We do a lot of computer work in our homeschool, and I’m always looking for something good for my kindergarten student. Talking Fingers, Inc. allowed us access to try out their early writing and spelling program called Read, Write & Type for review. It helps kids to practice and learn phonics, keyboarding skills, spelling, and word processing.
Read, Write & Type is an online program accessed through a website. It is in full color and has sound as well. The program tells students what to do and teaches keyboarding through a series of games and exercises. It also teaches phonics lessons through these games and does a lot of repetition to ensure that students are getting plenty of practice before mastering each letter.
Their website indicates that it is good for students ages 6 – 9 years old, and I would say that I think that is fairly accurate if they are still working on learning to read or if they need special practice with keyboarding skills. The graphics are very colorful, and the activities are varied as they work through mastering each of the letters using the program.
My 6 year old son has enjoyed using the Read, Write & Type. He says that it is all pretty good. His favorite part is when he is having to move a character from one spot to another by correctly typing characters, words, or phrases over and over again. It has helped him to gain speed and accuracy in his typing in just a few lessons.
I basically assigned this to him to work on a few days a week and let him choose how long to work on the lessons. Some days, he chose to work for about 10 minutes. Most days, though, he worked on it for around 30-45 minutes. He would set a goal for himself as far as what he wanted to complete that day, and he would keep going until he reached it.
There is gentle correction worked into the program for when students get something incorrect. I like that, because it does let them know it was wrong, but doesn’t go crazy telling them they messed up. There are many opportunities to practice everything, and students earn certificates as they go along in the program. These can be printed out if your child is motivated by things like that!
My son was excited about the certificates, but mainly just to show me that he had earned them. He thought that was really cool and I think it made him feel like this was a more official program than some of the computer games that he sometimes plays on during school time.
I like that he is working on skills in a sensible order and that it keeps track of what he has mastered and what he is currently working on. It is easy to see what is done and what is coming up. The format is predictable and fun. My son has enjoyed playing on here, and I don’t think that he’s figured out yet that it’s not just a phonics program, but a typing skills game as well.
Students can access the first 8 lessons for free to see if it is a good fit. This program is also wonderful for ESL (English as a Second Language) students.
If you’d like to see how other families used the program, just click the banner below.
