Looking for Online Reading Programs for Kids? 5 Things to Watch Out For.

by Mary Follin

Because so much learning is taking place at home, a lot of parents are looking for the best online reading programs for kids. There's plenty out there to explore! But keep in mind, every child is different, so you will want to evaluate programs based on how your child learns.

I thought you might want a few pointers on what to look for and what to avoid. After all, if you've never taught someone to read before, you may not know quite what you're looking for.

But before we begin, I want to applaud you for taking it upon yourself to teach your child to read. You may be working with a precocious 3-year old, a kindergartner or first grader, a struggling reader, or a home schooler. Regardless, you are showing your child that reading is important to you, which in turn, will make it important to your child. 

Use the following 5 tips as a guide to evaluate the available programs. And trust your instincts! You're the best one to decide which reading program for kids is right for yours.

5 Things to Watch Out For When Looking for Reading Programs for Kids

​1) Make Sure It's Phonics
The best-kept secret about phonics is that it's easy to teach. As a parent, you may be intimidated by all the unfamiliar words (phonemic awareness, diphthong, grapheme, etc.), but don't worry about those! You don't need to know what the words mean (or even what they do). Teaching with phonics is pretty easy and straightforward; if a program's website does not communicate this, go on to the next.

2) Lesson Length
If you are working with a very young child, it's critical that lessons are very, very short. Small children get easily distracted, but astoundingly, you can actually teach a child to read in a few minutes each day. Consistency is key; not long lessons.

3) Spending Too Much Time on Screens
In recent years, children have been spending an increasing (and alarming) amount of time in front of screens. In this day and age, they can plan on spending a large part of their home, school, and work life on screens, so please consider taking your lessons OFF the screen and into everyday living.  A few minutes of screen time is all you need.

4) Learning How to Learn
Please don't let a multi-media program entertain your child into learning how to read. At this early age, children need to learn how to learn by interactively working with Mom, Dad, Big Brother or Sister, or another caring individual. You don't want your child to be a repository for learning, rather, you want your child to learn how to think, evaluate, and absorb knowledge in an expansive way.

5) Lonely Learning
What child wants to be planted in front of a screen to learn on his or her own? Not many. YOUR engagement demonstrates to your children how much you care about their education and how important reading is to you.

Now that you have some idea of what to watch out for when evaluating reading programs for kids, I invite you to enjoy a free trial of Teach Your Child to Read™. Only 5 minutes a day, lessons are designed to teach your child to read with phonics in only 6 steps. I think you'll be pretty happy with it!

One of the Best Reading Programs for Kids!

LEARN MORE AND TRY IT FREE!

Founder and creator Mary Follin began her career with IBM as a systems engineer. Since then, she's worked in a variety of industries: market research, product development, cyber security, and more recently provides marketing consulting to professional services firms. She is also the author of Ethyr, winner of the the Moonbeam Children's Book Award. ​Mary is a regular contributor to Fredericksburg Parent & Family magazine—along with Erika Guerrero—penning the advice column ASK MOM. ASK MOM was awarded a 2021 Parenting Media Association award in November of 2021. ​​