Learn to Read Activity Book

For the past few months I have been searching for a decent (reasonably priced) activity book that will teach my four year old how to read, but I wasn't satisfied with any until I found this one! I find that most of the activity books out there do not follow any logical order, it's become increasingly common to just throw together a hodgepodge of sight words and vowels in one book, and make believe that the child will magically start reading without building on concepts and giving him the tools he needs to master the art of reading. Another thing that annoyed me was that a lot of activity books would start with four letter words before introducing to the child simpler words like "cat" and "hot". Like why on earth would you teach your child the words "door" "duck" "have" before teaching him simple word families like "at" "ug" "ot" and so forth before moving forward. Even three letter words like "see" "are" "you" that don't follow the normal rules of english grammar should not be taught to a child before they can master the words that do follow the rules like "cat" "log" and "pig". I felt that just bombarding my child with sight words would never work, since there is that many words he can memorize before he forgets everything. This book is the only book that actually builds on concepts and does not confuse the child by introducing myriads of sight words to memorize. This book is extremely methodical and systematic and follows a very logical order, it starts by introducing single letters, then goes on to introduce your child to word families like "at" "ot" "it" and so forth. Your child will only encounter three letter words until lesson 41 where simple sight words like "I" and "A" are first introduced. The activities are quite exciting, the letters and pictures are sharp and big so your child has no problem reading them and stringing vowels and words together. Sight words are only introduced occasionally but the bulk of the book focuses on regular three letter words that your child alone can put together after he's given the tools and taught all the vowel sounds. Four letter words which the author calls blend words like "clip" and "club" are first introduced in lesson 49! Note: this book does not teach the long vowel sounds, only the short vowel sounds. So if you're looking for long vowel sounds this book is not for you. I cannot promise that your child will learn to read from this book alone. By the time I found this book I already taught my four-year old how to recognize basic word families like "at" and "ot", so he was already familiar with these words and was able to apply these concepts, more or less, to unfamiliar word families like "ug" and "ip". Introducing word families to your child can be a very challenging task, and I wonder if my experience with this book would have been the same if I had to teach him all that from scratch (for example the author doesn't have a page about beginning and ending sounds, concepts which I taught my child way before I got this book). As for the ability of this book to keep my child's attention and focus, it's also hard to say, my child is academically inclined and would do even not-such exciting activities if it's challenging enough for him and stimulates his brain, and this is one thing he does not struggle with, so I can't say with certainty, but compared to other books we had in the past the activities in this book do not disappoint. Here are couple of pros that I summarized for you: <Clear instructions for the teacher or parent to follow< <Big and easy-to-spot letters and words< <Vivid pictures and nice graphics< <Exciting activities (although they can get boring as the book drags on)< <Structured in a very logical order by introducing word families first, then moving on to sight words (but not too much), and finally to blend words< <Uses pictograms to help the child string together sentences (I elaborate on this below)< I cannot recommend this book enough. My child is already reading much better, and this book has definitely helped him grasp vowels and word families and recognize them more easily. Please do not hesitate to buy this, you won't be disappointed! I only wish this book had been longer or that the author had written a sequel to this book to teach long vowel sounds, the book as it is now (only teaches short vowel sounds) shows my child only the tip of the iceberg, but there is so much more he needs to learn in order to be able to read all by himself. In any case, my child is absorbing a lot, and I'm very grateful for that! P.S. Now about the part that really impresses me with the pictograms to help my child finish a sentence on his own, here it is: in lesson 41 the author introduces the sight words "I" and "A". Instead of including more sight words like "see" and "car" and bombarding the child with too many sight words, the author manages to structure a sentence without the actual words by substituting them with pictograms, so in the place of "see" the author has a picture of an "eye", and in the place of "car", the author has a picture of a car. So it looks like this "I (#eye) a (#car)", now the child can string his first sentence together by interpreting the pictograms and reading out loud "I see a car", plus he has learnt two new sight words ("I" and "a"). That's what I call brilliant methodology!

This activity book has been an incredible resource for helping my child learn to read. The 101 phonics lessons are structured in a very logical, sequential order, starting with letters, then moving to word families, sight words, and finally simple blends. This methodical approach makes it easy for young learners to grasp reading concepts without feeling overwhelmed. The lessons are short, engaging, and filled with fun activities like coloring, mazes, and word games. The letters and words are big and easy to see, and the pictures are vibrant, which really helps maintain my child’s attention. I also appreciate the clear instructions for parents or teachers, guiding exactly how to teach each concept and how to support children through the exercises. While the book focuses only on short vowel sounds, it provides a strong foundation for early reading. My child, who is just four years old, has already started sounding out words and reading simple sentences independently. It’s interactive, enjoyable, and builds confidence as kids see their own progress. This workbook is perfect for preschoolers, kindergartners, and even early readers who need extra practice. I would absolutely recommend it.

I bought Learn to Read Activity Book for my 5-year-old and it has been a great fit for where he is developmentally. The lessons are short, structured, and actually follow a logical phonics progression instead of just random worksheets. Each activity builds on the previous one, so it feels intentional rather than overwhelming. I appreciate that it focuses on phonemic awareness and blending, not just letter recognition. It’s simple enough that he doesn’t get frustrated, but structured enough that I feel confident we’re building real reading skills. We’ve been able to use it in 10–15 minute sessions, which is perfect for this age. If you’re homeschooling, supplementing kindergarten, or just want a straightforward phonics-based approach at home, this is a solid choice — especially for the price.

Really well throughout book. Bought this for my 5 year old daughter to help with her reading skills and it is a workbook she will actually do without putting up a fight! I really appreciate that it combines letter sound and recognition with blending and phonic skills. Those are really the foundational skills needed to become a fluid reader.

It's ok. I do feel like they could have done more on each page at the beginning, it is too basic and there isn't even anywhere for the child to practice writing the letter. It is the letter on 1 page and 2 VERY easy activities on the next for that letter. That is the first 75 pages. Then it gets into the blending sounds. Once she gets past the first part, I think it will be good, but I don't feel like the first 75 pages are super helpful.

My daughter has shown significant progress with these lessons! She loves starting with this book every morning

Love!! Got to “homeschool” my three year old. He is almost 5 and still enjoys doing the activities in this book. Teaches you the parent how to teach them! Love it.

Haven't used it yet but I will say I skimmed through it and seems pretty good for her to start learning.