This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Reading Eggs.
Literacy is one of the most important causes to me because reading opens up so many worlds of possibilities. I started building my son’s library before he was even born. I read to him in the womb and from the moment he emerged. I did this for two reasons: reading together is a great way to bond and I am trying to raise a reader. While I am very much a “just wing it” parent on most things, when it comes to his literacy I had a plan. Everything from the books I chose to the way I spoke to him (the words “googoo gaga” should be banned from ever leaving a parent’s mouth!)Â were calculated parenting decisions designed to raise child who not only reads well, but embraces literacy as much as I do. I even encourage him to defy bedtime rules!
Every night before going to sleep, Jacob does “sneaky reading.” This started a few months ago, when I bought him a book light and told him that every child should read under the covers after bedtime at least once in their life. Well, he doesn’t read under the covers, but as soon as I turn the lights out and say “goodnight,” he grabs his book and starts reading. Don’t worry, I got him a really good book light to protect his eyes in the dark! Plus, he eats a lot of carrots.
Reading Eggs: Filling in the Gaps in My Son’s Literacy
This all sounds great, right? Obviously I did a pretty good job of instilling a love of reading in my son. He consistently reads much higher than his grade level. There is one teeny problem though: he lacks focus when it comes to anything that he hasn’t chosen to read. So much so that the school thinks he has a bit of a comprehension problem. At the last parent/teacher conference, his teacher said that Jacob’s test scores are inconsistent. I was the same way in school. I had a hard time retaining information about stories that just didn’t capture my attention. Jacob also has difficulties writing in complete sentences and using proper grammar.
So how does Reading Eggs fit into this? The program is designed to help children both learn to read AND master important concepts in reading. It doesn’t just throw out some ABCs and call it a day, it engages kids with lessons that help the cultivate a full sense of what reading entails. While Jacob can read like a champ, he doesn’t really have a firm grasp on the different parts of grammar. The first game he tried was a Grammar Skating game.
The game asks kids to identify different words as either a noun, verb or adjective. He also played another game that was completely about adverbs. While the games are designed to work on skills, Reading Eggs doesn’t stop at just teaching. If they did, they would fail, as kids need rewards to really want to move forward. The “eggs” part of Reading Eggs comes from the reward points that you can build up. Once you have enough eggs, you can buy cool things for your apartment. The combination of the variety of games designed to match your child’s skill level and the rewards system make Reading Eggs a true champ at enhancing your child’s literacy.
Aside from all the great lessons to help improve your child’s reading skills, Reading Eggs also has over 1,000 e-books! We love the library because it’s actually easy to browse. You can select an age range, topic, author and more. Your child earns Eggs for reading books and answering the quizzes at the end of each chapter. I was impressed at all the different types of books they had available. Jacob likes the Dangerous Games series.
Try Reading Eggs for Free and Help Read-to-Cure
While I totally believe you should take my word for it because I’d never lie to you, I realize that it’s hard to decide if you want to spend money on something without seeing it in action for yourself. Here’s what totally rocks about Reading Eggs (aside from all the above): You can get a FREE 5-WEEK TRIAL to the program. No credit card required!
Why such a generous free trial? Aside from letting you see how awesome the program is, it also give your child a chance to participate in Read-To-Cure. From February 3rd to March 7th, kids are encouraged to read as much as possible and earn those Eggs. Family and friends can sponsor efforts, with all donations matched by Reading Eggs. The goal is to raise $25,000 to help the National Children’s Cancer Society provide financial, emotional and educational support for children and families battling childhood cancer.
To sweeten the deal, kids have a chance to earn amazing prizes. Three prizes go to the kids who raised the most money and three to those who read the most books or complete the most lessons. But wait, there’s more (I love saying that)! You have a chance to win RIGHT NOW. Enter below on the Rafflecopter form for a chance to win an iPad Mini, valued at $299.99. The giveaway is open through March 7, 2014. To enter, just register and activate the 5-week free trial with your name, child’s name and postal address.
There are so many great reasons to try out Reading Eggs, so go start your free trial now!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Reading Eggs.
Wow, this sounds like a fantastic program and company!
I’m very much “just wing it” too when it comes to parenting mostly … although by nature I’m very much a planner. Motherhood forces you to adapt and change though and it’s impossible to be as planned as I was pre-motherhood for everything as a mom.
Glad you found something like this for your passion for reading for your children! Mine LOVE to read together and I’m so glad they enjoy it so much …. half the battle, really, is finding great books with stories they love. Once you do that it’s easy to get them hooked if they have any inclination towards it at all. Awesome review and opportunity!!
Wow! This looks like a really great tool for kids. My kids are still really young but we read tons of books to them to help them love to read. I think it is great how reading eggs incentivizes kids to learn. My son always responds really well to that.
Sounds like a wonderful program! My son loves to be read to and knows the words but doesn’t want to read it for himself so maybe this would give him the push to do that!
I’ve heard a lot of buzz about reading eggs and it sounds like a great program. My six year old can read, but we can always use a little help 🙂
The cool thing about it is that it’s designed for kids all the way to age 13. I was actually surprised at their library of books. They’re pretty cool!
Anything that will help a child learn to love to read is ok in my book–It used to be grammar was taught in the schools guess they don’t do that anymore-they leave it to the parents especially if the child seems to have trouble grasping it. I also love that this company gives back–I have no children but I have helped my friends kids become literate back when–Literacy is IMPORTANT.
My son is in third grade and now they are teaching basic grammar. It’s hard because he is used to just throwing words down on a page without much thought to capitalizing and punctuation. It’s also a little embarrassing when his teachers tell me he has problems with it because I’m a writer! I hoped he’d just inherit grammar skills through my genes.
Reading Eggs is a great program!
Your giveaway widget says “Invent your own option!” — you can change that to make it reflect your current giveaway. 🙂
It’s a group widget, they created it on their end. It’s driving me nuts, lol!
I have heard that reading to a child while it is still in the womb is very good and anything that can help after birth is wonderful. I am going to let my Step Daughter know about Reading Eggs..
Wow, I have never heard of this. I bet my kids would love this!
Sounds like a great program for my 4 year old! He is at that age where I am trying to make him more engaged with the books that he read 🙂 Reading Eggs sounds like a right fit!
what a cute game to help kids learn to read and it looks so fun to play
I too want to explore some program like this for my kids to learn grammar when speaking and reading.
We have Reading eggs and it is an excellent reading source.
I like that Reading Eggs helps improve a child’s reading skills, not just helps teach them to read. For children like my son who already knows how to read, a program like this would be useful.
My kids loved this site! They were always on it during the summer months!
What a great way to help children learn. This allows them to learn, play a game & be rewarded at the same time. Genius!
I can totally relate since I’ve always been the same way. I have a really hard time concentrating on things that don’t interest me. I’m glad you’ve come across a way to help your child through it. This is so awesome!
Sounds like a great program. My son knows how to read so this would have to be for my toddler when she’s a little older. Good luck to the entrants.