Teaching a Child to Read with Reading Eggs
Today I want to share a review with you for Reading Eggs, an online reading program designed to teach your child to read from square one.
Reading Eggs is a fully animated, gamified learning platform. Kids can start using it as young as 2 with Reading Eggs Junior to learn their letter sounds and the program works for kids as old as 13 (in Reading Eggspress) who need to work on reading comprehension. The system is progressive, meaning your child will move forward, step by step as they work towards fluency. If your child is already reading, they can take a placement test so they will start right where they need to be, instead of needing to work through material they already know.
Little Miss has been using Reading Eggs pretty diligently for the last month. She’s been a very reluctant reader – she’s known her letter sounds and basic phonograms for a long time (a long time) but she’s struggled to put the sounds together and to have the confidence to read. She loves books, and has carried them around with her for years, but she’s the kid who will sit in her room and stare at the pages for hours, but recoil when asked to read something aloud. When working on her school work, she asks me to read to her. She doesn’t want to sound things out or be put on the spot.
I used reading eggs with both of the boys for a while when they were first learning to read, so when the company reached out to ask if Little Miss wanted to give the program a try, I jumped on it. Sometimes, I just need a break, and at this point, Little Miss needed a break from me and our curriculum as well.
So, I signed her up, and I took a step back.
Over the last few weeks, Little Miss has “played” on Reading Eggs a ton. For her, it’s just a fun game. When her brothers ask to watch TV, she asks to play. I have been using it as a reward for her. Is your room clean? Great, you can go play on Reading Eggs.
There is something magical about lesson time being playtime. When I pull out our traditional curriculum (even the fun stuff), she had been recoiling a little. Reading was hard. It wasn’t clicking for her. And sitting there with me? That wasn’t working as well as I wanted it too either. She’s struggled with reading more than the other kids did, and she has reacted to that differently than they did as well. She is embarrassed, which isn’t something I saw from the boys.
Reading Eggs has taken the pressure out of the situation. No one is watching her work (except for her little brother, who thinks he’d like to play too). It’s casual, and fun, and independent. She’s been able to work at her own pace, on her own terms.
Sure enough, after a few weeks, I caught this scene:
She had a book, and she was reading it out loud to her baby brother.
Now, she isn’t a fluent reader after four weeks . . . but she does have a new-found excitement for reading, and I can see her confidence blooming. We’ll be continuing with a subscription for a while, so she can continue to practice and learn at her own pace.
I’m thrilled with how it’s gone, and honestly, I am amazed at the results. I’ve been completely hands-off with the program, and other than having her read out loud to me each night before bed, I haven’t done much with her as far as reading instruction goes this month. It’s been a nice break – and she’s been learning the whole time!
Playing just “one more game” before bed!
Try it Free!
You can get a free four week trial of Reading Eggs by signing up at the link below. We saw amazing results in four weeks, and if your child is willing to play on their computer for a little bit each day this month, hopefully, you’ll get the same amazing results! After the trial, you can continue with an affordable website subscription. It’s well worth it for reluctant readers!
