Get the Fridge Phonics
934030
This is a great product and idea but the magnetic ones that stick on the fridge are much better. It keeps the letters contained better and can be used standing up and sort of 'on the go' in between running from the kitchen to wherever else.
3009359
This is for my fiance for his phonics lessons. I know that Sony ranks top of the line and again I knew that Amazon would have just what I was looking for, I got it for his Birthday. He loves it and so do I, I use it more than he does.
4181694
I like the spectrum books. Sometimes they skip ahead and expect the kids to know something that hasn't been taught but I have mainly only found that issue in their math books. This seems to be dealing more with phonics right now than actually spelling so we will see as we progress farther in. Chapters 1-15 are the phonics chapters but phonics are always useful.
1979704
I bought this phonics book because it is what I used as a child.  My son is in 1st grade and has learned so much from this book.  His reading has improved since he started this.  Before we were using reading curriculum that just had him reading words, this book uses the rules and repeats them as they work on different pages.  It really emphasizes what he needs to remember about sounding out words.  I am very pleased with the way this book is laid out and my son also really likes working through it.
2497637
Wish I would have bought this when my kids were in school. I use it for grocery list on the fridge. instead of grabbing paper and writing on it I use this.
148624
As children begin to recognize letters, and how they sound, this book will help them memorize how words look and will pick them up by seeing them next to the object.  Parents can help children sound out words which will help in learning to spell.
1625031
I bought this Winter Fun boxed set for my daughter (now 6) as a gentle introduction to sight-word reading after a strong phonics introduction using Bob Books and other resources.

This set includes a nice range of books on different topics, with bright, colourful illustrations.  It also includes a blank book so kids can write their own, as well as a sticker chart and stickers which feature an illustration from each book as an extra incentive to keep on reading.  My daughter really doesn't need an incentive, but loves having the chart up prominently anyway.

I will state strongly here that I believe in using phonics instruction FIRST and starting kids off with a solid grounding in how words sound - even though English is not 100% phonic.  "Sounding out" is an essential skill in tackling any page of print, even if some words and letter combinations must be memorized.

Brand New Reader books are NOT phonics-based:  they instead offer a range of visual cues and hints to help children guess what's going on on the page.  The authors of The Well-Trained Mind call this "whole-to-parts" instruction, and believe it's not the best way for young kids to learn most subjects.

Still, in some cases, sight-word reading is indeed a better choice, which is why I wanted to use something like this in addition to our phonics program once my daughter's early reading was fairly well established.

The books are a fun change from some of the dryness inherent in phonics-based readers, which introduce vocabulary more slowly.  The Bob Books are seriously lacking on the graphics side, whereas these readers are bright and colourful, so they look more like "real" books.

The books are not all, strictly speaking, winter-based in theme.  Baking a cake, putting on a jacket, taking a bath... well, most aren't, I'd say.  In fact, Monkey the Mummy shows a variety of outdoor activities that are impossible here in the winter.  So don't buy it because you think it will have a lot of seasonal content; it really doesn't.

I have just ordered the Summer Fun box, even though it's not summer yet.  I hope the connection to the season is just as vague for that set, and I'm looking forward to reading them with my daughter.  After that, we'll probably be finished with these, because they really are VERY basic, and she's going to have a ton of books at her fingertips by then.

Beware of ordering this Winter Fun set if you're planning on buying one of the "coloured" sets (blue, purple, red, green) - they are incompatible!  The books in this Winter set are selected from the other boxed sets.  There are no other sets you can buy that won't duplicate at least one book.  That's why I went with the Summer Fun set.  If you'd prefer to read MORE of these with your kid(s), go for the coloured sets instead.

The set also includes lots of tips for parents.  As a fan of phonics (fonics? ;-)), I don't necessarily agree with all of them (for instance, letting kids guess from the pictures, or telling them ahead of time what the story will be about to help them guess).

Still, I know phonics doesn't work for everybody, and I certainly believe in supplementing with sight-reading materials.  For filling that niche, these books are a great bridge to what I hope will be years of "real" reading to come.
2617131
these items were great for my grandaughter. I recommend this for anyone who has two years old that are starting to learn phonics.
1790084
Having a print dictionary does wonders. Also you get plenty of words to look up and their alternative forms and idioms.
3001999
There are some great tips in this book for teaching phonics that every teacher should use.  Very entertaining almost like games.
4280599
If you want your toddler to love reading, get this. He will be reading before 1st grade.  Phonics is NOT taught in school now; only 'sight' words (your child must remember the word and how it's pronounced, not learn the RULES for pronunciation). I am 63 and when I was old enough to be in first grade my birthday fell too late in the month for me to get in public school. So my parents put me in a private school for that grade. Mrs. Wallace was my 1st grade teacher. I can remember her very clearly. She had white hair and was so kind to all the children. She'll never know how much she helped me and the rest of the class by teaching us the RULES of pronunciation instead of having to memorize the look of the word. Even today as I work with the public and see all kinds of last (and even first names) I rarely have any problem pronouncing names.
This book will have your child reading in no time and will be excited about it!!! But you will need a cassette player for the one cassette it has.
105669
LOVE and would HIGHLY recommend Junior Phonics to EVERYONE learning the English language.

Also purchase the next one in the series.  Also really good!
4616048
I got the first of these (Letter Factory) based on the reviews.  As an adult, I was not impressed AT FIRST -- the cartoon characters are a little annoying.  But don't be put off; keep watching.  These videos are amazing!  What a creative way to teach phonics.  We encorporated the fragments of song in the video into one long alphabet/phonics song.  My grandchildren learned phonics and were on their way to reading before the age of 3.  (My granddaughter actually read her first book shortly after receiving these videos.)  Get them all!
4926749
My son was struggling with 2 other phonics programs but has really excelled now due to the amazing simplicity of this book. I love it!  I included a few pics of the pages because I think it helps to see a little before you buy.
3074673
Basic phonological processing instruction - everything old is new again.  I actually use this, compared to some more expensive programs.
1865228
Amazing. My kids love it and sing the song w all the phonics sounds daily. Made a major difference with my kid's education. We watch it all the time.
1994379
I bought this as part of the 5 DVD set. My son already knew all his letters and after watching this DVD for a week he knows all his sounds as well! There's also a great game on the main menu that quizzes them on sound recognition.

The only thing I would change about this DVD is that they don't have the long vowel sounds like they do in the Leap Frog Fridge phonics, and as a former teacher the pronunciation for "L" leaves a bit to be desired.

Other than that, the DVD is very entertaining and captures and retains the child's attention.