Learning Dynamics: 4 Weeks to Read {Review}

A huge milestone in any child’s life is learning to read. Learning Dynamics aims to help preschool through second-grade children achieve this within four weeks with their Learning Dynamics Reading Program.

Learning Dynamics Reading Program

All the materials needed come in a very convenient box for storage. It includes:

• Lesson Manual
• 50+ Full Color Easy Reader Books
• CD of 34 songs
• Activity Book/Workbook
• Letter Rewards
• Flashcards

How to Use the Learning Dynamics Reading Program

Learning Dynamics: 4 Weeks to Read is designed to be used for fifteen minutes a day, three days a week. This is not a program where the child works independently. Parent involvement is required, but there is minimal preparation needed.

Prior to giving the lesson, you will want to quickly read through it and familiarize yourself with it.

Gather the appropriate letter reward card and flashcard and perhaps even listen to the song first. You will also want to check the end of each lesson for the optional activity.

The majority of the optional activities do not require any extra items, but occasionally they do. For example, in the first lesson you need M & M’s to play a game where every time your child finds something in the house that makes the “m” sound, they get an M & M. These activities are not required, but they do add a fun element to the lesson and allow you to incorporate the new letter sound throughout your day.

4 Weeks to Read Lesson Progression

The Learning Dynamics lessons begin with learning the sound of the letter “m.” Since it is one of the first sounds children make, it is an easy one to start with. After five lessons, so five sounds, and a review lesson, they have their first blending lesson.

I really liked that blending was included so early because I feel it gives children an early win. They don’t have to know all the sounds of all the letters to start reading words. They can start blending easy words with the letter sounds they do know and build on that excitement.

After they learn all the letter sounds, then there is a focus on vowels and the two different sounds they make. From there, students begin learning the different rules for using vowels. Finally, they learn consonant blends.

How a Learning Dynamics Lesson Should Look

If you are curious as to how a lesson should look, you can watch the video below, which covers the first lesson. This is helpful for showing you how you can structure the lesson if you need ideas. This video, along with a few others can be found on their website under the Training section.

I did find the videos helpful, especially the one on how to teach blending. (You watch the blending video after lesson 6) Her explanation to the children comparing your mouth to a motor that doesn’t stop as it goes from sound to sound was a clever way to teach the concept of blending.

The lessons were easy enough that a few days I had my oldest daughter (16) teach them.

How We Used Learning Dynamics 4 Weeks to Read

I got this to use with my six-year-old daughter, Olivia. She had started to read but was still needing help in some areas. We breezed through the letter sounds because I really wanted to focus on her trouble spots, mainly vowels and reading rules.

The songs really helped with this. I had been working with her for what felt like forever before this trying to get her to remember what letters the vowels were. After listening to the vowel song a few times, she had it down.

Likewise, during times when she was reading aloud, it was easy to prompt her by mentioning one of the songs. For example, when coming across a word like “beat” I could prompt her with “when two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking. . .” from one of the songs and she would be able to remember the rule and figure out the word.

An Unexpected Student

I also have a two and a half-year-old daughter, Lenora, who I thought I would eventually use this with if we liked it. While the workbook is consumable, you can purchase it separately for additional children.

As is the nature with homeschool, younger sibling are typically underfoot and observing all the learning their older siblings are doing.

Lenora really took to this program, even though she was not the one I was officially working with.

She loved the letter reward cards and was so excited to hold them and say the sound.

The songs were her favorite and she would listen to them over and over again. Eventually, she learned some of them well enough that we would catch her singing bits of them.

She watched the above video lesson on the letter “m” on repeat one day for almost an hour she liked it so much.

This was a program that really appealed to her. For now, I am happy to let her listen to the songs–especially the alphabet song–and familiarize herself with the flashcards and letter rewards. When she gets a little older, we will start working through the program. I envision having great success with her.

*Update: My oldest daughter, now 17, has been using this program to *officially* teach Lenora, almost 4. She is doing great!

Our Recommendation of Learning Dynamics 4 Weeks to Read

Learning Dynamics is definitely a program I would recommend to help you teach your little ones to read. It will work best with children who enjoy learning through music and are motivated by simple rewards. There was not a large focus on writing, so an inability to form the letters on paper should not be a deterrent.

As with any program, it is important that your child is showing signs they are ready to read, regardless of age. If they are ready, then this is an easy program as a parent to follow. It also does not require a large amount of your time, which I like.

Learning Dynamics 4 Weeks to Read is the best program I have found for teaching reading.

For more Learning Dynamic reviews, be sure to check out the rest of the Crew.