Headsprout Reading Online (and GIVEAWAY!)

I used to be a teacher. When I first started college, I really wanted to teach kindergarten. All those cute smiling faces staring up at you each morning, kids who love to give their teachers hugs, I even looked forward to wiping snotty noses. But the more time I spent in those younger classrooms, the less I wanted to teach in them. By the time I finished college, I had decided that fifth grade was the place I wanted to be.

Why? Of course there were a lot of reasons, but the main one was that I wanted kids who already knew how to read. The idea of teaching reading terrified me. All those little smiling faces, with their blank canvases waiting to be filled. What if I messed them up? What if I was UN-successful at teaching reading? I would be responsible for screwing them up, and that was not a mistake I was willing to make. Much safer to teach older children who already knew how to read – and if they didn’t, I could always send them out to remedial reading classes.

Now I have a preschool age daughter of my own, and prior to when we decided homeschool, I was looking forward to sending her to school. I was still terrified of teaching reading – especially to my own children! Now more than ever, I was afraid of making a mistake. Instead, I was perfectly happy to send them off to school to a teacher I knew little about, instead of trusting that God had given me the talent and the tools I needed to teach them at home.

After making the decision to homeschool, it became evident that I was going to have to take the reins myself. And after trying several programs that were unsuccessful in our house, I stumbled upon Headsprout, an online program for teaching reading.

When it comes to teaching reading, I think it technology scares a lot of people. It’s okay to let your children play around on the computer, you know, spend a little time at Starfall or PBS Kids, but to entrust reading to a computer program? Even I was a little hesitant to try it, and I have a very strong background in technology (a Master’s degree in Educational Technology).

There were three sample lessons available online, so I let my daughter try them out. No harm in that, right? Well, she sat down and did all three lessons in one sitting, then asked if she could do more! Since the programs we had tried earlier frequently resulted in tears, this was a good sign. Plus Headsprout was having a great sale (1/2 off the entire program!), so I figured it was worth a try. We bought the program.

The first half of the program is 40 lessons, and the second half is another 40. It is recommended for children ages four through six, although older children would benefit from it as well, even on a remedial reading level.

In addition to the online portion of the program, you are sent a package in the mail, which contains books to read aloud with your child after certain lessons, a progress map with stickers, and a reward certificate.

In each lesson, one or more sounds are introduced and practiced. After five lessons, a book is available that your child should be able to read. Books are also available to print out after subsequent lessons to practice new skills. Lessons also teach sounding out, punctuation, and comprehension.

Each lesson should take between 15-20 minutes, although it depends on the child. We took a little longer than the average time.

Headsprout also recommends doing 3-5 lessons per week. Since we generally school 4 days a week, we did 4 lessons a week in the beginning. Towards the end, we switched to doing a lesson every other day and practicing reading with the Headsprout readers on the opposite days. When we finish the program, it will have taken us about 8 months to finish the entire program.

We are currently at Lesson 72 and I am thrilled with the progress my daughter has made. She is reading very well and this is the first program we have used that did not induce tears every day.


One thing I really liked about the program were the books available to print. Since I had reservations about using an online program, having actual print material to practice reading with helped me to feel more confident about the program, and reading those books together on the couch provided some fun snuggle time for us.

Another thing I appreciate about the program (although my daughter probably would not agree) is the amount of repetition provided. There are games in each lesson which enforce the new sounds being taught. Flash cards are also available after each lesson to provide even more reinforcement, if it is needed.

Overall, my husband and I are very satisfied with the program and with the results we have seen in our daughter. I’m no longer scared of teaching reading because Headsprout has made it easy for me. I would highly recommend the program to anyone teaching reading to their child, either as a base for their reading program or at least for a portion of it.

To learn more about the program, visit Headsprout, and if you are interested in trying it out, I have great news! The Heart of the Matter and Headsprout are giving away a free subscription! If you are interested in trying out this program with your child, leave us a comment and it could be yours to try for free!



Amy is a military wife and homeschooling mom to their four year old daughter. Amy has a passion for sharing the joys of homeschooling a preschooler, as well as homeschooling in a military family. Please visit her at her blog, Allen Academy