Reading Kingdom is an online program designed to help children ages 4-10 learn to read and write. Based on the idea that teaching phonics alone won't equip a child with what they need to learn how to read, the Reading Kingdom teaches 6 basic skills, which, when used together, give a child the confidence and skills they need to become proficient readers! The program customizes itself to each individual user, so that each child gets personalized reading instruction based on what they need.
The website has an incredible amount of information about how children learn to read, how Reading Kingdom is different from other reading programs, how to use the program, general FAQ's about the program, and many other tutorials about reading and the Reading Kingdom program, so I won't try to restate it all here! But I will share my thoughts, of course, since that is the whole purpose of a review!
My two middle boys, Joel (age 6) and Nathan (age 4) are using the program. Joel is already reading on a beginning level, while Nathan is still learning the names and sounds of the letters in the alphabet. To start the program, each child is given an assessment to see what they already know. Both boys started off in the pre-reading section, which helps a child learn to use the mouse, find letters on the keyboard, and also practice sequencing (helping to teach a child that words are to be read from left to right). Joel moved through this level rather quickly, as expected, while it took Nathan several weeks to make his way through it. I loved what it taught Nathan! He had never used a mouse or a keyboard before, and after he completed this level, he can now use a mouse proficiently and find many letters (hunt-and-peck style) on the keyboard.
I want to interject here for a second and mention that in the beginning, especially during the pre-reading level, parental supervision is needed. While the program strongly discourages parental assistance, the program is not entirely intuitive, either. In the pre-reading level, the activities alternate between clicking letters on a keyboard on the screen, and typing letters on the actual keyboard. However, the instructions for when to do which were not entirely clear (even for me!) and so for the first few lessons I had to stand nearby and remind them "listen carefully to the instructions" or give hints, like "when the keyboard is on the screen, you click it, but when there's no keyboard, you type". So, while I was very careful not to give "clues" or answers to what they were trying to do, they did need some help understanding the instructions.
As I mentioned, Joel quickly advanced into Level 1 of the reading instruction, and he is still there at the time of my writing this review. In Level 1, each lesson starts with a word being said and the child being asked if they can type it. If the child can type it, another word is introduced. When the program introduces a word the child cannot type, the lesson then centers on that word. For example, one of Joel's first words was "girl". Since he could not type "girl", the next 10 minutes (or so) were spent on various activities involving the word "girl". Some of the activities just had him clicking on a picture of a girl. Others had him filling in blanks to complete the word (such as "g_rl), or locating which combination of letters would complete the word. Others had him typing out the word completely. Here are some examples (using other words):
By the end of the lesson, he definitely knew how to spell and read "girl"! As he progresses through the lessons, there are stories that are presented, in which he has to fill in the blanks or type certain words, and the stories include many words from previous lessons, as a review system.
Joel is really enjoying the program and I can see that it is helping him with sight words and other words that are hard to sound out phonetically.
Nathan, on the other hand, is having a little bit more of a struggle. He was moved into Level 1 last week, and since he has had no background in reading whatsoever (other than my reading aloud to him daily), he just isn't catching on to it. The program gives progress reports after each lesson, using icons to demonstrate how well the child performs:
and in Nathan's case, in the Sequencing aspect of the pre-reading level, he consistently got "Performance suggests reader may need more guidance". Despite this, however, he was still moved forward into Level 1, and I cannot move him back into the pre-reading level, which is frustrating for me. I can contact the company and they would delete his progress and allow him to start over again, but I would prefer to be able to do that myself at my discretion. Now, Nathan isn't frustrated by Level 1, because he thinks any time he gets to spend "playing" at the computer is fun! But I can tell by watching him that he really is not picking up on reading through this method.My two middle boys, Joel (age 6) and Nathan (age 4) are using the program. Joel is already reading on a beginning level, while Nathan is still learning the names and sounds of the letters in the alphabet. To start the program, each child is given an assessment to see what they already know. Both boys started off in the pre-reading section, which helps a child learn to use the mouse, find letters on the keyboard, and also practice sequencing (helping to teach a child that words are to be read from left to right). Joel moved through this level rather quickly, as expected, while it took Nathan several weeks to make his way through it. I loved what it taught Nathan! He had never used a mouse or a keyboard before, and after he completed this level, he can now use a mouse proficiently and find many letters (hunt-and-peck style) on the keyboard.
I want to interject here for a second and mention that in the beginning, especially during the pre-reading level, parental supervision is needed. While the program strongly discourages parental assistance, the program is not entirely intuitive, either. In the pre-reading level, the activities alternate between clicking letters on a keyboard on the screen, and typing letters on the actual keyboard. However, the instructions for when to do which were not entirely clear (even for me!) and so for the first few lessons I had to stand nearby and remind them "listen carefully to the instructions" or give hints, like "when the keyboard is on the screen, you click it, but when there's no keyboard, you type". So, while I was very careful not to give "clues" or answers to what they were trying to do, they did need some help understanding the instructions.
As I mentioned, Joel quickly advanced into Level 1 of the reading instruction, and he is still there at the time of my writing this review. In Level 1, each lesson starts with a word being said and the child being asked if they can type it. If the child can type it, another word is introduced. When the program introduces a word the child cannot type, the lesson then centers on that word. For example, one of Joel's first words was "girl". Since he could not type "girl", the next 10 minutes (or so) were spent on various activities involving the word "girl". Some of the activities just had him clicking on a picture of a girl. Others had him filling in blanks to complete the word (such as "g_rl), or locating which combination of letters would complete the word. Others had him typing out the word completely. Here are some examples (using other words):
By the end of the lesson, he definitely knew how to spell and read "girl"! As he progresses through the lessons, there are stories that are presented, in which he has to fill in the blanks or type certain words, and the stories include many words from previous lessons, as a review system.
Joel is really enjoying the program and I can see that it is helping him with sight words and other words that are hard to sound out phonetically.
Nathan, on the other hand, is having a little bit more of a struggle. He was moved into Level 1 last week, and since he has had no background in reading whatsoever (other than my reading aloud to him daily), he just isn't catching on to it. The program gives progress reports after each lesson, using icons to demonstrate how well the child performs:
Comparing the two different experiences my children have had, I would say that I think Reading Kingdom is a good supplement to help a beginning reader start moving on to bigger, non-phonetic words and sight words. I am not so sure, however, how well it would actually teach a complete non-reader to read. The company has very generously allowed TOS Crew reviewers an entire year's subscription, and I plan to continue using it with both boys, so perhaps over time, my uncertainty about Nathan's progress will be proven incorrect! I don't have any doubts, however, that the Reading Kingdom will be a good asset in Joel's reading skills, and may be just what he needs to move from being a "beginning reader" to a full-fledged "reader"!
Both children enjoy the program very much, and ask to do it every day, sometimes several times a day!
Pricing for the Reading Kingdom is $19.99 a month, or $199.99 for a year. They also offer a scholarship program for families in need! A great way to see if the Reading Kingdom would be the right fit for your child is to sign up for their FREE 30-day trial!
Of course, be sure to find out what other reviewers thought of the Reading Kingdom program by checking out the TOS Homeschool Crew blog!
Disclaimer: I was given this product specifically for the purpose of reviewing here on my blog as a member of TOS Homeschool Crew. I received no other compensation in regards to this review.
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