Smart Homeschool Hack: Boost Learning (and Make It Fun) with Reading Eggs

Find out why Reading Eggs (and its other online learning programs) is a smart homeschool hack for easily making learning fun.

Learning at home doesn't have to be stressful or expensive. It can be a positive experience for all (even if you work from home or have a big homeschool family).

Disclaimer:  I received this product for free and was compensated for my time. As always, I’m sharing my honest opinions and was not required to provide a positive review.

Homeschooling Doesn't Have to Be a Struggle

One of the coolest things about homeschooling is that you have the opportunity to pick what works best for your family.

Instead of being forced to use a particular curriculum or program, you can find and use resources that boost learning and make it fun.

This type of homeschool freedom is fantastic for all sorts of families, including:

• Homeschools on a budget
• Large family homeschools
• Work-at-home parents
• Kids with different learning styles or needs
• Self-paced options to meet kids where they are, not where they "should" be
• Limited storage space (especially for homeschooling in small spaces and roadschooling)
• Homeschools that want to make sure the basics are covered (like the 3 Rs-reading, writing, and arithmetic) and still have plenty of time for fun activities, field trips, and more

If your homeschool family fits into any of these categories (or other unique situations), you may be scratching your head as you sort through which curriculum option would best fit your needs.

And you most certainly don't have time or money to waste!

The good news is that you can effectively educate your kids at home without feeling drained, stressed, or like you want to bang your head on a brick wall.

Learning can be fun, engaging, and doesn't always have to involve you (meaning: your kids can work independently).

Read on to find out what my younger boys and I are using to work smarter, not harder so there's plenty of time to enjoy all that homeschool life has to offer 😊

Why Reading Eggs (and All of Its Programs) Rocks

As I was planning our summer homeschool fun activities (with lots of hands-on and interest-led learning), I started looking for ways to cover the basics and still have time for fun.

A few years ago, we moved to a year-round homeschool approach. We all find it so much easier to keep the learning fun going (and avoid that summer brain drain!).

Anyhoo, I wanted a program that was affordable, easy-to-use, fun, and had something for all 3 of my younger boys (7, 10, 12).

And that's when I rediscovered Reading Eggs (and all of its programs)!

I hadn't realized that Reading Eggs now has 5 different programs for ages 2-13.

When I saw the 30-day FREE trial, I knew that my boys and I had to give these programs a spin.

Reading Eggs has been working for my boys because it's:

As a busy mom, I love how Reading Eggs (and its programs) helps:

Also, you have the option for your child to take placement tests to find the best place to start. If you're concerned about where your child is (or not sure where to begin), these placement tests can help.

*If your kids will be required to take any type of online tests (for homeschool portfolios or other state requirements), Reading Eggs (and its programs) helps your kids learn and practice these test-taking skills through fun activities (like the Driving Tests for sight words and more - see Reading Eggs section below).

AND you get detailed progress reports emailed to you so you can stay up-to-date (I love having these reminders!).

Oh, and you can access over 500 printable worksheets that go with the lessons! (Again, a huge bonus for our family, especially when it comes time for showing proof of progress in our homeschool portfolios.)

Online Reading Program (& More) to Easily Make Learning at Home Fun

Let's take a closer look at each of these 5 Reading Eggs programs and other resources so you can get a better idea of what each includes.

Also, I share our experiences with Reading Eggs and how we used to boost learning at home.

Reading Eggs Junior

If you have little ones, you're going to want to give Reading Eggs Junior a try.

Designed to make learning fun for ages 2-4, Reading Eggs Junior is perfect for toddlers and preschoolers.

I wish that I would have had this option for my boys when they were in this age range!

When you have older kids to teach (or just need a few minutes to keep your little ones busy while you get dinner started), it's so nice to have a safe online space for them to explore the alphabet. Fun games and activities give your toddler and preschooler plenty of practice with ready-to-read skills, too.

And if you have older kids, I bet your little ones are begging for their own "school" work to be like the big kids. Reading Eggs Junior is a program that makes your toddlers and preschoolers feel special, too.

Reading Eggs

Need a simple yet fun way to help your kids learn how to read? Reading Eggs is excellent for ages 3-7 because it's designed for emergent and early reading skills.

With self-paced lessons, your kids learn and practice phonics, sight words, and other important reading skills.

In addition to the reading fun, your kids get to enjoy educational songs, e-books, and games.

Xman (7) is using Reading Eggs and loves watching his progress along his learning path. And he really loves earning "golden eggs" (special points to use to customize his character and more).

Within the Reading Eggs program, your kids have access to:

• Spelling
• My Lessons (custom learning path that breaks down the lessons)
• Driving Tests (fun tests for sight words, letters and sounds, content words that unlock racing games and earn more eggs)
• Story Factory (two options - 1. Story Showroom to read other stories and vote-then earn more eggs & 2. Story Factory to find writing prompts and write your own stories)
• Bonuses: House, Awards, Games, Puzzles, Plaza, Critters, Play, & Songs
• My Books to Read (recommended e-books for your child to enjoy)

Reading Eggspress

Recommended for ages 7-13 (grades 1-6), Reading Eggspress builds skills in:

• Reading
• Comprehension
• Spelling
• Vocabulary
• Grammar

Reading Eggspress has over 2500 online books for kids, with informational texts and fiction.

The interactive lessons, paired with fun activities and comprehension quizzes, help your child make progress in their reading skills.

