Fun Videos for Learning to Read

I'm always on the lookout for videos to help my child learn to read. Sometimes it just is not enough to work through his Sadlier Phonics books. Words on a page ebb from his memory, but a catchy song or a hilarious video tends to keep those memories alive.

Below is a catch-all collection of YouTube videos which have greatly helped Aidyn remember phonetic sounds.

Our favorite series of all are the Cliff Hanger videos, which not only entertain but provide a nifty sort of captioning, keep us watching to see if this poor guy will ever get off the cliff. Most of the Cliff Hanger videos focus on long vowels, as in "mole" and consonant digraphs like "ship."




Short A videos:

Between the Lions: "If You Can Read at..."
Between the Lions: Chicken Jane and the Bad Ram
Between the Lions: What's Cooking? Slammed and Rammed Ham (-am words)

Short E videos:

Between the Lions: Cliffhanger and the Bed
Between the Lions: Chicken Jane and the Red Elephant
Between the Lions: Gawain's Word: Net
The Electric Company: Wyak- Short E

Short I videos:

Between the Lions: Cliffhanger and the Tricky Pixie
Between the Lions: Gawain's Word: Kick
KidsTV123: The I Song

Short O videos:

Between the Lions: What's Cooking? Hot Chop Drop Soup
Between the Lions: Chicken Jane and the Ox in a Box
Between the Lions: Magnificent Monkey Cheerleaders- Hop
Between the Lions: Sloppy Pop (-op words)

Short U videos:

Between the Lions: Grubby Pup
Between the Lions: What's Cooking? Rubbed and Hugged Mutton
Between the Lions: Chicken Jane and the Duck with the Truck (with -ck ending words, too.)
Classic Sesame Street: I'd Like to Buy a U for the Word "up"

Long Vowels: -ai-, -ay-, -ea-, -oa- videos:

Between the Lions: When Two Vowels Go Walkin' (amazing video to use throughout long vowel instruction!)
Between the Lions: Cliffhanger and the Rain (-ai- words)
Classic Electric Company- Everyone Has a Pain (-ai words)
Between the Lions: Cliffhanger and the Enchanted Goat (many -oa- words)

Silent E videos:

The Electric Company- Silent E Music Video
Classic Electric Company- Silent E


 Long A videos:

(still searching for good ones!)

Long E videos:

Between the Lions: Double E Song (mainly -ee- words)
Between the Lions: Monkey Pop-Up Theatre- Bo Peep (lots of -ee- words)
Classic Sesame Street- E Imagination (-ee- and -ea- words)
Between the Lions: Gawain's Word: Weep
Between the Lions: What's Cooking? Beef in a Sheet (-ee- words)

Long I videos:

Between the Lions: Vowel Boot Camp- Long i

Long O videos:

Between the Lions: Dixie Chimps- Long O
Between the Lions: Cliffhanger, the Mole, and the Rope
Classic Sesame Street- The O Song (wonderful song with long o words)
Between the Lions: Fonix- Double O, Oo (-oo- words like "moo")


Long U videos:

The Electric Company: Josephine: Long U


Y as a vowel videos:

Classic Electric Company- LY
Between the Lions: B.B. the King of Beasts- Troubled by Y

Long vowel combo videos:

Muffin Songs: ABC Phonics Chant Song- Long u, o, and e

Consonant digraph videos:

Between the Lions: Cliffhanger and the Sheep on a Ship (-sh- words)
Between the Lions: Gawain's Word: Shark (-sh- words)
Between the Lions: What's Cooking? Squished Fish on a Dish (-sh- words)
Between the Lions: What's Cooking? Tickled and Pickled Ribs (-ck- and short i words)
Between the Lions: Gawain's Word: Tickle (-ck- words)
Between the Lions: Cliffhanger, the Pheasant and the Phone (-ph- words)
Between the Lions: Cliffhanger and the Chuckling Chickens (-ch- words)

r-controlled vowels videos:

Between the Lions: Cliffhanger and the Dirty Purple Shirt

More will be added as we find and use more. Check back later for new additions!