As I drive though my town and pass various schools I noticed a lot of them put reminders on their signs about how not to let your children forget their summer reading. Summers are so jam packed with various events and outings that we aren’t always thinking about how important it is to stay on top of our children’s reading and math skills. If kid’s aren’t practicing these skills somewhat regularly they forget them. In one ear out the other as the saying goes.
This summer I was given the chance to not only help my son remember his reading skills but he also had the chance to remember and improve his math skills as well. K5 Learning has been a great summertime supplemental study program for us. I love that it teaches both reading and math! Yes, worksheets help as well too but I believe kids will enjoy the interaction and animation of this program a little more than a stagnant piece of paper. Remember each child learns differently so it is best to try a variety of learning tools to see what is best for your child.
When my son and I started using K5 Learning it was set at his current grade (entering 1st grade). He found these lessons were a bit too easy for him so we decided that he would take the free online math and reading assessments to make the lessons more on target for his skill level. After taking the assessments he was bumped up to early second grade for numbers, operations, reading comprehension, and sight words. Once the grade level was changed I could tell a huge difference in him while he was doing the lessons. I noticed he preferred to be challenged rather than having everything be so super easy which surprised me a little. Easy equaled bored for him. It made me proud at how much he actually wanted to learn and not just coast in the background.
Each lesson is interactive with various animations and characters. One thing I noticed about the lessons is that they repeat everything. It will read the question and the reread it once you have answered it. My son complained that it did this but in reality it will help him associate words he didn’t know before so I didn’t mind it.
The parents side of the program allows you to view reports to see your child’s progress and you can even assign particular lessons you want you child to learn at a particular time.
K5 is available for $25 a month or $199 a year. Do you have more than one child that could benefit from this program? They offer substantial discounts for siblings! With this program you will get a free math and reading assessment and unlimited use of each of K5’s four programs, K5 Reading, K5 Math, K5 Spelling and K5 Math Facts.
Overall the K5 Learning program was a great way to keep my son on track with his reading, math, and spelling skills during the hectic summer months. Did he always want to do the lessons? No. The more important question I think is, Did he learn something? Yes!! Try their 14 day free trial and see what you think of the program yourself.
Disclosure: I was given an extended trial of this product to facilitate a review. However, all thoughts and opinions are completely honest and my own.