Within the Reading Eggspress program, your kids have access to:

• English Skills
• Stadium (Spelling, Grammar, Vocabulary, Usage at easy or difficult levels)
• My Lessons(custom learning path)
• Library (features a Book of the Day or option to find a book in different genres like Fantasy, Myths, Ocean, Art, Space, Science, Animals, Plants, Earth Science, Plants, Sci-Fi, Adventure, & Comedy)
• Targets (breaks down the program into categories to help your child easily navigate and make progress with goals)
• Bonuses: Mall, Apartment, Trophy Room, Arcade

Bear (10) and Smiley (12) are both using Reading Eggspress. After a lesson or two of getting used to the program, their progress has been absolutely amazing.

I love that spelling and vocabulary are included in this program. These areas haven't been a focus in our homeschool with these boys thus far. I'm very happy to report that both boys are quickly making progress - and having fun!

Fast Phonics

This program is Xman's favorite! He begs me to play it throughout the day.

Recommended for ages 5-10. Fast Phonics features interactive phonics games that help kids with:

• Letter-sound recognition
• Blending
• Spelling
• Syllables
• Reading captions

Fast Phonics has 20 levels (called Mountain Peaks). A cool chart marks your child's progress with sounds, words, and books read.

Through animated videos, your kids learn letter sounds plus visual mnemonics to make it easy and fun to remember.

Oh, and your kids get access to decodable books with comprehension quizzes (fantastic for test-taking practice!).

Fast Phonics also includes reporting and helpful printable worksheets to give your kids extra hands-on practice with phonics.

Xman adores the Yeti avatar featured in these phonics activities. He said the Yeti is his "learning friend" 😊

Mathseeds

For ages 3-9, Mathseeds is an awesome way to make learning math fun.

Like the other online learning programs from Reading Eggs, Mathseeds combines structured lessons with fun activities. Instead of eggs, your kids earn acorns.

Also, Mathseeds has a reward system to motivate kids to make progress. There's a fun playroom, shop (to "buy" accessories for your house or avatar), arcade (with sneaky learning fun games), and treehouse (where your kids can customize their avatar or get their learning certificates).

I appreciate that kids can repeat a lesson as many times as needed. Math is one of those subjects where concepts often need extra practice.

With Mathseeds, your kids get access to:

• Mental Minute (timed math drills with a fun twist - and chance to earn acorns)
• Lessons (custom learning path)
• Driving Tests (fun tests that feature Number, Operations, Patterns & Fractions, Measurement, Geometry, and Data that unlock racing games)
• Bonuses: Play, Shop, Awards, Arcade, Treehouse

Printable Worksheets

If you'd like to take advantage of the printable worksheets provided by Reading Eggs for its programs, just go to your parent dashboard >> Bonus Material.

A dropdown menu will show:

• Activity Sheets
• Activity Sheets - Spanish
• Reward Maps - Reading Eggs
• Parent User Guide
• Homeschool
• Lesson Overview
• The Eggsperts
• Placement Test Overview

>> Click on ACTIVITY SHEETS <<

You'll have access to printable worksheets that go with all lessons for Reading Eggs, Fast Phonics, Reading Eggspress, and Mathseeds.

This feature is a fabulous bonus to help you extend the learning fun and solidify concepts.

In these printable worksheets, you'll find the lessons broken down into:

• Learning objectives
• Common Core State Standards
• Key vocabulary
• Classroom activities (fun hands-on and interactive ideas)

Also, if you need (or want) to maintain any type of homeschool record-keeping, these printable worksheets are priceless!

Reading Eggs Essential Skills Workbooks

If you prefer not to print a lot of worksheets (or your kids just really love workbooks), you'll love this option.

These workbooks are wonderful open-and-go resources (especially when you're homeschooling on-the-go) or summer enrichment.

Essential Reading Skills Workbooks are available for grades K-5.

Essential Math Skills Workbooks are available for grades K-2.

A Few Things to Consider...

If you'd like to try Reading Eggs (or any of its other online learning programs) with your kids, you'll need access to a computer, tablet, or smartphone.

You may need multiple devices, depending on how many kids will be using the programs and if they complete homeschool work at the same time.

Our family has 2 Chromebooks, a desktop, and smartphones so we haven't had any problems working at the same time. If necessary, I'd have a boy or two work on printable worksheets while the others were completing their online lessons. Just sharing that idea if you're wondering how to make it work for your family!

Reading Eggs does have book packs (workbooks) that you can buy to complement your online learning experience.

Screen time is a big concern for many families. Personally, I like having Reading Eggs as a safe option for my younger boys since there are no ads or interactions with others.

If your kids aren't familiar with using online learning programs, I suggest walking them step-by-step through the process - at least for a few lessons. My youngest (Xman) was initially frustrated but calmed down after I gave him a few pointers.

Give Reading Eggs (& More) a Try!

After sifting through all of that information, are you ready to see if the Reading Eggs programs will work for your family?

If you're new to Reading Eggs, you can get 30 days for FREE!

After your free trial (or if you're coming back because of all the outstanding features), you'll have the option to be billed at $9.99/month OR save 42% (for only $5.83 per month) at $69.99/year.

With your subscription, you get access to:

• Reading Eggs Junior
• Reading Eggs
• Fast Phonics
• Reading Eggspress
• Mathseeds
• all programs for up to 4 children
• Detailed assessment reports
• 2500 e-books
• 500+ printable worksheets
• **Yearly Subscription includes BONUS 10-WEEK SUMMER SCHOOL!

Whew! That's a tremendous homeschool hack that saves money, time, & your sanity!

Reading Eggs is truly an excellent option for homeschool families to boost learning at home and make time for more learning fun.

If you have questions about any of these Reading Eggs programs, please let me know in the comments area below or email me at rockyourhomeschool@gmail.com 😊

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