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Once he finishes the word, I say, "what does that spell." He says the word phonetically. Go for it. Just store the thing flat. Finally, I agree with other reviewers that this may not be a toy that the child will "play with for years." But isn't it worth the price to further your child's interest in reading. He is so proud of himself that he is reading. p.s.
Also, I take out the letters and put them in a tupperware or on a larger surface area so that the child can find the letters more easily. For pete's sake, you can always save the toy for another child or pass it on to someone else. This toy has allowed the "penny to drop." He now totally gets it that letters make words, which is the next level after just "knowing your abc's." He looks at the picture, fishes out the letters, builds the word, then sounds it out. I really love the wooden, old-time solid contruction, too.
I've always gotten better results by making things a game. I called it a "Spelling Toy" when I gave it to my son. I do agree with other reviewers that there should be a cover; indeed, it's odd that a plexiglass one is not included as it is with the other M & D sets. He has been interested in letters for quite some time.
I say, "and how do you spell that." He spells it out letter by letter. But that is really a minor complaint. I also have a seven year-old who is now reading chapter books and, believe me, once they start reading you do not have to spend so much time entertaining them and the boob-tube goes off; they will be holed up in their rooms reading Chet Gecko, Nate the Great or what-have-you. I did not call it a puzzle or say, "Let's learn how to read." Hence, the title of my review.
My younger son is four and a half. The picture is there as a reinforcement. YES.
The letters seem ok (they don't seem super durable) and the boards are very colorful. I was missing one of the alphabets and called Melissa & DOug who promised to send the missing alphabet over but havent done so yet.My 3 year old seems to enjoy playing with it- I am mainly going to use it to familiarize him with the small letters since he has already mastered the capital letters.
I purchased this for my 2 1/2 yr old nephew and he loves it. His mom is helping him learn the letters (a few of which he already knew).I am very pleased with the product.
Just received in the mail on Friday and my kids have not stopped playing with the puzzle. They are 3 & 5.
My daughter already knows her letters so this is a great toy for helping her learn to spell & read. I keep the letters in a baggie so that we don't lose any. We love Melissa & Doug products in our household and this one does not disappoint. It's also great for lower case letter recognition, since we often see upper case letters in toys.
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