When it comes to reading, my girls just cannot get enough. We have been reading chapter books to them since they were itty bitty, and now at ages four and six, we are reading Harry Potter together as a family. Our six-year-old is reading like crazy, and that makes little sister feel a bit behind, so she has been working on her reading skills so that she can be an active participant in family book nights instead of just listening. One great way to improve pre-reading and strengthen existing reading skills for younger children is through the use of sight words. Sight words are commonly seen or used words that in order to improve reading skills, it is encouraged that children memorize them at sight, instead of using reading decoding skills to figure out (sounding out, etc). The trick to learning these is exposure – hanging them in commonly seen places (like labeling your door, a door!). Rock ‘n Learn brings educational DVD movies, CDs and mobile apps to reinforce learning skills for children. Their Sight Words series incorporates the Dolch sight word list with interactive and fun dance moves. I received a copy of Level 2 Sight Words in exchange for my honest opinion.
What did I think?
The Rock ‘n Learn Sight Words level 2 DVD is a great way for younger children to engage with more than 65 common sight words! All the words on this DVD are primer Dolch words and many include words from Fry’s list as well! This DVD uses fun characters, exciting music and humor to engage children and expose them to these words so that they can start to recognize them when reading. I liked that the words are not just flashed on the screen, but used in context so that children can really start to relate to the words and how it can be used.
The Verdict
My youngest daughter has quickly picked up the words from the Rock ‘n Learn Sight Words Level 2 educational DVD and is already applying that to her reading practices. Tonight before bed, we were reading a Mo Willems book (one of our favorite children’s authors!) and she was able to read much of it on her own as over the last couple of weeks, she has picked up these sight words from the Rock ‘n Learn DVD! Not to mention that the tunes are catchy and even our oldest daughter can get behind something like that! In fact, she keeps asking if there are videos for her – and the good news is, there are! Rock ‘n Learn educational DVDs also come in math, science, foreign language and even grammar (yay!). They all incorporate fun and music as ways to get the kids up and learning (all without realizing it!). Learn more about the Rock ‘n Learn educational DVD movies, CDs and educational apps on Facebook and Twitter.