How To Help Your Child Learn To Read (A Review of Reading Head Start)
Disclaimer: I only recommend products that I have used and like. The views and opinions here are my own. Most of the links on this post are affiliate links. This means that if you click on one of them and choose to make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Reading Head Start Logo
Welcome to my in depth review of the Reading Head Start program.
If you've been looking for information on how to help your kids learn to read for a while, you know the Internet is full of all kinds of activities, games and programs that are marketed as the best way to help your kids with their reading.
And if successful, they can also help eliminate the stress and anxiety in children when it comes to their ability to read. And yours too!
The truth is that there is no best way. There are many ways to approach finding a great resource that you can use to help your kids with their reading. It all depends on what you’re looking for.
This post is for you if you want to give your kids that much needed skill set in reading, but you have no idea where to start or what to do on your own at home.
To find out what you can expect from this review of the Reading Head Start program, scroll to the Table of Contents.
Click on a topic below to go directly to that section, or scroll through this review and read it bit by bit. It’s your choice!:
Table of Contents
1. What is Reading?
Reading has so many aspects to it. But to keep things simple here is a very basic definition.
Reading is the ability to process printed words in order to make meaning from them.
People think that once you can recognise words that you can read. But that is just the start of the process.
Have you ever heard a child read a book flawlessly? But when you question them about it you have to check and see if it is the same book you are referencing? It means that the words have no meaning to them.
Reading MUST lead to Comprehension if it is to be effective. One major issue affecting kids’ ability to read early and well, is when parents wait for their children to attend school to start thinking about reading skills.
Look at the diagram below. It shows how dangerous it is to rely on schools only to teach reading skills to young kids.
Early Literacy Stats
The majority of the vocabulary young kids have, they learn at home. From their parents or primary caregiver. From you.
So this means that learning language skills starts years before kids step foot inside a classroom. They need a support system at home that can help them get a good advantage before they begin school.
2. Why is Reading Important?
Reading is important for a number of reasons. Here are 3:
The ability to read well builds confidence in kids and has a serious impact on how they perform at school.
Being able to read improves communication skills and helps kids develop critical thinking and problem solving skills for life.
Reading reduces stress by at least 68% when you read for just 6 minutes. Kids who can read well can learn to manage their stress levels on their own effectively.
Reading is important for physical, mental, emotional and social development.
As a parent, you want the best for your child. You may find yourself getting stressed and feeling helpless or even embarrassed when your kids can’t read well for their age.
Their ability to read removes so much pressure from your shoulders and helps you to be less stressed about them and their future.
3. My Authority on the Topic
So why should you listen to me about this topic? Click here to read more about me and my expertise.
I’m not trying to blow my own horn. But I want you to understand that I know reading very very well and what is needed to teach kids how to read.
I have a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics with Spanish. I understand the different areas of language. How it is structured, used, taught and how it changes in different contexts.
I have a Diploma of Education that I earned with a double distinction in the Theory and Practice of Teaching.
I have been an elementary school teacher for 15+ years and have taught Language subjects like Reading, Comprehension, Composition, Spelling and Vocabulary to hundreds of students between the ages of 3 and 11.
I am also an International Award Winning Short Story writer.
If I am not an expert or a real user, I will never put my name or reputation on the line.
All of my observations and opinions are based on my professional and personal experiences as an educator, writer and language expert.
Reading at Home & the Library
4. Key Reading Terms
While writing this review I realised that there are a few terms that you need to know so that you can understand what is important for building kids’ reading skills.
[Key term #1 - Phoneme Awareness/Decoding]
Words are made up of sounds (phonemes). When kids have phoneme skills they can hear sounds and decode them (figure out what the sounds are to pronounce the word). This is the first step in being able to read.
Kids know more words by ear (listening and speaking) than by sight (on paper). So if they can hear a word and sound it out, play around with letters and sounds to make different words and non-words, they are well on their way to being able to read well.
[Key term #2 - Fluency]
Fluency has to do with speed. Kids need to be able to instantly recognise words. Even words they don’t know, so that they can understand the text better. This is also key for words that we refer to as sight words.
Sight words are the most commonly used words that we speak, read and write. Many of them have no picture…try drawing a picture of ‘the’, ‘because’ or ‘know’. That would be a sight to see!
So children have to know these words when they see them without having to sound them out. This builds fluency and improves their ability to understand what they read.
[Key term #3 - Vocabulary]
Vocabulary refers to the words that kids know and can use meaningfully in context. If vocabulary is limited, when kids read books they will not be able to figure out what certain words mean.
They build vocabulary mainly by interacting with words when they talk and listen to people use language.
[Key term #4 - Sentence cohesion]
This has to do with how sentences and paragraphs flow into each other. Kids need to be able to know when sentences begin and end and how ideas move from one to the next. This is crucial to understanding what passages are all about and how all the information in a text comes together.
[Key term #5 - Background Knowledge]
We understand the world when we can relate to it. When we read we bring our background knowledge and experiences with us to help us understand the story.
It’s important for kids to be exposed to different kinds of books on different topics so that they can build up their knowledge. Even their experiences should be varied.
Kids who don’t do many activities, hear different topics or have varied experiences can find it difficult to understand texts that they read.
[Key term #6 - Self-Monitoring]
Kids need to be able to pay attention to what they are reading. They are looking for information, tracking words, and making meaning. That’s a lot happening and sometimes they make mistakes.
But when they self-monitor it means that they can determine that something went wrong and go back to the text and re-read to get a better understanding.
These are some of the key components of the reading process. Let’s see how this relates to Reading Head Start.
5. Reading Head Start Origins
Reading Head Start Homepage
Reading Head Start is a digital, interactive reading program that was designed to build and improve the reading skills of children between the ages of 2 and 14.
Parents are given 40 step by step digital lessons that also have written instructions, resources needed and tips for what parents can do if their kids have difficulties understanding the concepts.
The program also includes:
Printables
Decodable Passages
Read-a-long video series
Worksheets
Games
It was designed by Sarah Shepard, who at the time, had been teaching for 14 years. She was an English teacher and was horrified when her 6 year old son came home with his first report card. His English remark read: Does Not Meet Expectations.
Sarah was not only horrified, but she was also ashamed to be an English teacher with a son who was failing English. So she decided to do some research and develop a system to help him improve his reading.
And she did. It is called Reading Head Start.
She worked with her son a few nights a week, consistently, for the rest of the school year, to build his foundational reading skills.
At the end of the year he not only improved tremendously, but he was at the top of his class. His teacher called her in amazement to find out what she had done to help him.
After Sarah explained the system she had developed, his teacher was intrigued and wanted to know more. This led to Sarah giving parents of other children in her son’s class the ‘rough’ version of what she had created.
They too saw tremendous results.
Sarah then continued developing her program until it became what it is today.
Reading Head Start has been:
Certified
Awarded
Featured on various shows
Vetted by over 36,000 happy parents
Loved by thousands of children worldwide
6. Advantages or Pros
Are you excited about this reading thing now? Me too!
Let's dive on into the pros of Reading Head Start:
[Advantage #1 - It’s very affordable.]
You start with a $1 Trial for 3 days. After that, you pay $37 a month to access the materials. That works out to about $1.23 a day to invest in your child’s reading journey. Most tutors will charge you at least $50 a session.
You can also pay for lifetime membership of $197. And you’ll have access forever.
[Advantage #2 - Time effective]
You need just 3 sessions a week, 15 minutes each session. Imagine you could improve your child’s reading in the same time it takes you to watch an episode of your favourite TV Show.
[Advantage #3 – Easy to Use]
The program comes with everything you will need for each lesson. You can follow video tutorials, read instructions and then repeat with your own child. You don’t need to worry about what to do. It’s all set out for you to follow.
[Advantage #4 – Varied Activities]
Kids learn differently. There are lots of varied activities that can appeal to their different learning styles - videos, read-a-longs, worksheets, games, etc.
[Advantage #5 – Encourages Small Wins]
The program has different reading components to help kids develop reading skills. For those children who feel that they can’t succeed in school, this program is designed in bite size pieces.
As your child masters each skill set and moves on, they can feel proud knowing that they are making small steps towards being a more confident reader. Reading Head Start can build self-esteem and foster a love for reading in small but necessary steps.
Reading Head Start Lesson 1
7. Disadvantages or Cons
Reading Head Start does have great advantages. But like with everything, there are downsides to consider.
And some of these downsides are, ironically, the other side of the coin to some of the advantages.
Some notable cons of Reading Head Start are:
[Disadvantage #1. - It’s Digital.]
In order to use Reading Head Start you need the Internet as well as devices to access the work. For those parents who can’t afford the technology, they may find it difficult to find ways of getting the program on a consistent basis for their kids to use.
[Disadvantage #2 - It’s Time-consuming.]
What may be a benefit for some parents may be a con for another. Parents who work shift or long hours into the night may find it extremely difficult to find the time to help their kids with the program.
[Disadvantage #3 - It’s Hard for Some Adults.]
