Reading Kingdom Online Reading & Writing Program Review
My daughter is officially 41/2 now, and we don’t currently have her enrolled in a preschool. Because she was born in December, she won’t be able to start Kindergarten until she’s 6 (don’t get me started on that nonsense), so I’ve been looking for ways to help her learn while she’s still home with me. My latest discovery is Reading Kingdom, an award-winning online program that teaches children 4-10 to read and write to a 3rd grade level.
Reading Kingdom was developed by Dr. Marion Blank, a world-renowned expert on reading and language who currently serves on the faculty of Columbia University. Dr. Blank has come up with a patented “Integrated Six Skill Method” of instruction to help children become successful readers and writers. I have always liked phonics (I’m sentimental), but I recognize that the English language is complicated and has more exceptions than rules, and phonics just doesn’t cover everything. A system that combines multiple learning methods is bound to be more effective than one that approaches it from a single angle.
It all starts with a Skills Survey to determine at which level the child should begin the program. My daughter is still very young and doesn’t have much reading experience, so we started at the beginning. As clueless as she was about letters on keyboards, Reading Kingdom had my girl typing words after just a few, quick lessons. Okay, it’s not real typing just yet, but she can easily locate every letter and some punctuation now.
Each of the reading and writing levels teach the students spelling, pronunciation, meaning, and usage of words and phrases, all culminating in the reading of a book that incorporates the words that were just learned. Once a level is completed, the student progresses to the next level or can review weak areas if needed.
They make it very clear in the beginning that Mom is not supposed to help, which makes sense, but I found that my daughter expected my help anyway. So after the first few sessions, I snuck away to give her some alone time with the program. Just as I suspected, she was fine on her own and eventually stopped looking to Mommy for assistance. When I watch her now, I can see that she’s really concentrating on the tasks she’s presented with.
The Reading Kingdom lessons are challenging enough that my daughter needs to focus and think in order to complete them, but they’re done in a way that is fun and interesting to her and doesn’t cause her frustration. What I especially love about this program is that they offer detailed reporting of your child’s progress so you always know how he/she is doing. After a month of using this at least a few times per week (we aimed for once per day), my daughter has shown substantial improvement in word recognition, spelling, and even understanding punctuation. She definitely needs more work, but I think it’s a great start, and she looks forward to “playing the owl game” every day. If you’re looking for a great tool to help your little one improve his/her reading skills, head over to Reading Kingdom and sign up to try it free for 30 days!
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
-7 Comments-
my sister tried this with my niece and it works wonderfully!
Jamie Knupp recently posted..Noxicare Natural Pain Relief Cream Giveaway
This looks like a good program. It’s nice to find one that keeps their attention while helping them learn.
What a cool program! My daughter is just 3 but I am going to keep this bookmarked for when she is a little older 🙂
Amanda recently posted..Vintage Luxury Accommodations in Downtown Denver
As a homeschooling mom, this would be great!
Renae C. recently posted..My Son the Bully
I love educational games and this looks like a good one!
Kas
Kasandria Reasoner recently posted..Behind the Scenes at the Sweetbriar Rose Cafe in Chester’s Mill Under The Dome
This looks like a fun way to help children learn to read! In my experience, the more fun you can amke it, the more they will learn!
My daughter enjoys this program, as well. She had used it when she was younger and loved it, but we let our subscription lapse until recently. She tested into the 4th out of 5 levels toward the end of the program, but she is learning a lot and enjoying it.