Subscribe: Learning to Read with LeapFrog TAG
LeapFrog makes learning products that blend innovative technology with time-tested teaching techniques for fun and educational results.
We are big fans of our LeapFrog TAG and LeapFrog just sent us a new way to enjoy it: two sets of early reader books that teach short and long vowel sounds.
My daughter knows her letters and the sounds they make and she is just about ready to make the jump from pre-literacy skills to literacy. Every day she grabs her TAG pen and reads through several of the new TAG “Learn to Read” books.
Although the emphasis in the books is on phonics–one short or long vowel features in most of the words in each–the cute, original stories are fun and engaging for my three year old. While not exactly a future literary classic, “Look at the mud! / Time for the tub. ‘ ‘Time to wash up!’ / Rub-a-dub-dub!” provides a lot more reading pleasure and practice in comprehension than a drill of a random series of words related only by a single sound.
And the interaction with the TAG system is helpful in learning to read. Press one symbol and the pen reads the page. Touch other symbols and the pen can read a single word, isolate individual letters or spell the word, and sound out the letters or the entire word. For added interaction and context, the illustrations also “speak” when touched with the pen.
At the end of each book is a series of activities, designed to explicitly reinforce the skills taught through the story. My daughter really enjoys these games, which, like the books, blend letter recognition, phonics, sight words, relationships between text and illustrations, and reading comprehension.
My only suggestion for any future editions is a parent guide with tips for using the LeapFrog TAG system and the “Learn to Read” books for beginning readers, struggling readers, and readers who are gaining fluency. Many parents might appreciate a primer on how to use the books and the different features to encourage literacy. And this would also integrate well with the LeapFrog Learning Path–an online tool that helps you understand your child’s progress.
Like all of the TAG books, these may be used with or without the pen, and together with the parent, or independently. By putting together an affordable, intuitive, and entertaining system that encourages children to interact with books, the LeapFrog TAG supports literacy education.
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WANT IT: Buy TAG products directly from LeapFrog or get the LeapFrog TAG Learn to Read Phonics Books from Amazon. ($20 per set of six books, TAG Reading Pen sold separately for $50, $40 on sale)
WIN IT – REQUIRED ENTRY: Enter to win a TAG Reading System + the two sets of Learn to Read Phonics Books from LeapFrog (ARV $90) by leaving a comment with your best tip for or question about learning to read.
Additional Entries (leave a separate comment for each additional entry):
- Follow @Mamanista and @LeapFrog and tweet your tip or question and include a link to this contest: http://bit.ly/mamareadtag (leave your status URL in your comment).
- Link to our Back-to-School Guide on your blog or website (leave the URL where you link in your comment).
Contest ends August 27, 11:59 PM EST. Open to All. Winner chosen with Random.org.
I think just reading every day with your children helps a lot.
I have a question,I have 4 grandchildren under the age of 4,who I watch a lot so the parents can work(free of course)things are done so different than when my kids were little,when do you start the reading process,I read to them but how young do you start??
I follow you both on twitter an tweeted; vickiecouturierwhen is the right age to start reading,I read to my grandchildren,but when do I ask them to try?what age?contest: http://bit.ly/mamareadtag
My best tip is to read at least 30 minutes a day with your child
jceko77@yahoo.com
I read everyday – for as long as my little boy has attention span – for each session. I also let him drive the reading by picking the pages he wants to talk about. We try to learn a new word each session as well. This tag system looks awesome – would love to try on my 2 yr. old.
tvollowitz at aol dot com
Take the time to really read with your children…You will be amazed at how much they pick up, at any age!
sblilly14(@)yahoo(.)com
I’m a subscriber!
sblilly14(@)yahoo(.)com
my tip for helping a child learn to read is to make it fun. read books together at night. let the child get involved with the story and enjoy it! thanks for a great giveaway.
following both on twitter and tweeted http://twitter.com/clallen1971/status/3387163396 thanks!
My best tip is to take it slowly. If you push too hard, your kid gets frustrated easily, and then you get frustrated. If you’re patient, your child actually enjoys reading and feels good about themselves.
Be patient!, spend about 20 at time and take it slowly, give lots of praise, when they pick on reading, have them read to you
karenmed409(at)comcast(net)
My best tip for getting your child to read is lead by example. Read alot, make books an important part of your lives and read alot to them and with them.
