I’m a new school mum. I used to enjoy lazy mornings and spending whole days at home with the kids in our pyjamas. Now I’m forever beholden to the school bell and a slave to sight words and readers…
My review of Reading Eggs is through my new school mum lens. It’s a whole new world out there – or rather behind the school gates – and ABC Reading Eggs has become a big part of our routine….
This post is sponsored by ABC Reading Eggs
In this ABC Reading Eggs Review I’m going to give you an overview of how we use ABC Reading Eggs in our daily routine, how it supports kids in their learning and what the program actually is. Be sure to read until the end for a special ABC Reading Eggs trial and giveaway.
What is ABC Reading Eggs?
Let’s start at the beginning with what ABC Reading Eggs is. Here are the facts:
- An interactive digital program that teaches kids to read
- Developed by professional Australian educators and based on solid scientific research
- Suitable for children aged 2-13 with targeted activities, games and lessons for each level
- ABC Reading Eggs Junior is targeted towards ages 2-4, ABC Reading Eggs for ages 3-7 and ABC Reading Eggspress for 7-13 (This review is of the ABC Reading Eggs program for 3-7 year-olds)
- Completely self-paced and complementary to the curriculum your kids are following at school (and also ideal for homeschooling parents)
- Used by more than 10 million students around the world
- Activities that target the five essential skills kids need to master for reading success – phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, reading comprehension and fluency
But the facts don’t do justice to how this program really supports kids in learning to read.
ABC Reading Eggs Placement Test
When you start the program, the first thing your child will do is an optional placement test. I’d recommend doing it, since there is no sense in them starting at the beginning if they are already a competent reader. Likewise, you don’t want them to be struggling with activities that they are just not capable of.
The whole program is designed to support kids on a journey of learning. And the ABC Reading Eggs placement test drops them in the program at the point that aligns with their current skill set.
The placement test is not onerous or difficult. It is a series of multiple-choice questions and it only took Olivia about five minutes to complete. All of the instructions are read out and if your child needs to listen to the instructions again, there is a button to repeat the instructions.
ABC Reading Eggs Levels
There are three ABC Reading Eggs Levels within the Stepping Stones Reading lessons – the core of the Reading Eggs Program.
Level 1 is for absolute beginners. At this level kids are learning the skills they will need in letter and sound recognition (phonics) to build the foundation for learning to read.
Level 2 is for beginner readers and is about recognising sight words, understanding word families and building your child’s vocab.
Level 3 is all about confidence and building on the skills kids have already developed as early readers. The focus is on fluency, spelling and comprehension.
Within each of the ABC Reading Eggs levels there are 40 lessons.
I found that when Olivia did the ABC Reading Eggs placement test, the activities she was doing showed me that she was dropped at exactly the right level. She wasn’t finding the activities so easy that she was flying through them but she wasn’t struggling so much that it was a chore. It was just right for her stage.
ABC Reading Eggs Games
The beauty of this program is that it is a series of games and activities that it is all game/play based.
The ABC Reading Eggs games vary from character-based games to lining up matching letters and sounds, rhyming pairs, spelling games and quizzes in the form of driving tests that take you around a driving track as you get answers correct.
For the driving tests, I like that kids are given a second chance to retry the questions they answered incorrectly. Sometimes Olivia knew the answer but accidentally hit the wrong word – soul destroying for a five-year-old who always wants to be perfect!
Olivia didn’t have any favourite games – she seemed to like them all. The good thing with the Reading Eggs games is that they are long enough to practice the lesson but not too long so the kids get bored.
Teaching kids letter sounds (i.e. phonics) with ABC Reading Eggs
I am going to hazard a guess that most parents teach kids the alphabet by teaching the letters – I certainly did… then they start school and it is all about learning the sounds that each letter makes, i.e. phonics.
For a child struggling with phonics, ABC Reading Eggs is the perfect companion to what they are learning at school. Teaching kids letter sounds is one of the core parts of the program.
Olivia usually does her ABC Reading Eggs at the kitchen bench while I’m preparing breakfast or dinner and I often hear instructions around selecting words that start with a particular sound.
ABC Reading Eggs Kindergarten Routine
As a new school mum, I have had to change up our daily routine so that it works for us. And, most importantly, gets us to school on time!
I’ve tried different things – TV in the morning, no TV in the morning… our little ABC Reading Eggs Kindergarten routine is what is working…
In the morning, Olivia sits at the kitchen bench with me while I get breakfast ready, pack lunches etc. I often do a little of my own work at the kitchen bench in the morning also.
She is allowed to do ABC Reading Eggs until it is time to get ready for school. I have been amazed at how it is simplifying our mornings and reducing the amount of yelling I have to do to get her ready.
How hands on do you need to be for ABC Reading Eggs?
Olivia is super keen to learn. She loves school and is always asking me to give her more work to do. We do sight words together. We do readers and I give her as much support as I can. But she still needs more.
That’s where ABC Reading Eggs plugs the gap. I can sit with her while she does the activities, on hand to answer any questions or give her any help she needs. I don’t need to sit next to her because the activities are all guided. I just stay close by in case she needs help. I can be as hands on as I like really.
ABC Reading Eggs on iPad vs ABC Reading Eggs on Laptop/Desktop
Once you have an ABC Reading Eggs account, you can access the program on both tablet and desktop devices. Most kids would probably find ABC Reading Eggs on iPad much simpler to use. It’s scary how quickly they pick up how to use the iPad features! Younger kids may struggle with using a mouse on a computer. Either way the interface is user-friendly and easy to follow.
My preference is for Olivia to do ABC Reading Eggs on the laptop. I don’t like getting into the habit of using the iPad too much at home… and I like her to sit at the kitchen bench while I’m close by. Once I showed her how to use the mouse she picked it up very quickly. She’s happy enough using it.
The Final Word on my Review of Reading Eggs
We love it. Olivia is engaged and begging me each day to do her “eggs game”. I am totally amazed at how quickly she is learning and using ABC Reading Eggs at home helps me to see how she is progressing.
ABC Reading Eggs really is perfect for Kindergarten (or prep/reception – whatever you call it). And as a new school mum, being able to use it to support our routine really has been a godsend. Daily “eggs” time is doing wonders for us all.
Special ABC Reading Eggs Trial
If you want to help your child become a better reader and give the program a go for yourself, I have an ABC Reading Eggs trial offer for you. You can receive a special free 3-week trial – no strings attached. No need to enter your credit card details.
My advice is to give the trial a good run to see how it works for your family. Set aside ABC Reading Eggs time every day. Let them try out the different features and learning areas and have a play with it yourself. It really is a great program that can supplement what your kids are learning at school and engage them further in learning to read.
I also have a ABC Reading Eggs subscription and book pack to giveaway to one lucky winner!
