It has been quite a few years since we first tried out ABCmouse with our boys. At the time, it was a new online program, and it catered to the really, really young kids. Once they were reading well, it didn't have much more for them that was challenging. Over the past year or so, however, they have developed new content for older kids that has come at the perfect time. The introduction of first and second-grade levels has made it possible for us to use the service all the time. There is always someone in our home the correct age to make use of it.
If you're not familiar with the program, here are some of the basics:
You can sign up online right away, for a free trial, and set up your child's profile, as well as your parent profile. The home page shows all of the available options for activities for the day, including the classroom (which is more of a virtual environment to interact or "free play"), the learning path, prize wheel, and extra activities.
There are also featured activities, which are more learning-based and also give kids the chance to earn those coveted tickets that they can redeem for virtual gear later!
When I have my son "do school" each day, he runs to the computer to log into his account. His password is saved on my Chrome browser, so he can do it himself. Then, my 6-year-old does his learning path first. This is the required portion that I make him do of his schoolwork on ABCmouse.
When a child starts out, they are assigned a learning path, where they are given progressively more difficult learning challenges and lessons that they can do. This learning path is laid out nicely for the kids to visually see where they have been and what they can do next.
As you can see from the screen shot above, my son is set to do a sight word sentence puzzle next. He'll learn the word "way". I have noticed that immediately after each of these activities, he really does recognize the sight worlds well. And while ABCmouse does give the kids lots of virtual books to practice their new words with, he picks them up quickly in our physical books, as well.
Another fun option for learning is the Featured Activity box. This has all kinds of learning activities in various subjects, including social studies, math, and science. My son will learn about the tallest trees in the U.S. or have the chance to label the continents. I'm impressed that a child of his age can pick up on things so well with this program!
Once Marcus has completed at least one learning path activity and one Featured Activity, I allow him to play as he wishes for an additional 15 minutes each day. This time is usually spent playing with the class hamster. You can these virtual critters and care for them by giving them water and food. He prefers to watch them run through the hamster maze. There is usually quite a bit of giggling during this time.
What's our final verdict on ABCmouse? Since we were fans before this latest trial, I was expecting to be impressed. And I was. With the addition of more learning activities, but keeping the same charming features my kids have always loved, ABCmouse has assured that fans can keep using the program for a few more years. My sons were always disappointed when they outgrew the content, as they still loved the hamster, prize wheel and ticket incentives. This just gives them a bit more time to keep learning and yet to be kids -- which is a rare thing to be online these days.
Did you know? ABCmouse offers more than 8,500 standards-based learning activities covering preschool – 2nd grade and 850 lessons. In fact, more than 1.6 million ABCmouse learning activities are completed each day, with over 2.2 billion completed to date!
Wanna Save? Enjoy a Free 30-Day Trial of ABCmouse.com!
Lille Punkin' readers can give it a try and see if their kids will love it as much as we do.
If you're not familiar with the program, here are some of the basics:
You can sign up online right away, for a free trial, and set up your child's profile, as well as your parent profile. The home page shows all of the available options for activities for the day, including the classroom (which is more of a virtual environment to interact or "free play"), the learning path, prize wheel, and extra activities.
There are also featured activities, which are more learning-based and also give kids the chance to earn those coveted tickets that they can redeem for virtual gear later!
When I have my son "do school" each day, he runs to the computer to log into his account. His password is saved on my Chrome browser, so he can do it himself. Then, my 6-year-old does his learning path first. This is the required portion that I make him do of his schoolwork on ABCmouse.
When a child starts out, they are assigned a learning path, where they are given progressively more difficult learning challenges and lessons that they can do. This learning path is laid out nicely for the kids to visually see where they have been and what they can do next.
As you can see from the screen shot above, my son is set to do a sight word sentence puzzle next. He'll learn the word "way". I have noticed that immediately after each of these activities, he really does recognize the sight worlds well. And while ABCmouse does give the kids lots of virtual books to practice their new words with, he picks them up quickly in our physical books, as well.
Another fun option for learning is the Featured Activity box. This has all kinds of learning activities in various subjects, including social studies, math, and science. My son will learn about the tallest trees in the U.S. or have the chance to label the continents. I'm impressed that a child of his age can pick up on things so well with this program!
Once Marcus has completed at least one learning path activity and one Featured Activity, I allow him to play as he wishes for an additional 15 minutes each day. This time is usually spent playing with the class hamster. You can these virtual critters and care for them by giving them water and food. He prefers to watch them run through the hamster maze. There is usually quite a bit of giggling during this time.
Finally, if all goes well, there is a spin to take on the prize wheel. This is always met with excitement. Extra tickets can be won!
Did you know? ABCmouse offers more than 8,500 standards-based learning activities covering preschool – 2nd grade and 850 lessons. In fact, more than 1.6 million ABCmouse learning activities are completed each day, with over 2.2 billion completed to date!
Wanna Save? Enjoy a Free 30-Day Trial of ABCmouse.com!
Lille Punkin' readers can give it a try and see if their kids will love it as much as we do.
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