develop an uncanny intuition for spelling mastery at a younger than average age.I can't recommend this reading program highly enough! For preschoolers (playing the phonics games suggested for younger children), K-1 graders, and literally any other age.

I’m using this to reteach my 9 year old. Phonics and whole language, especially anything with descriptive pictures did not work for him. My husband and I believed he was on grade level until we started introducing chapter books. He was too good at determining complete sentences from just the beginning sounds and pictures.This has been a game changer. Yes, it’s not as glitzy and fun for him but I’m seeing true progress.Tip: read through the entire thing and cut every page out and place in order in a large envelope. Also, type up each lesson so you can mark off what has been done. The lesson pages don’t go in order in the book, so be careful when reading the instructions.I have a background in education and this makes so much more sense than what public schools are allowing in the US. No wonder many of the top countries use the phon-graphix method.I’m also using this with my 4 year old. I take things very slowly and repeat lessons and games to master new sounds before moving on. This is not something you will just speed through. I have also added spelling tests and retake the progress test the books comes with to see if certain areas need focused on and as a motivator to show my oldest he is making progress.

Every child is different and we've certainly used different methods and resources to teach our various kids from the Bob books series to "How to teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons". These other methods worked just fine for our other kids, but not as well on our youngest son. He had learned much of his alphabet but not all of it and really struggled with some letters and sound associations. I was concerned his enthusiasm for reading might wane if we didn't try a new but proven approach. I am very skeptical of experimental educational methods, especially when the guineau pig is my own child and the implications might last a lifetime. I was pleasantly surprised to find this book on day in a local bookstore and perused the first chapter explaining how and why various reading methodologies fail to present the reading code in a way that most developing readers can intuitively grasp. The Reading Reflex book seemed to provide more effective and fun games for my child than other books (e.g. "How to teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons" wasn't as easy for my wife to implement and follow -- i.e. the lessons didn't seem quite as fun). When my wife played the reading lesson games with my son, he had fun with them and didn't feel like it was homework, but play. He was having so much fun that he excitedly asked his mom "Mom, Is this reading?!" I enjoy the way that this book reinforces the strengths of traditional phonics instruction, and yet bridges the deficiencies of such methods (e.g. emphasizing sound spelling until children can sound spell words and gain meaningful, memorizable associations with words formed by such sound spellings -- e.g. "waah--ahhh-nnnnnn" for "won" and perhaps later "one" before teaching "letter spelling" -- e.g. "won" is spelled "w","o","n". Too many other methods and teachers simply try to teach letter spelling (and alphabet letters to letter sound associations) first and confuse the heck out of some kids. One great lesson in the dangers of sound spelling being taught before letter spelling is illustrated in asking some kids what sound the letter "w" makes. Some kids will say "daah....doubleyou". No wonder they're confused when we try to make them associate yet meaningless letter symbols with their alphabetic sounds.