Reading Eggs review: Can it encourage your child to read?

Librarians and eggs. Interesting concept. Usually they don’t go together. eggs in a library – could get messy. However, I am a (ex) librarian, and having been given the opportunity to review a new reading website for kids…involving eggs…I couldn’t really say no, could I?

Put very simply, Reading Eggs is a site designed to encourage your child through reward to develop their reading, from as young as three, right the way up to 13. The concept is simple, reading a book gives children eggs which they can exchange in their virtual mall to dress and accessorise their avatar. A profile is set up for each child. Parents can check on a child’s progress as they read the books and play game designed to improve their reading skills.

Cost 8/10

Pricing is based on subscriptions, with 6 months of access at £29.95, and a full year at £39.95. Second or third children get 50% off the full subscription prices.

If you purchase a subscription, you can buy Reading Eggs book packs at reduced prices.

Considering the breadth of books this gives access to, across different ages groups, these prices represent excellent value. The site offers a breadth of different genres, and books suitable for all tastes. My daughter loves traditional fairy tales, and my son is into pirates. We found something for each of them on here.

However, despite the 50% reduction, it does still add up if you are to have a few siblings have access to it, hence the slight mark down. To be honest, it wouldn’t really work if one had access and another didn’t. All hell would have broken lose in our house I can tell you….

Ease of Use 8/10

The kids seemed to be up and away without much trouble at all. They both tried the “tests” to see what level they were reading at, they seemed to be happy with the results, and then they were off. Chatterbox was reading, and clothing her avatar, and Stuntboy, was erm, not sitting still very much and playing with the games. Mainly the ones that involved sand I think…

Stickability 9/10

Both children were keen to go on the site, a little bit TOO keen at times, so there was a little bit of jostling. However, once the UN stepped in and calmed things down, peace was restored. They were both rather disappointed when the six week trial we have for review ended to be honest :-)

Age appropriateness 9/10

This is a strength of the site; it tests each child so the reading and games offered are specific to reading skills, and not the age of the child. My daughter is a great reader though she is only seven. The site was able to understand this through its tests, and as a result, Chatterbox was able to access books and games relevant to her ability. My son, on the otherhand, is a little less cerebral. The site recognised this early on. It works quite simply in that there are different levels depending on the reading age of the child, so the “playroom” is for three to four year olds, and “fun practise makes perfect” for 6-7 reading age.

Educational value 9/10

Clearly the point of this site is to reward kids for reading often, and well. The “eggs” are their incentives. Reading enables them to get the eggs, an then go on to buy items for their avatar characters in the mall. This reward system worked well for my two who are at the age where this type of activity is still sufficient to keep interest. I am not 100% sure whether the rewards change for older children, but if they don’t I suspect the idea will lose its appeal for kids as they approach the teen years.

Overall score 8/10

This website was a big hit in the KiddyCharts household. It was a tad expensive for us though. Therefore, I am not sure we will be continuing with the subscription. If it was up to Chatterbox though, we would be as she loved it…a….lot.

We are still rather traditional due to my librarian roots; and we do love a printed book, so I suspect that’s why it might not make the cut. In addition, my kids don’t really struggle for motivation to read. For kids out there that do; I can imagine that this website would be a godsend for parents and schools alike.

Have you tried Reading Eggs or don a Reading Eggs review? What did you think?

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