How to Choose the Best Reading Program for Your Kids

Reading programs have the potential to make learning to read easy for kids (and for parents). With so many options available, how do you determine which one is best for your child?

Continue reading to learn about the features to look for and discover some of the best reading programs for kids.

What makes a good reading program for kids?

The best reading programs for kids will provide:

1. Engaging and interactive lessons and activities

2. A structured learning path

3. A comprehensive curriculum

4. Phonics-based instruction

5. A variety of activities and resources

6. Personalised and adaptive tuition

7. Support for struggling readers

8. Progress tracking and reporting

9. Tools and support for parents

10. A kid-safe and ad-free space to learn.

1. Engagement and interactivity

The best reading programs harness digital technologies and the power of gamification to make learning to read fun, interactive and rewarding. In doing so, reading lessons can be as enjoyable as playing a game. And when a reading program is engaging and fun, children are more inclined to want to keep ‘playing’ and to practise what they’ve learned without feeling bored by repetition.

Reading Eggs excels at making learning to read fun. The hundreds of lessons and games in the program are presented in fresh and varied formats with visually exciting animations, fun songs and colourful characters.

Children are rewarded in multiple ways as they progress through the program and improve their reading skills. These rewards foster a feeling of success and build confidence. As a result, children are motivated to spend more time on-task and to continue learning, even when they face challenges.

Some other reading programs, such as reading.com, lack the variety of activities, level of engagement and rewards that Reading Eggs offers.

2. Structured learning path

Learning to read is a complex, unnatural process. Unlike walking and talking, which are natural developmental milestones for most children, reading needs to be explicitly taught.

Some children can learn to read by having access to books and being read to. However, research called the Science of Reading recommends that children be taught in a structured, carefully sequenced manner that covers the five main components of reading.

Children also need time and opportunities to practise their newfound skills.

The 120 structured reading lessons in Reading Eggs systematically teach children phonemic awareness, phonics and high-frequency sight words, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension.

Each lesson begins with a focused, step-by-step demonstration of a core reading skill. Children then apply each skill to a range of guided practice activities.

Some reading programs, such as DuolingoABC and ABCya!, offer a variety of games and activities but don’t provide a structured learning path for reading. This can increase the risk of skill gaps and children losing interest if an activity is too easy or too hard.

3. Comprehensive curriculum

The best reading programs for kids provide a comprehensive curriculum that covers the five pillars of reading.

Some reading programs offer a more limited range of subjects and cater to a narrow age range. For example, Teach Your Monster to Read (for ages 3–8) primarily focuses on phonics and word recognition. While it might be effective for foundational learning, it doesn’t cover vocabulary and comprehension in depth.

Reading Eggs on the other hand does provide a comprehensive curriculum and is designed to grow with your child from ages 2–13.

Reading Eggs is actually a suite of four educational programs:

• Reading Eggs Junior (ages 2–4) – fun activities, videos and songs help toddlers build alphabet knowledge, expand their vocabulary and learn early phonics skills.

• Reading Eggs (ages 3–7) – research-driven lessons focus on phonics, phonemic awareness, sight words, spelling, vocabulary and comprehension skills.

• Fast Phonics (ages 5–10) – uses the proven power of systematic, synthetic phonics instruction to boost reading fluency.

• Reading Eggspress (ages 7–13) – core lessons focus on building comprehension skills and reading for meaning.

4. Phonics-based approach

The ‘structured literacy approach’, or phonics approach, has been scientifically proven to be the most effective way to teach children to read (refer to the Science of Reading for more information).

The main aim of phonics instruction is to help beginning readers understand that letters are linked to particular sounds.

Reading Eggs and Fast Phonics emphasise phonics instruction, ensuring children grasp these foundational skills.

Other reading programs such as Homer may not have as strong a focus on phonics instruction, which could be a disadvantage for some children.

5. Variety of activities and resources

The best reading programs provide instruction through a variety of activities and learning resources to maintain your child’s interest and to cater to different learning styles.

Research shows that children achieve the greatest gains when combining a quality online reading program that uses explicit phonics instruction with print resources (e.g. books and worksheets).

In addition to the hundreds of online lessons and reading games, Reading Eggs provides an extensive library of 4000 e-books covering a vast range of subjects that your child can read at any time. All lower reading level books come with read-aloud audio so young readers can independently listen as they read.

Downloadable worksheets corresponding to the lessons are available for offline learning and additional practice.

Reading Eggs also offers comprehensive reading and maths workbooks that can be purchased separately. These workbooks are aligned with the online curriculum and serve as excellent tools for offline study, reinforcing the skills learned online.

The workbooks are available to purchase online in selected regions:

• Australia and New Zealand

• United States and Canada

• United Kingdom and Europe

Other reading programs like Prodigy English may not provide the same breadth of activities and resources as Reading Eggs.

6. Personalised and adaptive tuition

Every child learns at their own pace, so it stands to reason that the best reading programs will provide personalised tuition that adapts to the child’s skill level.

At the start of your child’s learning journey with Reading Eggs, your child will be prompted to take the Placement Test. This test assesses their reading age (level) and places them at the correct starting lesson. The test can be retaken at any time. In addition, children are quizzed at the end of each lesson to ensure they have acquired the necessary skills before advancing through the program.

Up to four children can be added to a Reading Eggs account and each child will receive a personalised learning journey.

Other reading programs, such as Duolingo ABC and ABCya!, may not offer the same level of personalisation or adaptivity as Reading Eggs.

