Thanks aeh. I had a chance to look at the link you posted, and it looks like she is okay developmentally and just young. It seems like 5 is the age for a lot of the PP skills to really start. DD does not consistently create rhyme words without errors, but she can make rhymes. And she can pick out the word that doesn't rhyme if I give her a list. I have not tried her with syllable clapping.
She is also having trouble producing sh sounds, but that might be age too. And she has trouble with the but it am pretty sure that sound is one of the last to be mastered. She did tell me last night that three four five was alliteration, and with her 'free' four five she was right. DH is also Irish and does not use th in his speech.
I guess if all this reading works out okay, I might be saying in a couple years time that we made a great decision starting her early. I don't like to be making things hard for her unnecessarily though.
MichelleC, I had a look at the dyslexia post, and I don't think at this stage I am too worried about that, but I will definitely keep an eye on her as the year goes by.
Thanks for all the advice about working on phonics at home. DD does not seem too frustrated yet, although she must be aware she is struggling because when I tried to get her to say a word with Sh in it after I had been to her parent teacher meeting she said "mrs. Teacher said I am stupid didn't she?" But this was the first I had heard of her feeling that way, and she seems to be enjoying school overall. So fingers crossed she remains happy with school while we get her reading to where it needs to be.
