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I'm so thankful that I was introduced to TRL through HOD. I've been working on it with my 5 yr. old for about 3-4 months and we are on lesson 9. We haven't done much practicing outside of TRL book. Today he brought me, Are You My Mother? and announced he wanted to read it to me. My heart was so happy listening to him read. Of course, there were words (in Are You My Mother?) containing phonics we had not yet learned, but overall I was thrilled with how well he read and how many words he already owns! Using TRL has really been a joy (and I say this after trying several other phonics programs over the years of homeschooling my children.)

I was wondering if you think TRL is too much for a newly turned 5yo. boy..? He has a good attention span. I am considering starting this soon, but I don't yet own it or know much about it. I surely don't want to push him into academics, so I am fine with waiting until he is older if need be.

Thanks!!

I started my son right around his 5 yr. old bday. He was ready and willing, though. He knew all the letter sounds and was reading consonant-vowel-consonant words for quite awhile. I actually wasn't planning to start him, just felt like I had enough on my plate, but he wanted school so badly and he's doing fantastic. TRL is flexible and allows you to keep the lesson as short as you want. We usually do 3-4 pages/day, sometimes only 2 if he is just not that into it. I like to review 1-2 pages and then the other pages are new material.

HTH

striving2Bprov31 ,
I started my son on TRL a few months before he turned 5 because he was begging to learn to read. He knew most of the letter sounds, but that was it, though his pre-reading skills like rhyming and identifying the 1st sound in a word were solid. His fine motor skills have been slow going, so this was great because no writing is involved. Well he loved it, and we did 1-2 pages a day for a year, and I was amazed that he could learn so much in 5-10 min a day! He took 3-4 months after to read early readers from the library, and now at 6y2m, we're halfway the through the emerging reader set! TRL worked very well for this active boy! readinglesson.com has the 1st 2 lessons free to download. PM me if you want to see a sample page from a lesson later in the book. HTH

We started a couple of months before our son turned 5, but we only did 2 pages a day maximum. I think if a child knows his alphabet and letter sounds well you could begin slowly. I do feel it is important to limit the amount for the sake of their eyes. To the OP, I am glad things are going so well for you. It is fun!

Sorry, Bramble!! I didn't mean to take over this thread!!

I am glad TRL is a good fit for you!! I will check it out!

Thanks for the input!

Bramble,

I'm celebrating with you as I know how tough it can be to find a great phonics program. It is a true joy to see children who are excited and ready to read! Watching each of my kiddos become readers has been a favorite moment for me too through the years! I still have one more to go. Thanks for sharing!

Blessings,
Carrie