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Learn to Read with the Rosetta Stone Kids Reading Program!

Written By: Amy Turner

~Rosetta Stone is a client of Influence Central, and we received a complimentary 12-month subscription for Rosetta Stone Kids Reading to facilitate this review. All opinions are our own.

We all know teaching children to read proves an important milestone, yet one that can be met by some kids with trepidation, frustration and confusion. What works for one child will not necessarily work for another, and that’s especially true within a family unit. By the time she was four, my now seven-year old daughter was on the road to reading. After receiving her first set of learn-to-read books, she was happily sounding out all the new words and phrases and eager to learn more. Then she entered school and the progress continued and she’s now officially obsessed with reading, especially big girl chapter books. (Much to my delight!)

Now back to present day and my four-year old son, Gavin, who has approached all major milestones (such as talking and walking) in a much more relaxed and laid back manner than his big sister. I’m doing my best to appreciate their differences and not get worried that my son is not at the same point as my daughter, especially with an interest and readiness to read.

Although Gavin can recite the alphabet and write his name, we’re still working on full letter recognition and sounds, and he gets easily distracted when I try to do a “lesson” myself with his books. Like most kids today, he LOVES playing on the iPad and computer and gets a thrill when I let him do that. Which is why I was so excited at the chance for him to test out the new, online-based, Rosetta Stone Kids Reading Program to give him a fun and interactive way to start on his reading journey!

Rosetta Stone Kids Reading blends research-proven technology and award-winning interactive gameplay to build kids’ reading confidence. Designed by early education experts to accelerate reading skills development, Rosetta Stone Kids Reading offers a personalized adventure through 10 levels of lessons.

Below is a list of key skills emphasized based on grade level:

Pre-K

Print Awareness
Shape Recognition
Early Vocabulary Development
Listening Skills

Kindergarten

Letter Names
Rhyming and Sound Awareness
Letter Sounds and Beginning Phonics
Sight Words
Early Comprehension Skills

1st Grade

Advanced Phonics
Spelling
Word Meanings
Reading Comprehension

I was excited to try out this reading program from Rosetta Stone, since they’re such a respected and established brand in the education space. With so many apps and programs out there to choose from, it can get so overwhelming to navigate all the options, but I’m very happy we started things off with Rosetta Stone!

From the first day we sat down to test this out, Gavin loved it! We got to customize his profile based on his Pre-K skill level (including picking out an avatar – he loved the blue character named Skippy!), while also setting up a separate profile for my daughter. He was instantly mesmerized by the characters, colors, and quickly got the hang of the various games, such as “Letter Match Up” and “Picture Sort.” I instantly saw his confidence build as he scored “stars” for every correct answer. I appreciate the slow build-up of challenges, and have seen Gavin improve on his score each time we sit down to a lesson. We try to do this at least two to three times a week for consistency for about 10-15 minutes at a time, and that hasn’t been a problem!

My first-grader also enjoys this program for the advanced lessons, such as “Sentence Builder” and “Silent-E Search.” Even though she’s doing great at reading on her own, I feel she can never practice enough, especially in such a fun and interactive manner like this. In addition to the individual profiles and lessons for the kids, I also appreciate the Parents Section, where I can actually see their individual progress to date, as well as manage other back-end settings like profiles and volume control.

We highly recommend the Rosetta Stone Kids Reading Program for new readers of all levels! This program can be purchased as a one-month or full year online subscription and can be accessible from PCs and mobile devices. For more information, go to rosettastone.com/kids. You can even try it for free for a limited time!