[Leap Frog DVDs]

I can't tell you the "best thing" to do next, but I do have some some ideas for resources for the next step. Personally I would begin explicitly phonics instruction now using The Reading Lesson, I would go back through the Little Reader and I'd keep a steady rotation of reading products in the house. You can check many of these books/dvds out from the library or find them for streaming online.

0) Label Your House
Its easy, simple and really pretty cheap. Type up labels, one word per page in pt72 font and print them out. Tape them up around the house and point out the words to your kids.
Some things you might label in his room are: calendar, bed, toy box, book shelf, shelf, closet, blocks, crib, changing table, etc...
Start with the 2 rooms you spend the most time in, just do 4 labels a day/week and add more as needed. Point them out, underline the syllables in each word and when you point them out say something like "Look, baby, this says Table. See?" Run your finger along or touch each underlined part "Tay-bul"

1) Interactive Reading Based Websites
StarFall
ReadingBear
TeachYourMonstertoRead
ReadingEggs
ClickNKidsPhonics

2) Reading based DVDs
Leap Frog DVDs--The order for them is this
Letter Factory
Talking Word Factory
Talking Word Factory 2 (aka Code Word Caper)
Story Book Factory
PreSchool Prep Series
Meet the Phonics
Meet the sight words
Quality Time Education (These are dated but ideal for young kids because they are slow-paced, not to bright/flashy but engaging. Don't watch it all in one sitting they are over an hour long)
Ready For Phonics
Beyond Phonics
(If you get the DVDS you can print worksheets to accompany each episode/segment)
Rock N Learn
Letter Sounds
Phonics Volume 1
Phonics Volume 2
Phonics: Easy Readers
Sight Words Volume 1
Sight Words Volume 2
Sight Words Volume 3
Read Along Stories
Signing Time each sign is introduced along with the TEXT of the word so I'd make simple flashcards for each word in each DVD. I recommend this order
Practice Time ABCS (because they teach finger spelling and there is the option to watch randomized practice sessions where she will spell a word and you have to figure out what she spelled)
Signing Time Vols 1-5
Then any video you want to watch, in any order. The reason that I recommend Signing Time in this order is because those first DVDs aren't as flashy/fast paced as the latter volumes. But, you know your child best so feel free to disregard any of my advice that isn't optimal.


3) Books to Teach Reading From
The Reading Lesson (my #1 choice)
Alpha Phonics
Phonics Pathways
The Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading
Teach Your Child to Read in 10 Minutes a Day
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons

4) Graded Readers for Beginning Readers
Bob Books
Now I'm Reading! Readers
I See Sam Readers
Dick and Jane
Sight Word Readers

5) Free Resource Websites
Reading a-z (extensive Free samples but is subscription based)
thePhonicsPage
Progressive Phonics
Ultimate Phonics Word List

6) Library Card!
Last but not least, get a library card and when you go, pick books with LARGE letters. Get a bunch of those different My First Word type books, toddler books and read them with your child, not just too your child. Also continue to read fun books to your child and always read to them from books at least 1/2 a grade level above their current reading ability. You can find many book lists of "Must Read" books for PreSchool - 6th grade. I'd keep a good mix of Preschool, Kindergarten and 1st grade "Read Aloud" books on hand from the library. Always point to the text as you read it.

Look at some of the stuff in the free download library. What other resources have you got on hand? You can always go to the library and just read, read, read, read, read.

If you give some more info about your EL (early-learning) routine, the BK community can give more tailored advice.

Welcome to BK and enjoy your stay.

I hadn't known about this site or resource and yes, it seems like they have vanished off of the net. Perhaps they are going to relaunch later on? I don't know. Would you happen to have any of their previous PDFs? I would love to get my hands on some and since they were offered free, it shouldn't be a problem with copyright or anything for you give out copies.

If you have any, would you be willing to send me a copy of them?

I think that it is time to start an aggressive campaign on Manners. It won't do to have a 4yo know some of everything but Manners and this is the stage where kids basic manners make them either unbearably cute or just unbearable.

