Happy Friday! Since we are in the middle of our two-week special series “Teaching Your Child to Read with Confidence”, we are sharing our favorite reading programs that we have used to teach our own kids to read! Enjoy this homeschooling reading item that we can’t live without….and you shouldn’t either!
This Friday, we want to share the online program Reading Eggs. We have been using this site over 8 years as primary reading instruction as well as a reading instruction supplement. You will not believe the amount of instruction, activities, games, and resources that are available on the site, yet it is so easy to use! Each year it seems more comprehensive and now they have expanded the program to support preschool through middle school-age children. And for the win--the pricing is very affordable, even for large families! (You even get a free trial--more details on that later!)
What it is:
According to the website, Reading Eggs is a unique online world where children learn to read from ages 2-13. Reading Eggs supports each child's learning by offering individual, one-on-one lessons that allow children to progress at their own pace. Children love the more than 1,000 activities, games, songs, golden eggs, and other rewards which, along with feeling proud of their reading, really motivate children to keep exploring and learning with Reading Eggs.
Reading Eggs Junior is the newest program created specifically for early learners (ages 2-4) that can learn through a series of videos and books.
The Reading Eggspress community is geared for older children (7-13) to encourage fluent reading via the more than 2,500 books in the e-library and the ability to compete with children around the world.
So here’s why we love it:
Ah! Where do we begin? There are so many reasons we think so highly of this program but we have narrowed it down to our Top Five:
It is fun, seriously fun. Our kids all have loved it! They think they are “playing screens” when in reality they are learning at the same time. Once a child completes a section of a lesson they earn “eggs”. These eggs can be used to play a wide variety of games.
There’s a placement test that will access their abilities and place them in the correct level. The levels can also be changed at any time!
There is a worksheet component! There are 4 full color or black and white printable worksheets for each lesson. The program works without them, but you can use them as a supplement or as a full reading curriculum. The program incorporates both phonics and whole language approaches so lessons include phonics, sight words, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension elements.
Once your child is ready you can also use the spelling and reading comprehension portions of the program as well as the entire online library of over 80 books.
If you want to use it as a full curriculum there are lesson plans included! These plans describe in detail what topics your child will be reading about and also help you plan science and social studies lessons.
And This Amazing Bonus---You can try the program for 30 days for FREE. No credit card required! And when the 30-day trial is over the price is very affordable if you choose to sign up for a year, $59 for one child and $89 for 2-4 students. Plus one subscription allows you access to all three programs, Reading Eggs Junior, Reading Eggs, and Reading Eggspress.
Missed our other Favorite Fridays? Check them out at our blog, Our Favorites!
