The Hooked On Phonics "Learn To Read" program provides practice in the decoding and automatic recognition of phonetic sounds. It is the automatic recognition of phonetic sounds which the researchers of Hooked On Phonics have focused on to produce reading fluency. Due to the fact that reading fluency is thought by most experts to be a key factor in reading comprehension, the Hooked On Phonics program claims to provide groundwork for future reading comprehension. The concept that practice leads to reading fluency, which then leads to better reading comprehension is reaffirmed by the United States National Reading Panel. However, the only national panels to endorse the Hooked On Phonics program are the National Parenting Center and the National Parenting Publications Awards Program.
New features have been recently added to the Hooked on Phonics program, such as visual phonetics videos and guided reading segments. The manufacturer states that the fundamental concepts have not been changed, because the company is confident in the customer satisfaction rates and the research used in development. The program uses repetition as a driving force of learning.
The Hooked on Phonics program takes a three-step approach to teaching children the basics of phonetics. The approach is called "Learn, Practice, Play." The first step is to introduce the learner to the concept of the particular sound. The second step is to help the children learn the phonetic sound until it is mastered. The third concept is play, where the children play interactive games and read books that reinforce the concepts and allow the children to be comfortable in their affirmations about the phonetic sound.
Hooked on Phonics now offers several different programs designed with the same concepts as the original Hooked on Phonics Program. The "Master Reading" program is designed to teach advanced phonetics and reading fluency. The "Discover Reading" program is a program designed for babies and toddlers that uses multi-sensory stimuli to introduce early phonetics principles into the baby or toddler's learning environment. The "Hooded On Math" program is an introduction to basic mathematical principles for young children before they enter school. The "Learn To Print" program teaches children the step-by-step instructions for handwriting upper- and lower-case letters. There are also programs that teach the basics of speaking English, Spanish, French and Chinese to children.