Get books to segue into various topics, have a quiet thinking time 4-5 times a day, (Quiet Thinking Time is when everyone is just quiet for about 5 minutes to just relax and decompress. You must not speak and your toys can't make a great deal of noise.) Talk about manners and respect in the morning, during the day and at night. Put him to bed with a hug and a reminder, greet him in the morning with a hug and a reminder.

What sort of discipline do you use with your son?
If he wont respond within 10 days with some improved behavior, then I say consequences may be in order. Put him in the corner, take a toy from him, something.

I say make 2014 the year that manners of all kinds are emphasized and prioritized. There is a fine line between cute, excitable little kid who is a bit rambunctious and an a kid with obnoxious manners who is a big pain.

Don't give up! I would focus on input still, but try and switch tactics. You need some fast, physical games. How is he with simple games? Simon says, Hide and Seek, or any physical game. I would try and tailor the program a little more to his style--he is a mobile boy, so let him be mobile!

You should see about teaching him simple command, movement games and use his love of ASL to your advantage.
--Make a sign and let him pick the card with that word on it. For example, do the sign for bear and let him pick from the words bear, duck, cow, etc...
--Play an animal game where you ask him "What does this animal say?" and hold up the animal-word.
--Print out the names of his toys and have him line them up on their words before a crash and smash derby

You want to play fast and furious with him. If screens aren't working, scale them waaay back. Play the reading DVD's only 10 minutes at a time or 2x a week. Stop driving yourself to feel stressed, you are doing a great and fantastic job. Read a few pages of an alphabet book each day, exaggerate the letter sounds. What else can you focus on besides reading? He may not demonstrate reading until much, much later. But why focus on the one thing he doesn't want to do just yet?

Can you get him interested in animals, vehicles, geography, mathematics, counting, or anything else? If you find a subject he is partial too, it may be easier to get him to read and demonstrate whether or not he is reading to you through a material that he really loves. He may not want to read 'mommy' 'elephant' 'yellow' etc...But maybe he wont be able to resist reading words related to something he loves! Find out what he's crazy about and use that as your 'in' to reading words for counting, colors, ordinals, adjectives, etc...-

Hang in there mama! You can do this! Remember, if it isn't fun, you aren't doing it right!

Thanks Kizudo, will do.

Its just my personal preference but I strongly prefer to support publishers who are either 100% secular or else aligned with my own religious beliefs.

Wow, I'm actually very disappointed that they produced a religious video. That's changed my perception of the company in a negative light. .
From now on, I will skip Monki See products all together.

I'm actually very interested in this exact topic and I would love to get a copy of your book list!
I have actually been thinking a lot and had recently began to formulate what I have felt is wrong for a long time, in my own life.
I feel that I've been artificially stunted, so its interesting that you should bring up this exact topic.

When I was younger (12-18) I had very ambitious plans for "accelerating" my young adult life, but I had no support from my parents in my ideals and goals so I have been forced by societal and legal expectations into a "standard" young adult hood, and I found that I lost a lot of my internal motivation and have become almost lax almost apathetic about my own youth and existence, yet it doesn't feel right to me. I have began to feel that college is a young folks home and have become increasingly frustrated with it.

I have long since known that my goal was to allow my own future children a more...traditional/natural/historically aligned development. I would like to put them in a position to start their "adult lives" what our society would term 'early', if they feel so inclined. I found my adolescence very frustrating to live through with all the "You Can Do That" from society, parents, legislation and now that I have the "green light" I just have no...enthusiasm? interest?

Anyway, I'd love to see your booklist PokerDad, seems like the perfect place to begin.

[perceive]

Well, it is important to be gentle and positive about how you perceive your child or else EL can turn into a stressful thing that is 100% against what EL is all about. EL is about joyful learning, taking advantage of this time when it is effortless to learn and making the child view learning as an enjoyable, daily activity that brings them closer to their care giver.

