My child seems to have gone backwards. She is insisting that an “M” is a “W,” and she is now saying it sounds like “t-t-t.” She is goofing off during our time and seems to be going backwards. We were up to “a” and now I don’t know what has happened. I am losing her concentration. HELP!!!

Here are few ideas that might help. Showing a lack of interest or having a short attention span with any part of the reading process is a fairly good indication that children aren’t quite ready to work on that part yet. Every child develops language skills at a different pace. It’s important to allow for that difference in growth. That way reading will be fun, and not a chore.

Keep working with the letters and sounds and finding fun ways to recognize them in words. Slow down and use music a lot here, if it came with your specific Phonics program. Play it everywhere–picking up toys, in the bathtub, while driving—everywhere. Having the names of the letter and their sounds become second nature. This will make the blending process and reading process that much easier when she is ready.

Only work for a few minutes (5 or so) per day. As a rule of thumb, children have about as long an attention span as they are old. With young children, you’ve got to keep it short and sweet and fun. If she loses interest during a “game” time, stop. Congratulate her on her progress and pick it up another day. Give her lots of love and praise her for progress made. Good luck and enjoy the process of working with your child.