Procrastination. Whining. Frustration. Crying. Self-doubt.
Those are all terms I use to describe reading lessons with my daughter during the first half of our year. But don’t worry, there’s a happy ending to this story and it involves online reading games.
*I received free access to Reading Eggs for review purposes and have been compensated for my time. As always, I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions are my own. See disclosure for details.
It’s a delicate situation to have a child who reads well, but doesn’t think she reads well. Allow me to set up the scene: we work through a few other things on her homeschool schedule, then grab a blanket along with her reading book and snuggle up on the sofa. All is well until I open the reading book.
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When I open the book — the same one I used to teach my son to read several years ago — she immediately begs to skip it because she’s “not ready for something that hard.” We go back and forth because she’s overwhelmed by what she’s asked to read in the lesson, but I know that she’s perfectly capable of doing it.
After a half hour of accomplishing nothing through this back and forth exchange, we solider through it, both of us exhausted and not looking forward to the next lesson. Until recently, that is.
Why We Use Online Reading Games in Our Homeschool
The above scene is a glimpse of what reading time in our homeschool was like for the first half of the year. I’m still not sure how my five year-old determined that she was unable to move forward in her reading lessons, but we began using online reading games over the summer and they have helped tremendously.
More specifically, she’s been working with Reading Eggs. To say that I’m pleased with this program would be an understatement, so much so that I paid for my next year’s subscription earlier today.
Our summer with Reading Eggs has shown me the value of online reading games. Here are a few reasons we’re using these games in our homeschool and why we’ll continue to do so.
1. Learning Through Play
The idea of learning through play goes a long way when you have a child who is reluctant to learn for whatever the reason. In my case, it’s not that my five year-old was unable to do the work, it was that she didn’t think she could.
Forgive my shamelessness, but I knew I needed to trick her into enjoying reading again. I didn’t need a curriculum change, but I needed a way to make reading fun. That’s where online reading games came into the picture for us.
Through Reading Eggs, my daughter has found joy in reading again. That’s not to say that she’s all smiles through every moment of every lesson, but she works through her challenges just as she would any app or online game. Her motivation is different because she’s not overwhelmed by the way the information is presented like she was with our reading curriculum. Instead, she’s playing her games and working toward her own goal.
2. Boosting Confidence
I also welcome online reading games in our homeschool because of the way they boost my daughter’s confidence. After a few months of working with Reading Eggs, she sees that she’s a better reader than she realized.
These games provide her with opportunities to practice her previously-learned reading skills, build on them, and continue to learn more. Since this happens in game format, she doesn’t mind the practice or feel overwhelmed. It’s just part of her game.
The best part is that this confidence she gained from her Reading Eggs lessons thus far doesn’t just come across as she uses the program. Now she points out words she knows as we run errands together, she sounds out words she shouldn’t know yet, and she asks to read with me. It’s a night and day difference, friend.
3. Working Independently
I encourage independent learning with my eleven year-old son, but it’s not something I push with my little one. Even so, my daughter enjoys opportunities to work on her own.
It probably has something to do with the fact that her current life goals are to be as “grown up” as her big brother and time on the computer makes her feel like she’s nearly there.
Nonetheless, I’m happy to let her pursue independent learning each day. Thankfully, online reading games allow her do to that and also progress with her reading skills. It’s a win-win for us because I can let her work while I prepare lunch, fold a load of clothes in the room next to her, or respond to an email.
Online Reading Games from Reading Eggs
Now that you know why we turn to online reading games in our homeschool, I want to tell you about the program we’re using.
Reading Eggs is an award winning online reading program for kids from age 3–13. The program uses reading lessons, interactive activities, and thousands of e-books to provide a fun, but safe online learning environment where children can have build essential early literacy skills.
One thing I love about Reading Eggs is the parent dashboard. This is where parents track progress and access detailed reports on completed lessons, books, estimated reading age, and quiz scores.
I also love the progress reports I receive in my email each time my daughter finishes a map in the program. These emails make it easy to print completion certificates for homeschool records. They also include links to downloadable worksheets to reinforce lessons.
*Free* 4-Week Trial for Reading Eggs
If you need help with phonics and reading, online reading games from Reading Eggs are the way to go!
I can’t say enough about how this program has helped my daughter. In fact, we’re now back to using our original reading curriculum by alternating between Reading Eggs and “the book” each day because she said she felt ready to work in it again. She strengthened her reading skills and her confidence with these reading games and I’m ever grateful.
But enough about us! You can check it out for yourself with a 4-week free trial for Reading Eggs.
>>> Reading Eggs *Free* 4-Week Trial <<<
Also worth noting, that free trial also comes with access to Reading Eggs Junior for ages 2-4, Reading Eggspress for ages 7-13, and Mathseeds for ages 3-9. I should also mention here that my little one loves working with Mathseeds. It’s a great compliment to our Life of Fred books!
Once you’ve signed up for your free trial, be sure to connect with Reading Eggs on your favorite social media platforms. You can find them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube.