POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT

Each session is short (stop while it is still fun) and positive. When teaching new words or sounds, the system uses the 5/5/5 method. When the child does not say a word or sound correctly, the parent simply says, “Let’s try again”. If the child still does not respond correctly, the correct response is given. The inability to produce the correct response

shows the need to re-teach. When the child does answer correctly, positive, affirming remarks such as “super”, “great”, “fantastic”, “wonderful”, “good”, and “marvelous” are enthusiastically spoken to the child to reinforce their learning.

IT'S FUN

It is said that a child’s attention span is one minute for every year lived. Children learn easily and willingly where humor and music are involved. Humor and music are integral components of this program. The result is a significant increase in attention and retention, two critical elements in learning to read.

PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT

Parents are a child’s most effective teacher! A parent’s impact on learning cannot be duplicated by any other person or institution. With parents as the teachers, remedial action is immediate which prevents reading problems and oversights. Parents are very busy and don’t often have the time to come up with their own reading program for their children. Reading programs can be very expensive and few of them provide a systematic way of teaching the skills most children need in order to learn to read. Knowing this, great care has been taken to make this program affordable and easy to use. Using the mini-book format has made it possible to have a library of over 100 child-tested skill-reinforcing books available without parents having to “rob the bank”.

EMPIRICAL RESEARCH

This approach to teaching fundamental reading is based on empirical research and has been tested in the classroom resulting in successful application and achievement. This research is used to guide the sequence of instruction. The letter sounds are taught in a sequence found to be easiest and most effective for beginning readers. Instead of learning all of the letter names and sounds before beginning to read, the child learns a few letter sounds and then learns to blend those sounds to make words. The letter sounds that can be sustained or “held out” are taught first because they are easier to blend smoothly. Right from the beginning, the child starts using these sounds to blend words and then uses these words to read sentences. Because the sounds are used and reviewed, they are not forgotten. In most reading instruction there is little connection between the phonics lessons taught and the reading selections given.

THE BRAIN IS TOTALLY ENGAGED THROUGH MUSIC

Music is also an important part of the Reading With Giggles & Games System. Music has the effect of totally engaging both sides of the brain of the student. Songs act as important mnemonic devices for remembering new learning. Children love the songs in the “Reading with Giggles & Games” program!

PHONICS IS NOT TAUGHT AS AN ISOLATED SUBJECT

Appropriate practice is critical to learning! The more closely the conditions of practice approximate the conditions in which the learning will be used, the more valuable the practice. In “Giggles and Games”, the phonics program is integrated with the total reading program. This enables early readers to associate phonics with reading rather than as an isolated subject. Reading materials in the form of mini-books are provided for opportunity to practice, extend, and refine knowledge of letter-sound relationships. This enables children to have confidence right from the very beginning. The reading practice pages in the manual are rightly named ,”Look, I Can Read!” pages because that is what children say after just a few lessons. “Look, I Can Read!” is music to the ears!

   BRAIN-FRIENDLY FUN ENCOURAGED

Structures in the brain's limbic system, which controls many essential human behaviors, also contribute to the production of laughter and learning.

Reading With Giggles & Games” uses the shapes of the letter as cues to their sounds enabling children to remember the letter sounds after a single exposure! The songs, games, and silly review methods used in this reading program are there to eliminate stress and produce laughter (the best medicine). The Reading With Giggles & Games System creates an extremely fun, learning environment in which the child often laughs out loud. Laughter reduces levels of certain stress hormones. In doing this, laughter provides a safety valve that shuts off the flow of stress hormones and the fight-or-flight compounds that swing into action in our bodies when we experience stress, anger or hostility. This process has the effect of making the brain very receptive to learning and retaining new information, such as letters, phonemes and words.   See: http://health.howstuffworks.com/human-nature/emotions/other/laughter4.htm

The System encourages brain-friendly fun. All children can learn when the presentation is fun and frustration free. Studies have shown when children, as well as adults, experience stress, the brain receives an overload of a hormone called cortisol. Too much cortisol will shut down thinking and learning, and can cause learning difficulties.

   EXPLICIT, SYSTEMATIC INSTRUCTIONS

The System uses an explicit, systematic instructional approach. Research has shown that most children need a systematic approach to learning to read. “Effective reading instruction not only improves reading ability, but actually changes the brain’s functioning so that it can perform reading tasks more efficiently.” (Duane Alexander, M.D., Director of the NICHD.)