My Sunshine was a different story. She learned the letter sounds and names very quickly. She would form the letter sounds and even say them together so quickly she was practically saying the word. For instance, she would say p-i-g and we would get faster and faster until she was practically saying the word. However, when I said, "Now, what is that word" right after she practically just pronounced it, totally different sounds would come out of her mouth like n-o-g. She was trying to think too hard and put too much pressure on herself to try and get it right. She was in pre-k at the Montessori school in which I taught at the time and her teacher approached me with concern. Mainly, I think it was because most parents at the school expected their child to be fluent readers by Kindergarten. I asked her if she thought there were any underlying concerns that would make her believe she was not developing at her approximate age level (only 4), she said no. I told her that I wasn't concerned and that I believed it would come in time.
The only issue was that she was frustrating herself. She wanted to read those words like her friends did in class. While searching for some ideas to create new lessons, I ran across the site Right Track Reading. It suggested to have the kids "sing" the sounds while blending. Since My Sunshine loved to sing, I thought this would be a great idea... and it was. Her "nog" turned into "pig" in just a few days. Her frustration soon disappeared. It worked like a charm!
Thank you so much for posting this very helpful link. We are just at this stage at the moment so it couldn't have come at a better time!
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