Review: Reading Eggs

As part of the TOS Review Crew, I was recently asked to review the Reading Eggs program. 

The program is intended for preschool aged children through approximately age 13. It's available on a month by month basis for $9.95, as a 6 month subscription for $49.95, or as a 12 month subscription for $75.00. (You can also sign up for a free trial.)

This program is broken down into two main sections, Reading Eggs for younger children, (approximately 3-7,) and Reading Eggspress for older children, (approximately ages 7-13.)

The Reading Eggs programs includes all the typical aspects of reading curriculum (letter and sound recognition, sight words, comprehension, etc,) and ties it into a neat little virtual world, where your child earns "golden eggs," and unlocks new characters and mini games.

I was initially somewhat skeptical about this program. L is nearly 7, finishing first grade, but reading several years above his "grade level." I wasn't sure if he'd be sufficiently challenged or interested in the program.

I was wrong. 

It's become his favorite part of the school day, and we've actually been using it as sort of a reward for a good effort on his other lessons. He doesn't regard it as "work," but he is being challenged.  L gets very excited about finishing each level, and unlocking a new character. He's currently on level 94 out of 120 in the Reading Eggs section of the site. (There are many more lessons in the Reading Eggspress section.) He's been motivated to take the tests by the fact that after having passed one, he gets to play a fun racing game for 60 seconds.

We tried the program with nearly 4 year V, and although she did enjoy it, she wasn't immediately sucked into it the way L was. She's also not terribly proficient with the mouse yet, which was also a factor.

Based on our experience, we're thinking about continuing our subscription for L, because I feel like he's really getting a lot out of it. 

We won't be continuing V's subscription when our trial runs out, because we generally prefer a more organic sort of reading instruction at the pre-k level, mostly just reading aloud, and discussing letters and sounds throughout the day. If, however, you're looking for something a little more "school-y" at the pre-k level, I'd certainly recommend this program.

To find out what other Homeschooling families thought about the Reading Eggs program, check out the TOS Review Crew blog.

Disclosure: I was provided with free access to this program in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was provided, and all opinions are my own.