Let your children see you reading, and by example, they will see that it is an enjoyable and wonderful thing to do.
Tweeted http://twitter.com/cdziuba/status/3388181575
Follow @Mamanista and @LeapFrog cdziuba
I blogged about your giveaway, and further down is a blog post about your back to school guide.
Giveaway: http://ceeceeblogger.blogspot.com/2009/08/leapfrog-giveaway.html
BTS Guide: http://ceeceeblogger.blogspot.com/2009/08/back-to-school-guide-at-mamanista.html
WE have been teaching our 3 year old to read by first learning all the sounds the letters make. Once she learned the alphabet, we taught her the way the words sound so when she sees the letter she knows.
so we taught her “A- Apple Ahhh” (sounding out the a sound
“B- ball, Buh”
“C- cat, Cuh”
she knows how all the letters sound now and can slowly sound out small words
My best tip is to really read each day to your children. I really think that they develope interest in books and reading, if you teach them that it’s fun. Also, when they can start making out some words, encourage them, by making a game out of reading words that you see on a daily basis.
THanks so much.
My best tip for learning to read is to read to your child and let them see you reading to yourself. Let them know it is important. Thanks!
Get some learning their sounds before attempting to learn to read.
My son knows his letter sounds and is ready to read!
Reading with your children willhelp them learn to read. Let them read to you.
email subscriber
My tip for learning to read is to read to your children every day. Encourage them to have a love for reading and the rest will come.
My best tip is to read with your kids for at least 20 minutes every single day, thanks.
kport207 at gmail dot com
When is the best time to teach your child to read? My daughter isn’t even 3 yet but knows the letters and sounds of the alphabet. Is she too young to really read?
The best thing we ever did was to have books and print all over our home so our little one is surrounded by it ~ he just eats it up!!!
Tweeted ~ http://twitter.com/susanlanai/status/3397185938
My tip is to read to your child every night. It is so important in developing a love for reading as well as early literacy skills. Thanks for a great review and giveaway. My 3 year old would really love this!
I read everyday.
My best tip for learning to ready may be simple, but it works. Read to your children – every day. Make certain that you have lots of books in your house or regularly visit the library to encourage a love of reading.
READ READ READ – That’s the best tip I know! I also recently learned to help your child get ready for school instruction, teach them sight words like to, the, on, etc…
inalak@msn.com
Repetition, many children learn to read by memorizing the words in favorite books
My granddaughters who are 4 and 5 years old don’t know how to read yet, but they know letters and want me or their mother to read to them.
In school they learn to read and write.
My only tip is to start early.
Find out what your child is most interested in…horse lover? Try books about horses. If they read what they love they will love to read!
My little ones don’t read yet, but I’m trying to instill a love of books by reading to them every day. Hopefully that helps them learn to read :-)
My tip for helping your children to read would be to set aside a designated time during the week to sit down with them and read to them and they will be encouraged to read on their own!
cjnedrow at gmail.com
My daughter is 2 – we have flashcards with everyday words, and she knows and recites them by sight. I know that she just recognizes the letters or length of the words, but that’s a start on reading, I think. So, I think that this coupled with reading books to her is really giving her a good headstart on reading, thanks!
I read to my daughter daily. It really does help her to recognize words.
A book a day keeps the doctor away. lol I think that encouraging your child to be creative and read to them everyday helps them to become good readers.
I’m a subscriber.
Both my kids read early and love to read! I think it is important to read to your kids every single day, even on vacation! Also I set aside quiet time every day where I read by myself and they read and/or look at books. Its great for them to see you like to read, too!
mainlandmama at gmail dot com
Try playing a board game called Er-u-di-tion that incorporates both sight words and phonics.
This award winning game helps children learn to read, spell and understand the most common words in the English language while playing an entertaining board game.
Cards are categorized so children of all reading levels can play together!
I believe that it is important to read to your children daily. For those children who are uninterested in reading, I feel it is important to find books that they like, even if it’s picture books at first. Finally, I model reading at home by doing it myself during the little free time that I have.
the best way to learn to read is by practice! start reading with your child when they are young – encourage a love for reading!
autumn398 @yahoo.com
My best tip for learning to read…Start reading to your child very early in life….and read often…..nothing better than cuddling up with a book….and give books to children as gifts too.