It can be unhelpful for your to interpret your sons behavior are "not concentrating" because you are translating him by an adult lense but he is, in fact, an infant. Your goal is to gently engage him and be consistent. The first rule of EL is "Thou baby shalt have fun" and "Neither thou nor thou baby may be less than willing." If you think that your son isn't interested/annoyed the S-T-O-P right away and re-evaluate.

Here are some general tips.
1) Set up the lessons while your son is occupied doing something else. Do NOT make him sit through turning the computer on or setting up the days lesson.
2) Do one lesson and only one lesson at a time. Don't go through a lesson of all 3 at the same time if you think that your child isn't enjoying it.
3) Make sure baby is comfortable before beginning each lesson (clean, dry, well fed)
4) Sandwich the lessons between 2 things that the baby enjoys. (i.e. a song, lesson, game)
5) Play with your baby immediately after each lesson, so that he is eager to get through the work because he knows that mommy or daddy will blow his tummy right after the lesson.
6) Work your way up to adding in more lessons gradually and slowly.
7) Perhaps try plugging computer to display on TV so that words are bigger.
Try physical flashcards
9) Read books together.

Don't worry about your 4mo concentrating, worry about having positive experiences.

[with]

HI everybody,

My older DD can read since she is 3 years old, but unfortunately doesn't read yet for pleasure (she is 4.5 now). I don't want to force her, but would love for her, if she practiced a bit every day. She reads once or twice a week for 10 minutes, often after I asked her to read a bit.

What would you do?

If I read to her (she loves that), I often motivate her to read the first 2-3 sentences of the chapter or so. That she does but she is happy to stop after that.

How much do your little children read for pleasure?

Why don't you just require her to read? Just because you require something of her doesn't mean it has to feel forced.
Get a lot of simple books with big words and large pictures, have her sit for 10 minutes in the morning and 10 in the evening and read with you.
Begin slowly transitioning from reading to her to the point where you are reading with her so that eventually you guys are reading together.
I would recommend the We Both Read series for the buddy reading.
Continue to read to her everyday.

Does your daughter go to school or will she begin going to school soon?
Get some of those audio books on CD that includes the book and have her read along to those.
There are many ideas out there for getting kids reading but if you make it a stress-free, but required part of her day then it shouldn't be a huge deal.

He is too cute! Is he wearing a cape again?!!! It looks like he's switched from Batman to Superman, .

His reading is progressing very nicely. Thank you so much for sharing and updating us on your boys progress. It is very, very, very helpful to many of us. Are you guys still doing formal reading/phonics instruction with him or are you now mostly just reading?

Hmm...still not sure I understand what you are asking for, but I would look for some sort of online childrens dictionary/encyclopedia.

Go to Wikipedia and get pages that list out things like species of penguins, wild cats, domestic dog species, planets in the solar system,  countries by continent, books in the bible, titles of popular nursery rhymes, mother goose stories, elements of the periodic table, etc...

If you only need the words and not a picture, then it should be easy to get at least the first 5000 words, you know?
After that, get a "My first 1000 Words" book and go through the index, get a "Big Book of Mammals/Birds/Insects/Reptiles" etc and just take words from the index so you don't have to painstakingly read through the whole thing. Get 1st-4th grade math and science books and take words from the indices, find lists/vocabulary covered by theme so that should easily put you up to ~2500 unique words. Then maybe get specialized on the things your boy loves, a list of construction machines, tools in the home improvement store, hobby tools, animals in the pet shop, parts of a car...etc.

I can imagine getting about ~10,000 words if you are very thorough.

What do you mean "flash card captions"? What do you need with 50,000?

Aangeles, do you know the names of cartoons from Nickolodeon or PBSKids?  Like Blues Clues, Franklin the Turtle, Arthur, DragonTales etc...

I'm just curious, I'm sure that it could be helpful for others.

I haven't the foggiest idea but what about this: Searching on Wikipedia for a cartoon and then changing the language to Chinese from the side menu? It will show you the Chinese version of each article if there is one and give you the title in Chinese....Thats my only idea on how to find shows. I hope that enough pages exist in Chinese Wikipedia.