Reading Eggs Review: Child with ADHD "Program Taught Her to Read"

Jennifer Donald is mum to two completely different girls, Sarah and Emily. She is an elementary school teacher and school nurse too! Here Jennifer shares how the Reading Eggs programs have helped her daughters excel with their reading and math for three years now.

According to Jennifer, Sarah has always been a curious, outgoing kid who pushes to know more, but was constantly fighting her short attention span.

"Having a mild form of ADD (sic), she learns only in short bursts but wants to learn it all and wants it to be all fun and games," she said.

Younger sister Emily is five and started using Reading Eggs Junior last year in preschool.

"She is a serious learner but can be very silly and funny at times," says Jennifer. "She is very quiet and likes to do her work by herself."

Reading Eggs Review Q&A

1. Did you have concerns about Sarah's learning due to her ADHD diagnosis when you started using Reading Eggs?

Yes, with Sarah and her attention span I was concerned about how she was going to grasp everything she needed to know to start off her schooling journey. I wondered if the Reading Eggs program was enough, or if it would be too gamey and not educational enough.

I wanted both of them to grasp onto the foundations (math, reading, phonics) quickly and while young enough. Also, to keep them engaged so that learning wasn't a chore or boring.

2. Does your child with ADHD have a particular learning style and how does Reading Eggs suit her?

She is a very visual learner and given her short attention span, Reading Eggs and Mathseeds is perfect because it is quick lessons and there is always something on the screen.

She also struggles with not reading directions and tends to just fly through things or click around without actually learning.

These programs make her pay more attention and with all the repetition and different ways of presenting the same material, plus the quizzes, it ensures she gets it.

Sisters Emily and Sarah, (who has ADHD), have different learning styles, but according to their mum, Reading Eggs and Mathseeds suits them both! They thrived using the programs as part of their daily homeschool curriculum during the pandemic. Free Trial.

3. What have you noticed in terms of improvements with your children's math or literacy skills after using the Reading Eggs program?

The biggest thing I notice is that they don't hesitate when reading, even the five‑year‑old will try very hard to sound out the word by breaking it down as the program has taught. They rarely need my prompting or help.

My daughter Sarah started with Reading Eggs in kindergarten at age five. She is a kid who can't sit still; her attention span then was only about 10 minutes. Once she started with Reading Eggs, she didn't want to get off the program and would play it for spans of 30 minutes and longer.

Being a teacher, I really wanted purely educational games and learning apps for my children. Once I saw how involved she was with Reading Eggs and how much she enjoyed it, I knew this was a special program that would be so beneficial in her growth.

The Reading Eggs program taught her to read and helped so much with her phonics that she is now reading at a fifth‑year [grade] level.

Using all the programs offered (Reading Eggs, Mathseeds and Fast Phonics) helped her tremendously and now at age seven, she is in year [grade] three having skipped the second.

Emily, pictured with her favourite character Sid the Goat, has thrived since she started using the Reading Eggs program. Your child can succeed too with a FREE trial!

When my other daughter Emily was four years old, I had her start on Reading Eggs Junior and the growth from nothing to sounding out and spelling words was immediate.

Now at five years old, she is working on the first‑year curriculum and has learned to read faster than her sister did. I attribute much of my daughters' successes in school to the Reading Eggs and Mathseeds programs.

4. What do you find motivates your kids the most with the program, especially your child with ADHD?

Both love getting a new map and seeing what animal or egg they will get. On Mathseeds with the higher levels, Sarah loves that each scene on the map is interactive with sounds and that they go to so many different places. They love going in the shop and dressing up the avatar for the month.

5. What would you like to share with parents of kids with ADHD or other learning disabilities and differences about the Reading Eggs program?

Being so visual with animated characters, songs, and interaction it really appeals to all kids. I feel very strongly that every single child can benefit from using the program.

There is just so much there for children to explore. They will find something to play and not even realize that they are learning in the process. When my kids ask to play Reading Eggs or Mathseeds on a Saturday rather than playing their tablets or watching TV – that is a winning program in my book!

6. Aside from the online Reading program, how do you like to use the resources available with your subscription?

Offline we have the Reading Eggs workbooks. I have downloaded a few of the e‑books that we can get free from Amazon, and I am on the Facebook Americas group.

7. Are your kids able to use the program independently?

Yes, they both can use it independently now and both know how to get into the games section and the library. Emily rarely will ask for help. Sarah needed prompting at first when younger to actually sit and do the work but after a few weeks was off on her own with it.

This Reading Eggs review shows how well the program works for all kids, with all sorts of learning styles including learners with ADHD such as Sarah, pictured. Free trial.

8. How do you find the Reading Eggs placement tests and family dashboard?

I like being able to boost kids up levels if they need it because the level is too easy. I like being able to see the curriculum and what topic is covered at each level and map number. And also, the ability to reset or have students go back and redo levels. And everyone likes getting certificates of achievement!

9. Putting your teacher hat on now, what do you think of the program?

As a teacher of kindergarten and first years, I definitely recommend the Reading Eggs and Mathseeds programs.

I chose this because it is so interactive and fun for the student and it gives them a really good solid curriculum base. I like that it repetitiously teaches things differently every time, so kids aren't bored but are getting the lesson. The colours and songs plus the different characters from all over the world make it all fun.

It really appeals to the visual learners and to those who like the kinaesthetic learning. I also like that there are workbooks and e‑books so they can supplement and most times when I work one on one with students, it is using the workbooks.

10. What do your children enjoy about Reading Eggs?

The characters, getting eggs or animals, unlocking new levels, the games and fun zone where they can just have a play. Sarah's favourite character is Jazz the Cat.

For more insights from parents and carers of children with disabilities and learning differences such as dyslexia, ADHD and autism click on these Reading Eggs reviews.