We have had the opportunity this past month to try "Little Reader" by
BrillKids. It is my first review specifically for the little ones. I found it quite humorous actually that I was chosen for this particular review, because I am a big time skeptic of baby reading programs in general(but that is a whole different topic). The version that we have is the online version that you download directly to your computer. I had a bit of a tough time downloading it, but after dealing with their very friendly customer service figured out the problem, and was able to download it to the kids computer. Apparently it does not like Internet Explorer, but does work after a bit of reformatting. "Little Reader is designed for children ages 6 months to 3 years. I can personally tell you that my 11 month old had little to no interest in it. Maybe if it was on the TV, but I doubt it. Buddy is all boy and does not hold still that long. Buttercup on the other hand loved "Little Reader". If I forgot to do her lesson for the day she would remind me. "Baby thing mommy". The program is colorful, fun, engaging, and interactive. I even caught my two big kids joining in a few times, and Sweetpea loved to help Buttercup with the mouse. Each lesson contains 3 elements; Word Flash, all the words for that lesson are flashed with voice. Multisensory, each word is shown followed by picture, and then an action or sound picture. Finally Picture flash, which is just pictures and voice of all the words. Buttercup likes the multisensory portion best, and she loves repeating all the words they say. Is she reading you ask? As far as I can tell no, but we have only been using it for a few weeks. I really think that the program could be great for kids with speech delays, as it would teach vocabulary, and encourage new words. As far as reading, I would say it was more like memorizing after awhile, and could happen.
"Little Reader" can be purchased as a download, or a disc. It has two semesters that make for a full 12 months of learning. The lessons continually build on each other, and have built in review. Prices start at $149.00 dollars for the full year program.
Check out the
Homeschool Crew blog to see what everyone else has to say!
Pros:
Fun
Educational
Engaging
Short Lessons
Cons:
A bit pricey
Still think play is best for babies, and would use it toward the end or older than their suggested age.
"Little Reader" was given to me free of charge from Brill Kids in exchange for my honest review. No other compensation was given.
No comments:
Post a Comment