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The most common tools used to teach literacy to children are phonics and sight words. Phonics tends to be an easier skill for children as they are able to sound out the letters to create a word. Sight words can be trickier because they are words that just need memorized as they do not follow the rules when it comes to reading the English language.
Learn to read programs can be helpful for children as they tend to be game-based. Children love to play games and they do not necessarily realize they are learning. When looking at a learn to read program, you can expect it to offer some type of fun activity for children to do. Some programs go above and beyond this with other school subjects being covered or worksheets to print out.
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Hooked on Phonics has a strong focus on teaching children to read, with additional programs for spelling and math. They offer the first month trial for just $1 and you can cancel at any time. Your membership includes access to the app, workbooks to guide your child, 2 or 3 books to reinforce what was taught, questions to discuss about the book to assist with reading comprehension, stickers to use as a reward and suggestions on extension work. Due to its proven success and being an effective program to teach children to read, we have awarded Hooked on Phonics with our first place ranking.
Reading Eggs is a learn to read program for children ages 2-13. They offer a 30-day free trial followed by a monthly fee of $9.99 or yearly fee of $69.99. Reading Eggs follows 5 keys to literary excellence: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, reading comprehension and fluency. Reading Eggs is one of our favorite choices in teaching children to read because it covers a wide age range and is affordable to use.
Time for Learning is a website created to teach children how to read. They offer programs for children ranging from Pre-K all the way through 12th grade. Prices range from $24.95 to $34.95 per month. Time 4 Learning earns a high rating for being a Certified Autism Resource and a well-rounded, comprehensive program.
Scholar Within is a learn to read online program available to families, created by a board certified educational therapist. They offer an at home and online reading and spelling program. The program focuses on reading fluency, phonics, comprehension, spelling and more. Scholar Within gets high marks for its inclusion of learners of all types and for resulting in improved reading scores.
K5 Learning is an online resource for parents and teachers. It is geared towards students in grades K-6th. They cover multiple subject areas, including reading and comprehension. Parents have 7 days and schools have 10 days to cancel their subscription. K5 Learning has moved up in the rankings since re-doing their website in 2021.
Reading Raven is a smartphone app used to teach children to read. It is geared towards children ages 3 to 7 years old. The app is less than $3 to download on either Android or iOS devices. Reading Raven scores a just-good rating because it is a fun app to use with other programs to increase reading, but it will not teach your child to read as a standalone program.
KizPhonics is a learn to read website designed for children ages 3-8. They offer a variety of pricing plans which include single and multiple children. KizPhonics covers a wide variety of materials to teach phonics to children and they stick strictly to reading lessons. Kiz Phonics is a fun and comprehensive program, but it's higher priced than others and is based out of Hong Kong which makes contacting the company an issue.
ABC Mouse is an online learning program designed for children ages 2-8. They cover multiple subjects including reading, math, science, art and colors. They offer 10 levels, 850 lessons and more than 10,000 individual activities. ABC Mouse allows parents to try it free for 30 days. ABC Mouse got an average rating due to their legal issues and difficulty to work with to cancel the subscription or get a refund.
Homer is a learn to read website with a paid membership for up to four children. The company is difficult to get in contact with should a problem arise, which can be frustrating. Homer earns a less than satisfactory rating due to it not teaching children how to read: it is more of a game that can assist in reinforcing reading skills.
Duolingo ABC offers an app for children to learn to read that is 100% free to use. They offer lessons in phonics, sight words, handwriting and vocabulary. They advertise that children who use Duolingo ABC for 9 weeks improved their literacy scores by 28%. We do not recommend Duolingo ABC for teaching children to read due to not tailoring to your child, not requiring the tracing of full letters and repeated glitches in the app-based software.
Phonics In Motion is a learn to read program with options for schools, homeschoolers, and families. The program is geared towards children in Pre-K through 2nd grade. There is no free trial offered with this program to see if it is a good fit, making it risky to try. We recommend you look at higher-rated learn to read platforms instead of Phonics in Motion.
Reading Kingdom is a learn to read website and app for children. They offer a 30-day free trial, but there's no information on their page about how much it costs per month. The program is geared for children ages 3-10 years of age, but there are many other options out there that you should choose. Avoid Reading Kingdom and go with a higher-ranked platform to help your child learn to read.
Also, spelling can be an important part of learning to read. This helps children find patterns in words and how to read multiple that follow the same rule. An example is if you can spell light and know that the "gh" is silent, then you can read might, tight, and so on.
As you consider different learn to read programs, there are a few key aspects you'll find to be most important:
To help your child learn to read, TopConsumerReviews.com has evaluated and ranked the top programs available today. We're confident that this information will make it easy and even fun!
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