Great Reading Websites and Apps

There are many things that I love about using a computer and some of them include all of the wonderful websites that are available for our children to use both in a classroom setting or to continue learning at home. Not only have I placed websites on this list, but I've also included Apps that can be downloaded to your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch, or even on your child's version of the same. 


I've compiled a list of some of my personal favorites here for you to use with many different ages of kids and I've included a short description of each so that you will know what they are about before you click through to each one to see if it is appropriate for your child or even children to use.   If these look interesting t you, just click on the title (bold and blue) and it *should* take you directly to the website as I've linked everything I can.  

So without further ado... Let me introduce you to my favorites!




Starfall -- This is a great website for young readers, including those just beginning to read.  The top link is "ABCs" where littler readers can practice their letters.  As you read down the short list of options on this main page, the options grow more difficult where students can "read" increasingly more difficult books and can have entire passages or select words read to them by clicking-- Make sure to have the volume up or headphones handy!

Starfall iPhone, iPod touch and iPad App Similar to the website, but it has much more portability!

BookAdventure  Book Adventure is a fun, free way to motivate your child to read! Kids in grades K-8 can find a book,  take quizzes on what they've read and earn prizes  for their reading success.  This is one favorite of mine for parents and teachers since teachers can set up an entire classroom full of students and see what they're reading and how they answer quizzes.

SmartyGames   This website has multiple subjects, but I've linked this directly to the reading and language arts section.  This is similar to Starfall, but there is also a games piece to it as well as some writing activities (which I will cover in another Blog entry). 

 TumbleBook   When you visit this site, you can sign up for a free trial before you subscribe as it is a subscription based website.  Check with your child’s school librarian as well, though, to see if they have a log-in from the school already as many public school librarians have taught students how to use this resource already. 

Project Gutenberg    Free copies of books that are out of copyright or are older.  These books can be read right on your computer, printed or downloaded to an e-reader such as Kindle. 

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Road Rally Appisode  Anyone who knows me or who has visited my office knows that I love everything about Disney and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is no difference, especially now that I have an infant at home.  While your 2-3 year old is not reading yet, you can help them be active participants in what they are watching by watching along with them with this iPad app. Your little one gets to help Mickey Mouse and the gang in a race by touching, shaking, dragging and saying the magic words along with them (Meeska, Mouska, Mickey Mouse!) as they race to the finish line as a team.

That's all that I have for you for now.  Please share ones that you have found for your child in the comments below, I would love to know about more that are out there!  

Until next time, it's a great day at Sylvan!!

~Stefanie, Center Director of Flemington and Clinton, New Jersey Sylvan Learning Centers

How Parents Can Help Their Children Hone Study Skills - and Life Skills

We know it is getting close to the end of the school year, but it seems that we are getting more and more questions from parents about how they can help their child at home to hone their study skills while we also work with their child at Sylvan. I thought that I would revisit a post from a few months ago for this week's entry... Try to remember. When you were a student, did you ever ask, “How will grammar (or geometry or social studies) benefit me later in life?” Be honest. Now, return to today. When was the last time you took notes at a meeting? Or prioritized your “to-do” list? Or organized a project from start to finish? The skills you use to do these tasks at work and at home are the same skills you learned and honed in English class (and geometry and social studies). Now, your children are developing those skills that will enable them to read analytically, write and speak expressively and think strategically. And when they ask, “What good is this going to do me?” - you know that it all starts with taking notes in history class, studying for that bio exam and juggling time to accommodate school, sports and social calendars!

Organization, time management, note taking, test taking and strategic reading are all essential study skills that are first introduced to young people in the classroom, but ultimately transfer far beyond school. To help your child develop these skills in a way that is meaningful to them – mainly applying them to their “job” which is school – Sylvan Learning recommends tips that parents can follow:
Organization and Time Management • Have students use a planning calendar to track daily, weekly and monthly assignments and responsibilities. • Encourage children to break down large, complex tasks into manageable pieces. • Have children prioritize homework and other tasks when they get home from school, then complete the tasks in that order.

Note Taking • Don’t panic if a child’s notes look sloppy and disorganized. It’s often just a sign of a student with an active mind who is organizing things in ways that work best for him or her. • Encourage students to review their notes and even rewrite them, if necessary, to be sure they make sense. • As they review their notes, have children identify the most important points and highlight them.

Test Taking • Urge a student to study over a period of days or weeks instead of cramming the night before. • Be sure students go into the test with the right equipment, whether that means a calculator, class notes, textbooks or simply a pencil. • Encourage them to answer test questions they know first and then go on to the more challenging questions.

Reading • Encourage young readers to use all the clues available to them while reading, such as headlines, pictures, captions, charts, tables and graphs. • Urge them to read different types of writing, such as books of fiction and nonfiction, newspaper and magazine articles, letters and Web sites. • Talk with kids after they read a book or article. Have them tell you what the story was about, why it did or didn’t interest them and how it related to their life.

Studies show that the more involved parents are with their children’s education, the better the children do in school. What the studies don’t say is that this involvement is not just in the children’s school, but in the children’s lives. Because life is a balance of basic core skills (reading and math) and personal skills, such as communication and responsibility skills (organization and time management), parents need to nourish all of these skills, not just the ones that yield a grade. Along with this, comes the language we use when talking with our children. Saying things like "You're never going to get into college at this rate," is something that we sometimes in a heated moment when we're upset with our children, but these words are hurtful and often compound the problem. Instead, try phrases that use "I-Statements" ex. "I'm upset that this is difficult for you" or "I want the best for you, how can I help you?" in some situations. In other situations where a child is just not doing their work, as in the case of homework, check their teacher's website, their online gradebook, their agenda and in some extreme cases, be in almost weekly contact with the classroom teacher.

For some students, though, the lack of higher grades on tests and quizzes might not be an issue of their study habits, it may be a sign of deeper frustrations in their Reading, Math or Writing skills.