Disclaimer~ I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.
It was not that long ago that I was teaching my two kids how to read. It feels like it was forever ago, but in reality, it was only 10 years ago. O.K. that is a little longer that I would like to admit, but time flies by. I remember the struggles and the stress of this process, so when I was asked to review The Reading Game, 2nd Edition from Allsaid & Duun, LC, I was more than willing to share my opinion.
The Reading Game was developed by author, Kenneth Hodkinson, who wrote the first few books in the Wordly Wise Series of vocabulary builders. This series is well known and has been revised and updated. Parents with kids in grades from K-12th have probably heard of this amazing series or even used it. I know we have in the past!
The idea behind The Reading Game, 2nd Edition is that your child will be reading their first book in a week. That is a pretty impressive claim. I know plenty of parents that would find that extremely helpful.
For this review, I received a physical box set that contained storybooks, picture flashcards, and six staged sets of memory games.
Stage 1~ Skunk
Stage 2~ Snake
Stage 3~ Bear
Stage 4~ Penguins
Stage 5~ Unicorn
Stage 6~ Zebra
How do you use The Reading Game?
Each game is played in six stages. Each stage teaches five words. The card game requires two players, the student and the tutor. The tutor must be able to read the words on the cards. To start using The Reading Game, children start with a simple memory match game. The tutor begins the game by taking the ten playing cards for the skunk series. The skunk set is the first stage.
The two players take turns flipping over any two cards. If the cards match, the player that flipped them, takes the cards and says the words out loud several times. In the beginning, the player can be prompted by the tutor. If the two cards do not match, the game continues on. Once all the cards have been matched, the cards are shuffled and placed face down again for another round. Students will play with the same cards until they can read them without any hesitation at all.
Once the tutor feels the student can easily read all ten words from games 1 and 2, the student will then be tested by using the captioned picture flashcards that relates to the cards that were just played.
If the student can read the captioned picture cards without any problems, the tutor can move the student on to games 3 and 4. The process continues until the student completes games 5 and 6. Once the student has successfully read all the picture cards, they are ready to read the storybook.
After the student reads the first stage set, they move onto the next stage set. They will continue in this pattern until they read the last stage of 6. Each new stage will contain words from the previous stages to help with reinforcement.
Once the student competes all 6 stages, they will have a vocabulary of 180 words. Most of these words are used frequently and are Dolch words. This helps build a strong starting vocabulary for any young reader.
What did I think about The Reading Game?
After looking over the game, I thought it was extremely well done. The game is easy to follow and set up is quick. It requires very little preparation from the parent. Older children can easily help play the game with younger children. I think the game is a fun way to help students learn to read.
Since I did not actually play the game with a child learning to read, I can't say whether the claim of your child reading in a week is accurate.
Having two kids myself, who learned to read very differently, I have to say it would depend on the child. Michael picked up on reading very early and actually started reading at the age of two. He was quick to memorize words. I honestly think if he had played this game he would have been reading in a week.
Therese, on the other hand, was a different story. We tried numerous programs, books, and games to help her learn to read. She struggled with them all. When it was here time for it all to click it finally did. There was no rushing the process.
My honest belief is if your child is ready to learn to read, this game could help them read in a week. If your child is not quite there yet, they will learn some but probably will not be reading within the week.
Every child is different and one thing I have learned over the years is they will read when they are ready. My child that struggled to read until she was nine, now has her nose in a book all the time. My child that read at two, only reads books assigned for school.
Learning to read is a huge step in any child's life and it will come. Just have patience.
I do think The Reading Game would be a fun way to engage and encourage young children learning to read. Learning to read should be fun and stress free. The Reading Game would be a wonderful addition to helping your child learn to read.
Want to learn more about The Reading Game?
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Giveaway opens March 8th and closes at midnight on March 15th.
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Till Next Time,
Monique
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