Watch a short video of 14-month-old
baby recognizing words

Sound-to-Symbol Relationship
'Phonograms first' proponents fear that offering words with phonograms will interfere with the child’s ability to grasp the concept of the sound-to-symbol relationship. I disagree. I believe it is easier to learn the sounds of the phonograms, one at a time than all at once. For one thing, parents have a hard time rattling off the strings of phonemes associated with the phonograms. Taking one phoneme at a time is highly practical.

I agree that the formation of the sound-to-symbol relationship concept may be interfered with if the child is given words that confuse him or if he is unable to decode them. This does not happen with the Home Reading Program. Every word can be decoded.

With phonograms that have multiple sounds, each phoneme is learned separately, and there is a word accompanying each phoneme. When working with multiple phonemes it is important to inform the child that some of the phonograms have more than one phoneme. The child should also be told that phonemes are the sounds of speech. Let the child know if he is learning a phonogram that has multiple phonemes. Why not tell him how many phonemes he will be learning with each phonogram? And let the child know that he will be learning the phonemes, one sound at a time.

In the Home Reading Program every phoneme has its own phonogram flashcard and has a carefully selected word containing that phoneme on the other side of the flashcard. Parents will not find it difficult to say the phoneme, as there is only one sound to pronounce, and all they need do is look at the word shown on the other side of the flashcard, which is their key to pronunciation.

Colored phonograms make recognition easy.
Because the phonogram is colored magenta on both sides of the flashcard, the child can easily identify the phonogram in the word because it stands out, and the child can see that the same phonogram is on both sides of the flashcard.

The child also hears the phoneme as the parent shows the child the phonogram and pronounces the phoneme. The parent then turns the flashcard around and shows the child the word, slowly pronouncing it, while emphasizing the selected phoneme.

Presenting the phonograms
Here is how it can be done: You present all of the Alphabet Phonograms, which are the beginning phonograms in the program, before you show words. Begin again with phonogram "a" and hold it up for the child to see. With slow, precise pronunciation, identify the phonogram by making the short vowel sound /a/ (as in at). On the other side of the flashcard is the word “at”, which you will show the baby next. (The child has just been reminded that phonogram “a” says /a/ , even as he has already been told in a previous session that phonogram “t” says /t/.) Turn the flashcard around and, holding the flashcard steady at the child’s eye level, say the word “at” with precise pronunciation. Then say the word again more slowly, pronouncing the two phonemes in a drawn-out, segmented manner (/a/ - /t/) while pointing to the letters as you say them. Then blend the sounds together and say them as one word again –“at’. As you blend the two phonemes, move your index finger under the word from left to right, the same direction as the eyes move when reading.

In the Home Reading Program, the words demonstrate for the child the phonograms in action, thus reinforcing the phonograms and their phonemes. Before showing words, the child goes through all of the phonograms at least once, so that the child has in its mental storehouse all of the alphabet phonemes. All words are carefully selected, and the phonogram being learned stands out, so that the child can pick out the phonogram, hear its phoneme, and be able to decode the word,

The alphabet is learned first, not last.
Any number of reading experts say that the child aught not to be introduced to the alphabet until the child is much older. They reason that the child cannot understand the alphabet and therefore it aught not to be taught. This is a fallacy. Learning the alphabet is a simple step, and learning the alphabet first will help children to learn to read phonetically, because in learning the names of the letters, the child is hearing the many phonemes that are contained within the very names of the letters. That's why those names were chosen, in the first place!

Work with alphabet phonograms is based on the child’s familiarity with the alphabet. The first flashcards children learn in the Home Reading Program are the letters of the alphabet. The child is given the names of the letters before beginning with alphabetic phonograms, which are the phonemes, or sounds, the letters of the alphabet make. This is best accomplished with the Alphabet Song, as it sparks interest in the Alphabet Flashcards. When you show the baby the flashcards he will be attentive because he wants to know what A, B, C, etc. is all about, having heard parents sing the ABCs, so often, and having heard the alphabet recited for him so many times. Recite the alphabet for the baby every chance you get. Babies love rhyme and rhythm, and recitation of the alphabet provides both.

Phonemic Awareness
Dr. Maria Montessori points out that infants need parents to speak slowly with precise pronunciation and in a pleasant tone of voice. A baby is very intent on watching a parent’s mouth and lips whenever the parent speaks to him. Speaking to the baby slowly and taking care to articulate each sound is essential to the child’s development of phonemic awareness, which is the ability to hear distinctly the specific sounds of speech. Phonemic awareness is necessary if the child is to become a successful reader.

Singing and reciting the alphabet to the infant trains the infant's ear to hear the alphabet phonemes, as the names of the letters contain most of the phonemes. This is yet another good reason why parents aught to sing and recite the alphabet whenever they are inspired to do so.

The child can be reading words practically from the beginning!
The Home Reading Program incorporates words into the flashcard sessions after one or two, or few, presentations of the alphabet phonograms. From the very first word shown with the very first phonogram, the child is able to decode the words given with the flashcards.

The child is illumined from the beginning. He knows what letters and phonograms are all about. He is decoding words and it is easy. He becomes very interested and wants to know more. He is not puzzled by the process or bored with myriad words that he can’t decode as with the Look-Say Method. Neither is he inundated with seemingly endless rounds of sounds that have no further meaning than the sound itself, as with the Phonograms First Method.

Download everything you need for free.
Because the alphabet is learned before beginning with alphabet phonograms, you may want to download the alphabet flashcards and instructions. Both upper and lower case letters (capital and small letters) are shown with these flashcards. Upper case is on one side of the flashcard and lower case is on the other. The child learns both upper and lower case letters from the start.

It doesn’t take long for a child to be ready for phonograms.
You may wonder when a baby has learned the alphabet well enough to begin with phonograms. Presenting the alphabet two or three times before presenting phonograms should be sufficient with periodic review. Be certain to differentiate for the child between the names of the letters (the alphabet) and the letters being used as symbols for sounds, which are then called phonograms.

Sing the Alphabet Song for the baby until the child is old enough and has learned to sing it herself. As soon as he is able, sing it with him. Again, when he is able, ask him to sing it for you. Continue singing the ABC song with the child and asking him to sing it to you, from time to time.

In conclusion, child brain specialist Glenn Doman discovered that the center for reading and speech is in the same exact area of the human brain and that children can learn to speak and read simultaneously. If you teach your baby to read, the child will know how to read by the time the child is speaking!

Watch a short video of 14-month-old
baby recognizing words