AD – This post is in collaboration with Reading Eggs
Since Erin started reception in 2016, she has been on quite the reading journey. Those of you who have followed by blog for a while will know that it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. When Erin started school, she was one of the youngest in her class, and so when she was first introduced to phonics, she really struggled to grasp the concept of blending words and sounds. We were given the opportunity to trial Reading Eggs via the blog, and supporting her school work by using the app at home made a huge difference to Erin’s confidence and willingness to read.
In reception, her teacher advised us that like many children, Erin tends to learn more by ‘doing’, and as such, the one size fits all approach to teaching children how to read in schools didn’t entirely suit her. She was also a bit of a sight reader – learning to recognise frequently used words and being able to read them as a whole, rather than sounding them out. By combining a mixture of classroom based teaching, the Reading Eggs app, games and supporting worksheets, the technique of phonics and word comprehension really started to take shape, and now heading towards the end of Year 1, Erin’s reading has improved dramatically.
We were recently sent the Reading Eggs Mega Book Pack which is an ideal all round resource for children aged 3-7 who are learning to read, introducing children to phonics, spelling, sight words, writing and much much more. Here’s what you need to know.
The Reading Eggs Mega Book Pack
The Reading Eggs Mega Book Pack contains all of the Level 1 and Level 2 books and matches the first 80 lessons of Reading Eggs, making it an excellent resource to support the app based activity.
The Mega Book Pack includes:
- 80 x reading books
- 400 x stickers
- 8 x mini posters
- 8 x Activity Books
- 2 x packs of durable Flashcards with games
The idea behind the Mega Book Pack is that children can LEARN, READ and WRITE. First they learn particular sounds and words in the in app lessons, read stories to bring what they’ve learned to life, and then practice WRITING the sounds and words in the supporting activity workbooks.
The Reading Eggs Mega Book Pack is suitable for children aged 3-7 and retails at £69.95, and each book pack comes with a 14 day free subscription code for Readingeggs.co.uk
Reading Eggs Alphabet Flashcards
A fun way to introduce reading and writing for early readers is via thee Reading Eggs Alphabet flashcards, which are an interactive and practical way to make learning the 26 letters of the alphabet fun. The cards offer the potential to play 7 different games which will help children learn to identify letter shapes, hear letter sounds, match pictures to words and sounds, put letters in alphabetical order and read and spell simple words.
Reading Eggs ABC Reading Flashcards
For those who are slightly older, already started at school or who are already familiar with the alphabet, the ABC Reading Flashcards allow children to learn up to 40 high frequency sight words. In order to read fluently, children need to learn to read these words instantly by sight, and they inclulde words such as ‘I’, ‘am’, ‘have’, ‘they’, ‘this’ and ‘you’.
The ABC Reading Flashcards also provide 36 word building cards – allowing children to mix, match and conbine them to create more than 135 words.
There are 5 fun games that can be played with the cards including letters and sounds, blending sounds such as Ch, Sh, and Th, Rhyming Words, Sight Words and Making Sentences.
The Flashcards are an excellent way to practice reading and phonics skills and build spelling skills, and are great for travelling, being small enough to pop into a bag and play on the go. Erin in particular liked practicing her sight words with these flashcards, and the pride when she was able to read all 40 was pretty plain to see.
Reading Eggs Book Packs
The Reading Eggs Mega Book Pack includes 8 Book Packs with 10 books in each, which can be used on their own or in conjunction with the Reading Eggs app. Each book pack matches up to a series of lessons on the app. After each lesson, children can practice reading the supporting book number from the pack and apply the skills they have learned.
Each book pack comes with a 14 day subscription to Reading Eggs, so you can sign up as and when you want to work through the content.
The books are fun and engaging, with bright colours and fun characters or ‘critters’ throughout.
Erin particularly liked the addition of the poster which came inside each book pack. After reading each book, children are encouraged to add the “I can read this book” sticker to the relevant place on the map as well as the relevant Reading Eggs Critter/ character. There are also additional stickers in the pack to such as Star stickers and Praise stickers like ‘WOW’, ‘Good Job’ and ‘Great Reading’ so you can stick on to clothing as a little reward.
From a parent’s point of view, I found this a really fun way of recording Erin’s progress – a bit like a reward chart which previously worked really well with Erin when she was potty training and trying to get her bed upgraded to a cabin bed! 🙂
I think this reward chart, combined with the printable certificates you can get at the end of each map on the Reading Eggs app is a real motivator for little ones learning to read.
Reading Eggs Activity Books
After completing the lesson, and reading the supporting book, children can then practice some practical activities around the content in the supporting activity book. The practical element of the Mega Book Packs was probably Erin’s favourite – again due to her learning style I find the lessons really sink in when she does some practical work to support it.
There are 8 Activity Books in the Reading Eggs Mega Book Pack, and each book has content to support each lesson on the map.
Each lesson has four different activities for children to work through, including handwriting activities and letter sound activities, as well as the correct form of letters, shape and formation,
Overall, I think the Reading Eggs Mega Book pack is an absolutely fantastic resource, and for children like Erin who prefer a variety of methods when learning, it provides a varied and fun way to bring their reading to life, in a much more enjoyable way than simply practicing reading a book at the end of the school day. I wish we had been able to work through this from the very start of Erin’s journey, as now nearly 6, her knowledge is at the later stages of the pack.
I would definitely recommend Reading Eggs to any one with a child aged 3 and above who they would like to support with their reading. I think the pack is excellent value for money, and the fact that children can move onto each pack at their own pace, with a new subscription code each time, means that there is no rush or pressure to complete it all in one go.
Children all learn in their own way, their own time and in their own style, and I am a strong believer that one size does not fit every child. By experimenting with the range of approaches offered by the Reading Eggs Mega Book Pack, you can easily learn which style suits your children best, and help encourage and support their learning at home.
You can learn more about Reading Eggs Mega Book Pack on the Reading Eggs Website here, as well as check out our original review of the Reading Eggs App here.
Want to win a Reading Eggs Mega Book Pack of your own?
Thanks to the team at Reading Eggs, we have 1 Mega Book Pack to give away to one lucky reader worth £69.95. If you have a child who is starting school in September, this could be just the prize for you!
Reading Eggs Mega Book Pack Giveaway
To enter simply use the gleam app above. Our standard giveaway terms and conditions apply. Giveaway opens 22nd September 2020 and closes at 11.59pm on.18th October 2020 UK entries only. GOOD LUCK!
