Reading Kingdom ~ A Review

 

Reading Kingdom is an online reading program designed to teach children ages 4 to 10 to read and write to a 3rd grade level.  I was given a free subscription to the Reading Kingdom so that I could review this product.

How It Works

The first thing your child does when they begin the Reading Kingdom program is take a skills assessment.  Their performance on this activity helps the Reading Kingdom place them in the appropriate level in the program.

Depending upon their performance on the skills assessment tool, your kiddo will be placed in one of the following Reading Kingdom levels:

• Keyboard & Mouse Training {Pre-Reading}
• Seeing Sequences {Pre-Reading}
• Letter Land {Pre-reading}
• Reading & Writing Level 1 through Level 5

Read here to learn more information about what skills are taught in each of the above levels.

Reading Kingdom is not a phonics-based program.  Instead Reading Kingdom, which was developed by literacy expert Dr. Marion Blank,  teaches six skills that kiddos need to achieve mastery in reading:  sequencing, motor skills, sounds, meaning, grammar, and comprehension.  You can read more about their approach to teaching reading here.

Our Experience

My dd6, a beginning reader, has been using the Reading Kingdom since the middle of January.  Reading Kingdom required her to complete a skills assessment at the beginning of our subscription so that she could be placed in the appropriate program. 

After a brief stint in keyboard and mouse training {I wanted to make sure she had what Reading Kingdom needed}, she began in Letter Land and Seeing Sequences. She tested out of these programs and into Reading and Writing Level 1 after using the Reading Kingdom 4 days/week for about 3 weeks.

Each of her daily lessons is quite short {it takes her about 15 minutes per day} and feedback is provided immediately.  The activities in Level 1 {her current level} include recognizing, reading, and typing simple words like bird, kids, some and walk.  Once she has mastered a set of words, she gets to read a book {on-line} that contains these words {and other words that she has already learned in the program}.

 

She usually works on this program independently while I am working with one of my other kiddos.

I am using Reading Kingdom alongside another reading curriculum {which is phonics based}, and I have found it to be a fun complement to this program.   

My dd6 has enjoyed the activities on this online reading program and for the most part she is having a blast practicing her reading skills.  However, she does have moments of frustration when she is not able to find a particular letter on the keyboard right away.

Reading Kingdom makes it very simple for me to check dd6’s progress in the program.  From the main page of our account I simply click on dd6’s name and it takes me to a progress report page.  The progress report provides symbols that tell dd’s status in each section of the program.   A key is provided at the bottom of the progress report page so I know what each symbol means :)

 

I think that the Reading Kingdom is definitely a fun addition to my dd6’s reading and spelling curriculum.  I feel very blessed to have been given the opportunity to try this product for free as a result of this review.   However, because I see this as a fun addition to our current phonics-based reading program {which I am very happy with}, I don’t believe that I would pay the $19.99/month or $199.99/year subscription fee for this online reading program. 

But I know that some of you may be looking for a reading program for your kiddos, one that is not solely based on phonics.  One that is innovative and fun; one that can be done almost independently and is reasonably priced.  If that is the case, I would definitely recommend that you consider the Reading Kingdom. 

More Information

For more information about the Reading Kingdom, be sure to check out the very extensive FAQ page on their website.

You can purchase monthly and yearly subscriptions for the Reading Kingdom from their website.  Monthly subscriptions are $19.99 and yearly subscriptions are $199.99.  Additional subscriptions {for families who want to use this program with multiple children} are only $9.99/month.  You may cancel your subscription at anytime.

You can also sign up for a free 30-day trial of the Reading Kingdom.

Please click on the banner above to read what my fellow crewmates are saying about their experiences with the Reading Kingdom.

I received a free subscription to the Reading Kingdom in order to provide an honest and unbiased review of our experience with this program.  I did not receive any further compensation for my review.