SkillaDo Easy Phonics Review & Giveaway {Closed}
I am the mother of five, but have never utilized technology to teach phonics/reading to my children. When I agreed to review SkillaDo Easy Phonics, I must confess that I was a bit doubtful regarding its ability to impact the struggles my youngest, who is 10, has been facing.
Setting up the account was a bit tricky and laborious; but once we were past that, it was smooth sailing.
Again, I wasn’t using this to teach reading, as much as I was to reinforce principles that weren’t being grasped.
The student is easily capable of logging in with a simple password once the account is set up. Once inside, he or she is greeted by a character named Fonty. Fonty is the instructor for each lesson and has the ability to change his appearance into the shape of the letter or sound that is being introduced and implemented. He is friendly, engaging; and when an answer is given incorrectly, very affirmative. When you answer incorrectly, he simply reviews with you, giving you a chance to try again. The basics are presented very cohesively and thoroughly, while allowing the student to experience reinforcement of the concepts taught through a variety of games and activities that are presented. While this could get boring rather quickly, Fonty manages to keep attention through moving graphics and sounds that also reinforce concepts without being too overwhelming or distracting.
The games are simple yet definitely give immediate feedback as to where the student needs help or to review for better understanding. My son had no problem being motivated to engage in his phonics assignment when asked. The lessons are easily completed in 10-20 minute increments and can be broken down in segments that are easy to adjust according to age and attention span. When you leave off and then log back in, Fonty is waiting for you right where you were.
I was very impressed with the fact that my son was able to see for himself, with Fonty’s guidance, the areas where he is weak and often confuses phonetic sounds and pronunciations; and willingly shared that information with me as he went along. I honestly think that the consistent and gentle affirmation of the program was helpful in making him feel comfortable and not threatened to perform or “get it right” every single time without error.
At one point in his journey, we were in need of technical support. Our inquiry was met with a very timely response and courteous help. He enjoyed the games, and yet, learned a tremendous amount from the concepts that the games were intended to impart. This program can either be played on the computer screen without headphones or utilized by the student with a headset.
The program is definitely worth consideration and is an excellent value for the price. I think that a beginning reader would benefit from Fonty’s instruction and would view reading as a positive, exciting journey based on the enthusiasm and gentle instruction Fonty provides.
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Teri is a believer in God, family, community, and lover of leadership education the Thomas Jefferson way. Teri writes and also speaks about lessons learned on her educational journey with 5 rambunctious sons, ages 22 down to 9, one hero Hubby, and celebrating day to day life with lots of humor, within the human race. You can find Teri blogging at Tommy Mom.
I would love to have a reinforcement phonics tool for my daughter. Thanks for the review.
This would be a great tool for my soon to be Kindergatener!!!
this would be great to reinforce phonics with my sons and I. I am guilty Phonics isn’t my strong suite.
Looks very promising, although I have to admit at this point I’ll try anything with my 1st & 5th grader. Thanks for making this wonderful opportunity possible.
This sounds like a great program!
Great info especially as I’m trying to decide a phonics program for my daughter.
Sounds great!! I would love to try this. My son and I have such a hard time with his reading. THis might be what he really needs
I would like to win!
I would love to win this for my 5 yr old son that is starting K this fall! I’ve very nervous about teaching him to read.
What a great tool!
I love how it is broken up in to reasonable amount of time
looks great
I like that it can be broken into increments so I can use it with my younger children too. My kids are 6, 5 and 4 and this looks like a program that can be used for all three in our classroom.
Thank you for the chance to win this prize….great review!
oh this sounds very cool!
I love that it is a kid friendly approach to learning or reinforcing phonics
My daughter loves technology based learning and she is so ready to read. She loves sounding out words and this is where a phonics program would really come in handy. She’s definetely a hands on learner like me.
Love that the lessons are short & sweet & can be adapted to any attention span!
I like that this is something my son would be able to do without my direction. He can be very needy when it comes to his lessons, so anything I can do that makes him more independent would be awesome!
This looks intriguing!!!
What a great giveaway! We have two pre-readers in this family and I think this would be great for them!
I’m just beginning to teach my 3rd son to read. We love technology – good technology. I love to spend one on one time with each of my 4 boys, but do daycare and my time is stretched thin. Therefore, I use computer based programs when available, if they produce results. This is something I’d like to try!
I also have a struggling 10yo son. This sounds like just the thing to give him the extra confidence he needs in his reading/phonics skills.
We would love to try this out!
I have a preschooler and one in K this would be perfect for!
What I like best is that I like how it tells you where the mistakes are so you can see maybe where you need to help your little one a little more in that area.
I like that this is done on the computer. It might make my son more interested in reading!
I like that the character can change into the shape of the letters 🙂
Sounds like it would be a great supplement for little boys who need various methods of learning!
I am using phonics with my four year old who loves to sing the sounds of the alphabet and is beginning to read basic words
what a fun give away and with three more children to teach to read it would be a great help
i like that there is a whole web support. I do not buy it and then just left on my own
This sounds great! Would love to try it for my dyslexic child.
I like the interactive aspect of it. Thanks!
I have 9 year old boy/girl twins. My daughter struggles with reading and spelling and it is heartbreaking. I try every resource possible that will encourage her.
I would love to check this out. I have two kindergartners that are having some reading struggles. Thanks!
My youngest son has learning disabilities and other health issues that cause him to struggle with reading and I am looking for ways to help him. Thank you so much for this review! I would love to win this to help him enjoy reading.
I like the support offered and the fun games offered to keep my childs interest! With daddy deployed, I need all the extra help I can get!
NEXT YEAR IS OUR FIRST OFFICIAL START TO HOMESCHOOLING AND WE WOULD LOVE TO GET STARTED ON THE RIGHT FOOT WITH THIS AMAZING PROGRAM!!
Sounds like the kids would enjoy it…which is half the battle!
This looks great! 🙂
I would love to try this program! I have an 11,7,&3 year old. Sounds like all 3 could benefit from this program.
I have been wondering for months what phonics program I would use next year for my middle daughter! We started with Sing, Spell, Read and Write and have thoroughly enjoyed it. She is very visual, and I think she would LOVE this program!!
I would LOVE this!!!! GOOD LUCK TO ALL!!!