7. Support for struggling readers

Some children have a learning difficulty that makes it hard to learn to read. Other children can struggle with reading simply because they haven't been taught the right way with phonics-based instruction.

Reading programs can be especially beneficial for struggling readers:

• Repetition is one of the keys to success when teaching children with learning difficulties. A good reading program that is engaging and fun reduces the risk of a child getting bored when practising a learning concept.

• A good reading program that offers a variety of activities and reading materials helps to ensure there is a range of options available to suit different learning styles and abilities.

• One of the great advantages of an online reading program is the personalised, adaptive learning. When the tuition matches the right level of difficulty, it builds confidence and a struggling reader can feel a sense of achievement and be motivated to progress.

Find out more about how an online reading program can help struggling readers.

Reading Eggs is proven to help struggling readers overcome difficulties quickly. An independent study carried out over six weeks showed that 93 per cent of students increased their reading proficiency score by at least one whole level after using Reading Eggs.

Reading Eggs offers a variety of resources to support struggling readers, including books specially designed for children with dyslexia.

8. Progress tracking and reporting

The best reading programs also provide benefits to parents by making it easy to track and monitor their child’s progress.

With each Reading Eggs account, parents can add up to four children and they’ll receive individual progress reports for each child at key milestones. These results can also be accessed at any time in the Family Dashboard.

The detailed reports show your child's completed lessons, books read, estimated reading age, assessment scores and earned certificates. This helps parents celebrate achievements with their child while identifying areas that may need extra practice or support.

9. Tools and support for parents

The best reading programs allow parents to be involved in their child’s learning journey as little or as much as they desire.

If a parent does want to be involved and take a hands-on approach to their child’s education, the program should make available tools and resources that make it easy to do so.

Some reading programs, such as reading.com, require parents to guide their children through the lessons. Reading Eggs is a self-guided reading program that allows children to learn independently and at their own pace. Each child's profile is allocated individual login details so they can be set up on their own device.

For parents who want to be actively involved, Reading Eggs provides downloadable parent user guides for each program. In addition, the printable worksheets that accompany each Reading Eggs lesson include sequence and scope guides for parents. These guides provide information about curriculum alignment and the desired learning outcomes for each lesson.

Friendly and helpful customer support is also available at any time via phone, email or online.

10. Kid-safe and ad-free

Knowing your child is learning in a safe online environment is a must for parents.

The best reading programs are kidSAFE COPPA certified, age-appropriate and free from in-app purchases and advertising.

They also protect your child’s privacy and prevent interaction with anonymous online users.

Parents can feel confident that the Reading Eggs suite of programs is safe for children. All our programs are designed by educational experts and contain age-appropriate content.

Unlike some free programs such as Duolingo ABC and ABCya!, there are no third-party ads in Reading Eggs that can be distracting and potentially inappropriate for children.

Other factors to consider when comparing reading programs

1. Learning goals

Determine what you want your child to achieve through the program. Are they just beginning their learn-to-read journey, or are you looking to improve their reading fluency? Does the program need to be aligned to a particular curriculum?

2. Accessibility

Check that the program is easy to access and compatible with your family’s devices (e.g. desktop computers and tablets) to ensure they will fit your family's routine.

3. Reviews and recommendations

Read reviews from other parents to see how effective the program has been for their children.

4. Price

Consider your budget and assess if the program offers good value for the features it provides.

Try before you buy!

Many reading programs offer free trials or demos. If available, take advantage of these to test the program and see if your child engages with the content before making a commitment.

Why parents (and children) love Reading Eggs

Reading Eggs is used and loved by 20 million families worldwide. Here are some of the testimonials we’ve received from happy parents:

"I just want to thank you for such a wonderful program. I discovered Reading Eggs at the beginning of this year and started my daughter on it just before she commenced preschool. She loved it so much that she took one of the books to school to read to her teacher. Her teacher was amazed. Over a very short period my daughter went from having no reading knowledge other than the alphabet and her name to reading at a Year 2 level. I have shared Reading Eggs with a lot of parents and will continue to do so. Thank you once again!” – Mel

“I just wanted to say a big thank you. My son has been struggling with his reading. He is in Year 1 and nothing seems to hold his interest. By chance we came across your website last night and he couldn't have been more engrossed, [I] had trouble getting him away from the computer. First thing this morning he was ready to go back on the program again. Thank you, thank you, thank you.” – Emily

“...I have four kids using Reading Eggs. My younger two are in Kindergarten and love it! They ask to do it every day. My older two are in Year 2 and they love it too. They like both the Reading Eggs and Mathseeds sections. I've seen an improvement in my kids' literacy skills with letter/sound recognition and ability to decode words...It's something they can do independently and I can track their progress. I also get email updates with progress reports and when they finish a section. This helps me know what they've learned and helps me to know where they are. I look forward to my older kids using the Reading Eggspress section soon.” – Jennifer K., Homeschooler

“We first got Reading Eggs last year for our older son who was struggling slightly with his reading. He did really enjoy it and caught up at school, [then] his younger brother, then 3, really got hooked. Before Christmas last year [my youngest] knew maybe five letters. By Easter he knew them all and had started reading. It shocked us all and the teaching staff. He is in kindergarten now and is far ahead with his reading skills for his age. My daughter, now 2, is showing an interest and knows several letters already. I know there are cheaper and free websites out there but this one works for us. It's a case of Reading Eggs winning over TV every time.” – Kate H.

Read more testimonials