Item: Reading Kingdom
Vendor: Darjon Learning, Inc.
Pricing Options: $19.99 per month, $199.99 per year, discounts for multiple students, 30-day free trial
Recommended Ages: 4-10 years old
What is Reading Kingdom?
Reading Kingdom is an online reading program created by Dr. Marion Blank. The program centers around 6 skills needed for reading: sequencing, motor skills, sounds, meaning, grammar, and comprehension.
Reading Kingdom begins at the pre-reading level with mouse and keyboard training. By the end of the program your child is able to read independently. The program is not simply a phonics program but teaches multiple aspects of language. In addition, it is customized for each student.
What did we think?
I used this program with my 5 year old. She knows her letters and now to read some words. She began with mouse and keyboard training. She did not understand what this had to do with reading but I encouraged her to get through it. This may seem odd but it helps familiarize the child with the keyboard and thus the child does not have to hunt and peck for keys. This did help her skill wise with the computer and ultimately with her abilities. I thought the program was nicely laid out and interesting to look at for children. I like the approach for an overall understanding of reading skills.
What I liked:
The program is always checking your child’s progress so your child is always working on her skill level. This alleviates boredom and frustration.
Child works independently.
Program tackles multiple skills
What I did not like:
We found that sometimes imputing the required answers was not recognized by the computer. This caused frustration on my child’s part as she had to type in the same right answers several times. This happened several times.
The computer demands a response in a certain amount of time. This is fine if you respond quickly. However, if you do not you sit through the explanation again which can be frustrating for the child.
I find the cost a bit high for the program.
Overall, I feel the program is solid. The issues I had were not with the quality or the approach.