Dear Dr. Blank: What should I be doing in a lesson when I ask my child to do something and he does it wrong or just sits there and does nothing? – Lynn M., mother of a five year old.

Dear Lynn: I’m so pleased you asked that question because handling this type of situation correctly is one of the keys to success. One of the first things you will notice about Phonics Plus Five is that the programs are designed so that your child will be able to do  most things correctly and the number of errors will be low. This is invaluable in setting the right motivation.

In every activity, when errors do occur, you will see instructions telling you what to do. The instructions are likely to be different from patterns you are used to. Frequently, when children make errors (for example, not reading a word correctly), parents say, “Try again” or “Sound it out.” or “You think that is ...?" Essentially, parents do what was done to them when they were children--they insist that the child independently come up with a corrected response—without providing any cues that help the child succeed. Although the intentions are only the best, the situation is stressful because it offers the child no real support to get past the error.

Believe it or not--it is far more helpful to tell your child that his or her answer is wrong. There is nothing amiss in telling someone that they have made a mistake, particularly when you move on immediately to offering assistance. So your next step is to provide the correct answer. Then your child repeats and completes the particular item—this time using your model to answer in a correct manner. All this is done in a calm, neutral, accepting tone. You will be amazed to see how this approach relaxes your child and encourages learning.

Do you have a question?
Feel free to email me, and I’ll do my best to answer.

“My son, Jack and I have been going through your reading program.  It suits him absolutely perfectly! You really understand how a child with his issues thinks.  He is so teachable, which is very, very encouraging.” -- Suzanne McGrath, mother of a 6 year old

“If a doctor, lawyer, or dentist had 40 people in his office at one time, all of whom had different needs, and some of whom didn't want to be there and were causing trouble, and the doctor, lawyer, or dentist, without assistance, had to treat them all with professional excellence for nine months, then he might have some conception of the classroom teacher's job.” -- Donald D. Quinn

My comment: All parents and a few privileged professionals have a unique opportunity that classroom teachers can only dream of —they can offer  one-to-one interaction. But to get the most out of this interaction, it is vital to provide carefully structured activities that are matched to the child’s abilities. Phonics Plus Five has been designed to give you those activities so that the valuable time you spend leads to steady, smooth progress. 

Wishing you the best success,

Dr. Marion Blank