Reading Eggs is a virtual learning program designed for children ages 2-13 to help improve both reading and (through Math Seeds) mathematics.
The company boasts that 91% of parents report seeing an improvement in their children’s reading abilities and they definitely come with some great reviews! But is it worth the money? Let’s look into it.
The Facts
Reading Eggs was developed by an Australian company known as Blake E-Learning, a company founded more than 30 years ago. In 2008, they truly went international with the launching of Reading Eggs. The program has now been used in more than 150 countries and the website boasts of more than 20,000,000 users.
Since that time, they have introduced several new components including Math Seeds, Reading Eggs Junior, and Reading Eggspress.
Reading Eggs itself costs $69.99 for an entire year, or simply $9.99 a month if you choose to be billed more regularly. If you want both the reading and the math programs, the total comes up to $99.99 per year, or $13.99 per month. Oh, and did I mention that that price covers up to four children in the same family?
My Review
What I Like
- The low cost for large families. Having four kids in the program means a little more than $2 per month per child. That’s not bad in my book.
- The silliness of the games.
- The ability to test into where they belong (they don’t have to endure what they already know).
- It’s phonics-based, rather than sight words.
What I Hate
Nothing. It’s very unusual for me to have nothing bad to say about a curriculum, but I can honestly not think of one single thing to say that I hate about Reading Eggs and Math Seeds.
What I Wish Was Different
I think Reading Eggs would do better to focus on kids ages 2-8. The older kids really don’t appreciate the silliness and can’t truly benefit from the phonics instruction. I do not believe my kids are that much more advanced than others their own ages, so I cannot imagine many 12-year-olds enjoying this program.
So What Do The Kids Think?
Charity
Charity wasn’t too impressed. Despite only being 11, she tested out of everything on Reading Eggs except for Reading Eggspress. She isn’t fond of reading as it is, so she found it to be quite boring. Furthermore, she claims the voices and characters are very frustrating and she doesn’t like them. Still, she says it is better than reading actual books at least.
Kirsten
At 9, Kirsten also tested out of everything but Reading Eggspress. Unlike Charity, however, Kirsten is a bookworm and likes reading anything she can get her hands on. She says Reading Eggspress isn’t her favorite. But it’s reading, so that’s good!
Makayla
At 7, Makayla qualifies for Reading Eggs, Reading Eggspress, and Math Seeds. She absolutely LOVES mathseeds and likes Reading Eggspress quite a bit. However, Reading Eggs has “Reggie” and he is “WAY TOO CREEPY”. Despite that however, she has spent a lot of time laughing and giggling as she learns new things.
Abigail
At 5, Abbie has used both Reading Eggs and Reading Eggs Junior. She prefers the Junior version as she says the games are a lot more fun! But they weren’t very challenging for her. She also claims Reggie is too creepy and hides her face when she sees him. I think she is simply copying her big sister, however, as she is generally smiling and giggling the WHOLE time.
Do I Recommend Reading Eggs?
I answer this with a resounding YES!
I couldn’t include this in the bullet list for space reasons, but I truly believe Reading Eggs was the key to getting Makayla to start to read on her own accord! For over a year we struggled with the concept of blending. But somehow, the way Reading Eggs presented it, she caught on so quickly and within about a month she was blending words on her own! Now, almost a year later she is reading whole sentences and doing so much better!
I absolutely recommend Reading Eggs to parents of young kids, especially those who are reluctant to read or who struggle with learning in general. Reading Eggs makes learning fun and we all know, that’s my main goal in homeschooling!