Let’s be real for a moment. Some adults struggle with reading themselves. These parents may want better for their children but feel as though they just can’t help them move forward. This may be overwhelming and bring feelings of shame for them.
These disadvantages are very real indeed and should be considered when making a decision about investing in Reading Head Start.
8. Other Programs to Compare
The best way to determine if something is suitable is to compare it with another similar product.
I want to offer 2 alternatives to Reading Head Start for you to consider. I put them in abc order so there’s no ranking here for me:
ABCmouse
Hooked on Phonics
Furthermore, I’ll tell you the truth. I have never used either of those 2 programs.
But in my research, I noticed that they are mentioned often for comparison.
Since I have never explored these alternatives for myself, I will not offer any opinion on the content.
But what I can do is compare costs and mention a common pro and con which parent reviews highlighted for each program.
ABCmouse
ABCmouse offers a free trial for 30 days and then you pay $12.99 per month, at the time this post was written.
Yearly billing is $59.99.
It must be noted though, that this program is not a dedicated reading program. It includes other subjects such as Math, Art and Science.
One pro for ABCmouse is that it has thousands of activities which offer great variety to keep kids occupied.
But since I have not used it myself I cannot say how much of it is dedicated to building reading skills specifically.
One main con I have found with low star ratings for ABCmouse seems to be difficulties with cancelling subscriptions and contacting customer service.
Hooked on Phonics
Hooked on Phonics also offers a 30 day trial but theirs is for $1. After that, you pay $6.99 a month for the app alone.
This program has a lot going on in terms of different packages at different prices.
It has practice packs that must be delivered to your door if you choose to get them. Shipping and handling can now increase the price to $15.98 per month.
But you can do 6 month billing for $29.99.
Yearly billing for Hooked on Phonics is $49.99.
Reading kits can be sold separately by grade or as a bundle and range from around $29.99 and can go up to over $300.
One pro for Hooked on Phonics is that it has the benefit of a long history on the market. It has been around for over 35 years and it's still going. Which means it must be doing something that people like.
One downside to Hooked on Phonics is that it has been marketed as a tool kids can use on their own with little adult supervision.
Educators especially have taken issue with this since it is nearly impossible to gauge a child's progress if you are not actively monitoring them. They may have fun but how can parents measure what they are learning?
Based on the explanations I gave for what a good reading program should have and the advantages and disadvantages of Reading Head Start, I suggest that you use those same markers to compare and contrast.
This will help you to make the best decision for yourself.
9. Personal Story
Graphic novels for kids.
I want to share a personal story before I wrap up this review.
A few years ago I had a remedial class. Most of the children had lots of reading challenges. At the start of the school year I made an executive decision to tackle reading differently.
There are never enough hours in the week to dedicate to language building at school. Specifically Reading, Comprehension and Spelling.
But I wanted to do something different with this group of kids. And so for the first 6 weeks of school we did not read any books in class.
Their reading and spelling lessons were all skill building - letter sounds, differentiating between vowels and consonants, syllables. We just built up skills.
In Week 7 the Language Arts Coordinator popped into my class unexpectedly and said that she wanted to see a Reading lesson.
Now this was the moment of truth. Would these children be able to read a book after just building skills?
We opened up the prescribed reader to the first story and they took turns reading. I was so impressed.
Afterwards, the Coordinator commented on how well the children read. She also said that what impressed her was how they attacked the words they didn’t know and how they discussed the story.
I moved on with the syllabus but I kept weaving the skill building activities throughout the year. When the school year ended the class did reading exams.
Another teacher tested my class. I was not even there.
She came to me when she was finished and told me my kids did really well. Out of 15 children, they scored 4 A’s, 1 C, and everyone else earned a B.
What’s so important about this story?
The same skill building activities which I used are the same activities you will find in the Reading Head Start program. That is the first thing that caught my attention. Because I know that skill building works. These kinds of activities specifically.
And if I can see results with a whole class for a few minutes a week, imagine how much more you can do with just your own child at home for 45 minutes a week.
Wrapping it up
You've made it through this entire review of Reading Head Start, and it's time to pat yourself on the back and enjoy your favourite snack!
If I have done my job well, by now you should know:
What is reading and why it’s important
Key terms related to reading
The origins and an overview of Reading Head Start
Advantages and Disadvantages of Reading Head Start
Other programs you can research for comparison
A real life example of what a program like Reading Head Start can achieve
Whether you decide to invest in Reading Head Start or not, I hope that your kids learn to love reading and improve their reading everyday. It’s a joy and its own reward that everyone should be able to experience in life.
So now let’s hear from you. Let me know your next steps in the comments and if this review was helpful for you!