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Friday, July 19, 2013

Reading Kingdom Review (Tomoson)

Effective Online Reading Programs For Kids

I reviewed Reading Kingdom, in exchange for honest review from Tomoson. I received a one-year membership for participation. Reading Kingdom is an online program, which teaches children how to read and write to a third grade level. The program was based on Dr. Marion Blank, Columbia University, who is a renown expert on reading and language development. The website is designed more for kids 4 to 10.

I wanted to review the product for my oldest son. He loves websites such as ABC Mouse, Zac Browser, and StarFall. Brad is special needs. He was diagnosed with Autism and ADHD at an early age. He has made progress over the years, but still struggles with the basics such as reading, writing, comprehension, numbers, and the ABCs. He knows 1, A, and B, but either does not know or refuses to say any other letters and numbers. Brad can recognize words, but can not read or write.  I wanted to try out Reading Kingdom to see if he can make progress. Brad also does not have any speech therapy for the summer. The program is very visual and provides voice instructions and help.  I knew it would take some work because it required a lot of direct supervision and hand over hand work. Sometimes it required showing him exactly what to do. One of my biggest challenges was getting him to pay attention and participate, but I knew that beforehand. Brad requires direct supervision and a lot of patience to get him to try a new game or product or website. I knew I was not going to see progress immediately. The first challenges was to get him to participate in the exercises. It took a few days before he started helping me click versus hand over hand. Any progress is better than no progress. 

The website is free to sign up and you get a 30 day trial. Once enrolled, your child can take an assessment to determine which level to begin on. You can track your child (ren's) progress by name. You also can view what activities your child(ren) have completed. The program is more designed for kids, who work more independently. The exercises are simple to do. If your child is struggling, the program will give helpful visual instructions and help. Reading Kingdom also works on iPads.

Next, you have the option of using the physical keyboard or an on-screen keyboard. I used both to see which would work best with Brad. Parents or guardians also can send a reader report to their email. The report shows your child (ren's) progress in seeing sequences and letter land (if your child is on this level). It also shows progress in the overall program. Parents and guardians also can increase or decrease the response time. Finally, kids can take keyboard and mouse lessons, if they need additional training.  I am still working with Brad in Reading Kingdom.

The price for the program for one reader is 19.99 month or $199.99 year. Each additional reader is 9.99 month or $99.99 a year. The website also sells educational books as well.
Reading Kingdom Online Reading Program


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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

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Please leave a comment. Thank you. Stacie