My tip is to make the stories come alive for your kids when you read to them. I give different character different voices or read the story with excitement and emotion. Or I allow my kids to tell me where the story goes next after it ends. Now my 4 year old sits with books and remembers what is on each page ‘reading’ to his little brother. Reading is magical fun for them and they will have a life long love of books because it gives them such pleasure
Thanks for the chance.
mogrill@comcast.net
Read to your child daily.
I read everyday to the boys-books and reading have always been important to me and I want the kids to enjoy books also
My children and I all read together everyday.
We choose a book with numerous stories but the same characters so that they are familiar with them and each take turns reading. After each persons turn is over we talk about what happened to whom during that persons turn to read. It has definitely helped with their reading comprehension as well.
Thank you so much for the chance to win.
As a retired kindergarten teacher, I can recommend the “lap method” of teaching reading. Take time every day to sit with your child on your lap and read to him.
My best tip that I used for my girls and will my son is that I would only have them try 1 letter words then move up to 2 letter words then so on.
My best tip is for your child to see you reading.Set time in the day for both of you to read.
My best learn to read tip is to make children think that reading is really exciting. Read in front of them, read to them, talk about reading and things they can do when they learn, go to the library etc. They will be excited about reading and that will help motivate them
my best tip for learning to read is to start early and never stop – because there are always new words to learn, more complex information and themes and story lines to master. being able to “literally” read is but a small part of the entire experience. thanks! (freaaa@gmail.com)
read. read some more. Keep reading!
I take some of my 15 grandkids with me to the library and let them check out a couple books each. The books stay at my house and the kids sit and read when I’m kidsitting them. jelly15301@gmail.com
READ VERY EARLY TO YOUR CHILDREN.
My best tip about learning to read is to start to learn two years before the beginning of the first grade.
Make reading a warm loving time where your child feels safe to make mistakes. Have your child repeat after you. Start with simple phrases and words and move forward as your child progresses.
mverno@roadrunner.com
My nephew would love this…I hope that I win!
Read with your child, First they learn to read by memorization of a book, then they learn to read by pronouncing those words and realizing what they look like on paper and the order of the letters and what sounds they make. Then they READ all by themselves!!
My best tip is to be a reader yourself. The more books and magazines you have in your house the better reader your kids will grow up to be.
I follow and I tweeted: http://twitter.com/qwills2cats/status/3501216878
I just kept putting on phonics shows and videos throughout the day so they were always on when our daughter came and went. By the time she was four, she could read pretty much everything, big words included.
You need to start reading every day to your child and start when they are very young and they will grow to love reading.
Learning to read starts young. Read to your small child so they will appreciate words, stories, books.
My best tip is to make it fun…let your kids see you reading (and enjoying it), and make reading time with them an exciting event. The enthusiasm you display will be contagious.
My favorite tip is to read to them very young (right from when they are a baby). Reading will become a natural thing they find fun.
I have a question. At what age should a child know how to read? My son’s 6 and doesn’t know all of his letters yet. He’s had 2 yrs of preschool and is starting kindergarten next week.
i have been lucky my kids taught themselves how to read before 4 yrs old. But my tip would be to find books on subjects they are interested in and keep it fun.
Let the child make decisions such as what books to read, what cards to work on, etc.
My tips for reading: practice everyday and be patient with your child.
I am a subscriber.
Tip: Make reading fun and read everyday!
We encourage a love of reading in all of our boys, by having tons of reading materials available to them.
reading is something u need at any age
We have a special reading time set for every day. We spend that time with each other a some good books. Everyone looks forward to it because it reminds us to slow down and enjoy the good things in life.
Practice and patience will help your little one learn to read. Reading is not easy for everyone, which is where your patience comes in.
Reading tip: Make reading an expected part of the routine. Before media can be watched (tv, computer, etc.) the kids must read for 30 minutes.
I follow both on twitter and tweeted: http://twitter.com/speech_hero/status/3541964751
Read to your child but also have your child read to you at least one night a week. You can access their progress and it makes them more involved in the reading process.
My question: At what age are kids supposed to be able to read these days?
JeansandTs@hotmail.com
I think pointing to the words as you read them helps children learn to read.
