Are workbooks always a waste of time?

So, lo and behold, I was just the teensiest bit disappointed that my son enjoyed his phonics workbook practice so much!  I started out making fun games, and using phonics in the context he was already reading, but then I started to notice holes in the word patterns that he was missing.   I knew a more linear approach was necessary to make sure I 'hit all the high points.'  

When I asked around - special education teachers, reading specialists, seasoned classroom teachers, parents of children with dyslexia - all said the same "try Explode the Code".  I had used this serious as mandatory curriculum in a classroom for children with special needs several years ago, and honestly thought it was boring.  The premise is that a child practices and then masters 2-3 phonetic ideas over 4 pages, and then 2-3 new ideas are added in, and then there are 'tests' every few pages.  There is lots of circling, x-ing out, writing and rewriting and matching of words and pictures.  This is almost exactly how I learned NOT to teach when I was at University.  

I went to my local Half-Priced Books and there was one copy of an Explode the Code workbook. It was right at my son's level.  But I was still skeptical, so I bought 3 other books that looked more 'fun' and included more project, better pictures, and colored pages.  When I presented the series of workbooks to my son, he wanted the Explode the Code one.

Now, he asks if he can please "work in his book".  It's hard enough that he's learning something new each time, but easy enough that he's able to do it without me sitting by and coaching him through it.  In teaching we call that the "Zone of Proximal Development".  A perfect learning place!

So, this is not to promote a certain workbook, but just to acknowledge once again that all children are small, new-to-earth humans who learn in their own sweet ways - workbooks, projects, or otherwise!