Okay, I have watched some videos and tried the free trial, but honestly, I am still confused. There are so many resources that I have read that seem to have slightly different views. Do I show pictures or not? How many cards to begin with? Should they match the BK online lessons? I implement a plan best when I have clear directions that explain what to do first, second, etc…Do you use flashcards WITH the BK’s online source or is that not necessary? In some books, it is recommended to flash the cards faster than the screen shows here on BK. Is there a book that would best explain the methodology behind the program? I also have the BK iPad app. How is that different from the membership? I guess I just need general help in getting started. Thanks for any comments!
Little Reader is based on Glen Doman’s method of flashing words at babies. The book is:How to teach your baby to read.
However, according to Glen Doman’s research before he wrote the book he found that every parent who had tried to teach their baby to read had succeeded No MAtter Which Method they had used. And that is why you will find so many varying methods and directions. It will not matter how fast you flash the words, whether you show pictures with the words or not. I believe the only thing that really matters is that you are consistent - children can have breaks where you put away the words for a week or so at a time and sometimes even longer and still learn to read and do fine, but in general if you are going to do the programme successfully you need to show them some print every single day.
There is a curriculum on LR and that is probably where I would start - and I would show both sessions per day exactly as scripted if you want an easy way to start. Once you have been doing this for a while you may find you need to tweak it - maybe your child prefers the picture section or maybe he/she hates that part. Maybe the child pays no attention to the phonics section. Every child is different and only by trying can you determine what yours needs/wants.
How old is your child as it is easier to recommend something if we know what age your baby is and also what expectations you have for the programme.
I totally agree with Tanikit
First of all just take a deep breath.
Now remember everything you are reading is just a bunch of guidelines. The most important thing is to present material in a joyful and loving manner.
Start off with Little Reader and run through the sessions as designed. Now watch your child’s reaction and adjust from there. Once you are comfortable with this(whether it takes a few days or weeks) then add in something else. If your child does not like it, adjust it. If they don’t take to it put it away, and come back to it in few months.
Good_luck!!!
Thank you for the replies! So the lessons presented in the free trial are what we should continue. Is there a point where I should “test” my children to see if they can read the presented words? Also, is there a difference between the lessons presented here and the lessons on the iPad app? (Of course you would loose the printing option on the iPad, I understand that). Just wondering what the difference is?
Its all suppose to be about input. I think most of us do eventually test, but it is discouraged. If you do test and they seem aversive to it STOP!
The iPad apps doesnt have nearly as many presentations I think. Plus the computer version allows you to make custom lessons for your child.
The difference is that the content is limited on the app and you will go through it rather quickly. You can purchase more limited content on the app, but it will only take you so far until you run out of material and need to buy the full version anyway. Also, the daily curriculum only goes up to Day 9 on the App. The beauty of the daily curriculum is that for one year (5 days a week) the lessons are set up to be about 5 minutes in length and played twice a day. It requires no word selection or curriculum planning whatsoever!! When I was starting out, I didn’t know WHAT to teach or WHERE to begin, but LR took out all the guesswork plus it includes pattern phonics in the daily lessons. Also, you lose the ability to customize on the App, which my kids adore.
What worked best for my kids was using the daily curriculum on screen and then printing off two categories per week to slip into the flap binders. They read the flap books multiple times per day and mastered them by the end of the week. I typically replaced the words on Sunday nights. They got the variety of the daily lessons along with the consistency of the flap binders, it was worth the effort to me. In general, LR played a huge role in their reading success. I think the LR App makes a great supplement to the program when you’re on the go.
Hope that helps!
does anyone knows if they have little readers in Spanish? I want my son to learn spanish since is my first language. Thanks
Suyapa,
Welcome to the forums!
The official Spanish curriculum for Little Reader was not released yet. It will be in the future, but there is no definite time of release just yet
However you can download various lessons, prepared by other parents in Spanish here: http://forum.brillkids.com/downloads/?cat=108
Alternatively, you can make your own translations of the existing English lessons ( and share it here with other parents :yes: ) or create brand new lessons yourself, which is easy in Little Reader with build in voice recorder.
Hope this helps!
skylark,
Thank you!!!
Children will learn to read when they are ready, not when you are! I know we as parents want them to learn when we think they are supposed to, but we have to relise every child is different, there is no “norm” when it comes to when someone is supposed to be learning something. That is why I love Homeschooling, it allows my kids the freedom to enjoy learning, instead of be told when and how they are supposed to learn, kwim?
I would like to share what I do to help encourage the love of reading.
- I read with my children
- we play games that require spelling and reading. example: scrabble, treasure hunt, online games like learninggamesforkids.com and I let my kids talk online with friends ( they have to type the conversation)
When they started learning I bought puzzle/word cards, they come in three cards with a picture segmented into 3 section, each with letters on it that when put in thr right order that not only complete the picture but they spell the word.
I also let my kids watch tv shows like, Super Why 
I hope this helps, and relax… My daughter was almost 8 before she could read, but my son who is 5 is already a good reader… every child is different!
Skylark, you mention that i can translate the english lessons. it is possible to edit the material within the program? (what i mean is, translate the english words in the lessons into Spanish, so when i show the pictures on the computer they will show the spanish words instead of the english words)
thank you!!
Hello does any one knows how to download the free Spanish files ? I tried to open them , but I can only see the preview. when i try to download the file it says that it can not be open. Thank you ;).
does any one know if there is a version of little reader in french or not?
Hi erins mom,
I did not know where to begin when I started and was sooo overwhelmed by all the information and products for early learning. You are in the only place I am aware of to directly be in contact with so many other families involved with early learning. I remember many sleepless nights reading through a majority of the previous posts on this forum. There is a section for product reviews on the forum which was very helpful to me in understanding why some methods and/or products are better than others. But different things will appeal to different children so start out with doing what you feel comfortable with and adjust to your child’s preference. There were times when my son wanted to see the pictures and then there were times when he only wanted to see the words. You can also use keywords to search a topic you are interested in.
Hi Suyapa,
You will need to have Little Reader installed on your computer to playback the files. If you do you can send a message to the BrillKid support team and they can help you with opening the files.
You can find further detail on how to edit the lessons here http://support.brillkids.com/entries/20432546-how-to-create-and-edit-playlists
Mala, thank you for the info.
I am interested in little reader, but i realized that it noose compatible with my mac computer :(.
does any one knows if there are any other programs similar to little reader that are compatible with mac?
thank you!
Hi erins mom. I know exactly how you feel.I am still confused though, but I read a summary of Glenn Doman’s method. He says that reading should be the first thing that you teach your child. Although there are lots of methods, suggestions, and books on how to and what to do, I realized that all of them have showing flashcards to your baby. I am still waiting for my LR but at the meantime I made my own flashcards. I would use them side by side with the LR because I am a little late in teaching her how to read. Just decide where you want to begin there is no right or wrong when it comes to teaching your child. Here is the link where I got the summary of the method
http://www.childandme.com/glenn-domans-method-teaching-baby-read-brief/
Thank you for the link! I was also wanting an overview of Doman’s method, and this one was short and to-the-point. Karma to you!