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The Best Learn to Read Programs

What's the Best Program to Help a Child Learn to Read?

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.

Tuesday, March 19th

2024 Learn to Read Program Reviews

Hooked On Phonics Review Top Consumer Reviews Best-In-Class Blue Ribbon Award 5 Star Rating

Hooked On Phonics

5 Star Rating Top Consumer Reviews Best-In-Class Blue Ribbon Award

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 Review 4.5 Star Rating

Reading Eggs

4.5 Star Rating

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 4 Learning Review 4.5 Star Rating

Time 4 Learning

4.5 Star Rating

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 Review 4 Star Rating

Scholar Within

4 Star Rating

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 Review 3.5 Star Rating

K5 Learning

3.5 Star Rating

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 Review 3.5 Star Rating

Reading Raven

3.5 Star Rating

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.

Kiz Phonics Review 3.5 Star Rating

Kiz Phonics

3.5 Star Rating

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 Review 3 Star Rating

ABC Mouse

3 Star Rating

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 Review 2 Star Rating

Homer

2 Star Rating

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 Review 2 Star Rating

Duolingo

2 Star Rating

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 Review 2 Star Rating

Phonics In Motion

2 Star Rating

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 Review 1 Star Rating

Reading Kingdom

1 Star Rating

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.

Compare the Best Reviews

Continued from above...

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:

  • Price. How much does the learn to read program cost? Does it offer a good value for the money?
  • Age range. Is the program suitable for the age of the child(ren) you want to help with their reading progress?
  • Teaching method. Does it follow a phonics-based or sight word-based approach? Is there another way it teaches?
  • Reviews. What are parents and educators saying about this program? Does it have a positive or negative reputation?
  • Spelling program. Does it include a program to teach spelling to your child(ren)?
  • Full program or supplemental. Does the program offer a full reading curriculum (like a homeschool curriculum)? Is it simply to be used with other programs as a reinforcement?

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!

The Best Learn to Read Programs Compare Learn to Read Programs Compare Learn to Read Program Reviews What are the best Learn to Read Programs Best Learn to Read Program Reviews

Learn to Read Program FAQ

All ages can use these programs. Programs and courses have material suitable for all ages to use. Whether it is Pre-K, Elementary, middle school, high school levels, or adults there are programs that can help anyone learn and improve their reading skills.
Most learn to read programs are self-paced and allow the customer to learn the material at their own time. On average each course can take about 20 minutes to a couple of hours depending on the length of the material given. For most effective learning, it is recommended to plan out the courses ahead of time, and to review course material, when available.
Depending on the company and type of course, the cost can range anywhere from $49.99 to $199.99. Monthly plans can range from $6.99 to $30 per month. Having additional students on one course plan, with some companies, can reduce the cost per month.
Depending on the company you consider, there are typically multiple levels of learning from beginner to expert. Most companies organize difficulty with the age of the student. Courses are typically divided into the following structured categories: Pre-K, Elementary, middle school, or high school levels. Keep in mind, several companies only go up to 8th grade, rather than offering levels for high-school students. Be sure to read the details before selecting a plan.
Yes, depending on the type of plan you choose. Be sure to read the details of any course you intend to purchase.
Of course, companies offer several different learn to read programs and are committed to customer satisfaction. Some companies even offer a free 2-week trial (no commitment), 30 days from the date of delivery to request a full refund, 14-day money-back guarantee, and more.
Kids learn to read when they can identify individual or combinations of letters. Next, they connect those letters to sounds (talking and listening). Having a good program that has systematic teaching about phonics is key for a child to being able to learn how to read. Phonics is a method of teaching a person to read by correlating sounds with individual or combinations of letters.
On average, most children begin to read around the age of 6 or 7 years old. Some children even learn as early as 4 years of age. As a bit of advice, keep in mind that even if your child has a head start in learning how to read, his or her peers may eventually catch up - and that's ok.

Compare Learn to Read Programs

Select any 2 Learn to Read Programs to compare them head to head

best-learn-to-read-products
  • Hooked On Phonics
  • Reading Eggs
  • Time 4 Learning
  • Scholar Within
  • K5 Learning
  • Reading Raven
  • Kiz Phonics
  • ABC Mouse
  • Homer
  • Duolingo
  • Phonics In Motion
  • Reading Kingdom
Hooked On Phonics vs Reading Eggs Hooked On Phonics vs Time 4 Learning Hooked On Phonics vs Scholar Within Hooked On Phonics vs K5 Learning Hooked On Phonics vs Reading Raven Hooked On Phonics vs Kiz Phonics Hooked On Phonics vs ABC Mouse Hooked On Phonics vs Homer Hooked On Phonics vs Duolingo Hooked On Phonics vs Phonics In Motion Hooked On Phonics vs Reading Kingdom Reading Eggs vs Time 4 Learning Reading Eggs vs Scholar Within Reading Eggs vs K5 Learning Reading Eggs vs Reading Raven Reading Eggs vs Kiz Phonics Reading Eggs vs ABC Mouse Reading Eggs vs Homer Reading Eggs vs Duolingo Reading Eggs vs Phonics In Motion Reading Eggs vs Reading Kingdom Time 4 Learning vs Scholar Within Time 4 Learning vs K5 Learning Time 4 Learning vs Reading Raven Time 4 Learning vs Kiz Phonics Time 4 Learning vs ABC Mouse Time 4 Learning vs Homer Time 4 Learning vs Duolingo Time 4 Learning vs Phonics In Motion Time 4 Learning vs Reading Kingdom Scholar Within vs K5 Learning Scholar Within vs Reading Raven Scholar Within vs Kiz Phonics Scholar Within vs ABC Mouse Scholar Within vs Homer Scholar Within vs Duolingo Scholar Within vs Phonics In Motion Scholar Within vs Reading Kingdom K5 Learning vs Reading Raven K5 Learning vs Kiz Phonics K5 Learning vs ABC Mouse K5 Learning vs Homer K5 Learning vs Duolingo K5 Learning vs Phonics In Motion K5 Learning vs Reading Kingdom Reading Raven vs Kiz Phonics Reading Raven vs ABC Mouse Reading Raven vs Homer Reading Raven vs Duolingo Reading Raven vs Phonics In Motion Reading Raven vs Reading Kingdom Kiz Phonics vs ABC Mouse Kiz Phonics vs Homer Kiz Phonics vs Duolingo Kiz Phonics vs Phonics In Motion Kiz Phonics vs Reading Kingdom ABC Mouse vs Homer ABC Mouse vs Duolingo ABC Mouse vs Phonics In Motion ABC Mouse vs Reading Kingdom Homer vs Duolingo Homer vs Phonics In Motion Homer vs Reading Kingdom Duolingo vs Phonics In Motion Duolingo vs Reading Kingdom Phonics In Motion vs Reading Kingdom
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