Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

C has been working with a really cool new program to help with her phonics and reading skills called Reading Unlocked. This is an online phonics program that walks a child through reading step by step. It also incorporates spelling and writing into the program as well. We received the 12 month subscription for C to work through and we have loved it from the beginning.

Lesson Structure

So I am really big on structure. I have to have a guide when teaching C, even though I have taught preschool before, and I want to be able to predict what will happen next. One thing I love about this program is the lesson structure. It is laid out the same for each lesson. This is extremely nice if I have to run and do something with D because I know exactly what she will have to do next. The lessons start by teaching a new sound. The child then practices finding the sound at the beginning of a set of words. For example, C is presented with three pictures and she has to choose which one starts with that new sound. It will not let her past this game until she gets it right which is nice for my daughter that sometimes likes to guess.

It then introduces the sound again and how to write it. I would have liked a little bit more direction on showing how to write the letters but luckily we have not come across a letter she doesn’t know how to write yet. The program has the children write in the air first and then on a piece of paper. With an older child, this would be awesome because they get a lot of practice, but for my 3 year old this was a lot. I just made her write it in the air usually (and like I said they were letters we had already learned how to write on paper).

The program then has the child say the new sound as well as some sounds they already learned together. This is followed by a “test” where the child says the sound correctly and marks it. This was C’s favorite part. She loved checking off the boxes.

The program then shifts to reading words. The words are sounded out one letter at a time. One thing I had to supplement during this part was to say the sounds quicker and more blended before the full word is read. The program then asks the child to determine the word that is being said between two very similar words. The accents can make this difficult so you might need to reset the word for your child.

Then the child starts to spell and write words. The child first uses the letters on these screen to spell the words. We found this to be done easiest on a tablet because C doesn’t really know how to click and drag with a mouse yet. The child then writes the words on paper. I started to limit this to one of the words each time because of C’s age and attention span. An older child can definitely write all the words easily. There is a letter bank on the top of the page to help the children as well which was nice.

The child then place a game of pick the picture. There is a word written and the child is to read the word and pick the right picture. C didn’t read these herself, but needed a little help. For an older child, I would ask them to sound it out first before helping read the words. Also, there are a few differences between some of the words and pictures because of it being a British program. For example, they say peg when we would call it a clothespin. The good news is that the same pictures are reused so once you see a word, you will know what it is to help your child!

After reading a list of all the words they know so far, the children will change words from one word to another. This is one of my favorite parts and I believe teaches a ton!! It is easy to memorize how a word is spelled but to figure out how to change a word to mean a new word is hard! I love that it shows how all the words are connected.

The program ends with a poem or story which can be fun! I would definitely encourage you to have your child read the red words in the poem or story as they should be practicing these new words.

Overall Thoughts

I really enjoyed using this program with C the last few months. She has written a few words and practiced a lot of phonics skills. I also love that it brings it together for each lesson and that it is not just a lot of individual letters and letter sounds but real words! Real words that she can start to recognize in her books. I will definitely consider extending our program (especially if an app comes out to better support tablets)!!!!

I hope you read more about this program from other reviewers below and join us with Reading Unlocked!

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