My best tip for learning to read is to do it together. I inspire a love of reading by reading to my kids every night. When Holt gets old enough I will have him read to me just as I did with Alison. Thank you for the chance.
I think reading to children every day, from the very start, is the best way to get them on the path to reading.
My tip is to go to the library a lot with your kids. My kids have so much fun and we always come home with a huge bag of books that they are so excited to “read”.
I’ve found just consistency of working with my children every day, and not rushing. Reading, like potty training, needs to come organicly when the child is ready.
We read every day. But in addition, when we take buses we make up words with the letter on the bus ticket (different every day) and play games like what sound do you hear in the beginning or the end of the word. My daughter also loves it when I write random words on pieces of paper for her, she loves to sound them out.
We’ve always read a lot in our house… having lots of books around helps a lot! We also have a policy that if a child wants us to read to them, we’ll stop what we’re doing and read. It shows kids that reading is important!
Always read to your kids. That is the way they learn to read.
This looks very helpful for teaching reading. I think it is a great help also to read to your child everyday.
I would love to win this prize. I work with special needs children and would love to see how well they work with this pen reading system. Teaching the child to sound out the letters when learning then makes learning to read easier. Thanks!
http://twitter.com/henglish/status/3557393913
following both
My kids would learn alot with this!!!
My best tip is to get involved! Don’t just read stories to children, read them *with* children. If they get excited about reading, they’ll make the learning process a lot easier!
this would be great for my cousins!
I have been letting my children watch the Letter Factory Dvd by Leap Frop and it helps them to sound out the letters which will help them when it is time for them to learn to read.
My best tip would be to read to your kids all the time. I think it opens them up to reading a little more when they get that age!
I always teach my kids with rhyming words. It has worked great so far!!! 2 down, 2 to go!
Phonics really do work. Teaching my kids to read by sounding things out has worked very well.
I would say: Keep it simple..learn the words associated with pictures first and then start putting two or more little words together. repetition is also nice..I liked the “Dick and Jane” books..the repetition really does help a child learn! Thanks!
I think reading the same book over and over again is helping my son learn to recognize words.
I think reading all the time with kids even before they begin to read by themselves is really important and gets them interested early!
What a great giveaway! I have a question. My son does not like being read to, he is only one though. He totally goes the other way when his sister and I read books together. He wants nothing to do with it. How can I get him more interested?
I tweeted!
http://twitter.com/mom2anutball/status/3570562168
My best tip for teaching a little one to love reading is to set a good example, let the child see you reading often and happily.
I’m following you and LeapFrog on twitter and tweeted http://twitter.com/janetmom2maya/status/3570911002
I blogged at http://www.giveawaysonblogs.blogspot.com/2009/08/wednesday0826.html
I think the best thing is to get them into reading early. If they find that it’s fun to read and not tedeous, or frustrating, it will be easier in the transition from you reading to them to them reading to you!
I WOULD LOVE TO GIVE MY GRANDSONS THESE BOOKS
My best reading tip is start young by reading to your child. Make reading fun and talk about the letters and the sounds they make. Once they learn the sounds they have an easier time putting it all together.
ilovebabynoah707@yahoo.com
Make reading a habit early on. Read to your child starting at birth and continue until the can read to you and spend time reading together.
I love the game boggle jr for helping kids realize that letters form words and each letter has its own sound. This game has taught my older daughters to read and my son is just starting to play it now at 3.
get lots of books at the library, then read them over and over
Start young by putting a board book or two in your child’s crib. They’ll keep themselves entertained in the morning for a few minutes and get used to reading (looking at) books as a way to have some quiet time.
The most important thing is to make learning to read fun. When parents put too much pressure on their kids, the kids will start to resent it and associate learning with negative feelings.
My best tip is start them as infants- read to them daily and let them see you reading so they have the desire.
I believe that tv shows (certain ones) actually helped my daughter to read. She watched Sesame Street everyday and I read books to her everyday and by the time she was 3 she started reading on her own, and that is all I did. She ended up skipping kindergarten and going to first grade because she was “bored”. It depends on the child too, because I did the same thing for my boys, and they are good students, but don’t have that love for books that my daughter has.
Dr. Seuss books helped both my girls learn to read. And when they learned the alphabet I would let them help read simple things like when they saw the word a, which is the letter a, then they would “read” it and be excited.
My girls learned to read by repetition.We used used books that repeated themselves over and over.My son just can’t grasp the concept and is way behind other first graders.Thanks!
I have read to my kids since they were babies and as they follow along they start to learn the words
We started reading to our children as soon as they could sit up, and they get read to every day. Sesame street helps, too.
YOu have to let your child see you read. Then, they’ll learn that reading is important.
To encourage reading, start taking your kids to the library. Most have read-along programs ~ kids love them.
Read to your child everyday with different voices to make it fun & interesting!
Read and spell street signs. Kids pick this up fast and it’s a good start to reading without pressure.
Great products! My best tip for reading to non-readers (babies/pre-schoolers or struggling readers) is to read books together constantly, and let children start to chime in when the text is familiar or easy to predict (rhyming, etc.). Before turning the page in a new book, predict what is going to happen, and then discuss whether the predictions were right or not.
I think consistency is key.
Remember to be patient!!
My best tip for getting the little ones to read is to make it exciting. Always use positive voice reflections and let them help out. Also, bedtime stories work
follow both of you and tweeted
http://twitter.com/Ardy22/status/3586575644
blogged the links to the guide and giveaway
whoops, here is link
http://ardy22.blogspot.com/2009/08/mamanista-back-to-school-guide-and.html
The best tip I have is to practice, practice, practice. We set down with our kids every night to read. My son is more independent though and loves to do stuff on his own without having to ask me so this would help him tremdously since he has falling behind on his reading.
Chrissy McPherson
from1mom2another@msn.com
Take the time to read with your children every day.
email subscriber!
My best tip for learning to read is to surround children with a print rich environment, where they are surrounded by letters and words and can begin to become familiar with them. Reading books to children daily is also a great tip.
My best tip is just take the time and sit and read with your child my little boy is three. He loves it, I would like to know what else i could do to improve his learning of how to pronounce words. thanks eaglesforjack@gmail.com
never give up,keep at it with them!
ardelong2(at)gmail(dot)com
reading books and playing games on pbs.com helps a lot.
would love to win this
When I have my grandchildren I let them pick out the book they want to read and as I am reading I let them read the words that they know!
I have taught my daughter to read it was not easy and we are still learning. The best advice I can give is have Patience. Do not rush and you will know when your child is ready. I tried to force and it didnt work. I had to step back and let her decide when she was ready. Would love to win so we can strengthen our reading in other areas.
i believe in reading to our children from the very beginning. i think they learn to read from the reading we do on a nightly basis.
The only tip I know is that you should read to your child and point out the words to them.
Reading should be fun time! If your child is losing interest, put the book away for a while. If reading time is not surrounded by positive feelings then negative feelings will emerge. It is very difficult to re-establish the fun in reading when that happens.
Read every day with your child – but make it FUN! :-) Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
Tweet tweet! http://twitter.com/kindred_spirit/statuses/3592198965
I recently read to follow the text with your finger as you read to your toddler.
My tip is to make reading part of every day
To me the best way to help a child learn to read is to make it FUN!Introduce books even when they are just an infant. Read to them everyday.
Luvetosave at gmail.com
We go to the library often and encourage the kids to choose which books they’re interested in.
My question about learning to read is how much time should children be spending reading every day?
My best tip is to read, read, read to your children…My son loves when I read to him and he has speech delay, but with me reading to him he picks up a few new words a day that he will remember the next day…It helps for him to hear me talking and saying words because he is 3 and he tries to mimic everything I say…
sallylynnsara@hotmail(dot)com
My best tip is to read to your child when they are very young.
Read with your kids a little every day.
My tip is repetition. My six year old learned to read (pretty much self-taught) at age four. I believe she learned through memorizing the books she loved.
My younger daughter obviously has a different thinking pattern. She needs to learn to read yet and we’ve had no luck with it.
I’m following you both on Twitter and have tweeted.
http://twitter.com/badgermomma/statuses/3596017944
I’ve linked your Back to School Guide on my blog.
http://badgermomma.blogspot.com/2009/08/mamanistas-back-to-school-guide.html
Great suggestion to put parent tips into the Learning Path. I’m on it!
Tina
Senior Producer, Learning Path
LeapFrog
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