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Whether you have a child who is ready to learn to read or one who is a struggling reader, the Learning Dynamics Reading Program by Learning Dynamics can help!
We received this structured, multisensory, phonics-based system for review, and since then, I have been using components of it successfully with my own children and with tutoring students.
In doing so, six things have really stood out to me about the Learning Dynamics Reading Program:
1. It comes in a sturdy little box that makes it easy to store, transport, and use.
Okay, I know packaging is not the first thing one usually thinks about when considering a new reading program, but, let me tell, you, the Learning Dynamics Reading Program package is such a well-designed one!
It immediately caught my kiddoes' eyes and made them want to dig right into the program, reading through the readers in the box during independent reading time and with me as a way to "fill in holes". (My children are beyond the initial learning to read stage, but one likes "easy stuff" to read during solo reading times sometimes and another has dyslexia and appreciates decodable books that can help her fill in holes and gain confidence.)
The packaging also caught the attention of my tutoring students.
One saw the package on my table, and, although she was "beyond" the level of the Learning Dynamics Reading Program materials, she asked if she could read some of the readers. So, of course, I let her, and she enjoyed them. They are just so inviting with their four colors standing in the box.
When that student saw it on my table, opened it with me, and dug into by request, he took to it right away, so I asked my own child if they'd mind if I used the Activity Book (which is something your child writes in) with him and they agreed. So, he's become my primary user of the program while my own children - and other children who come to my house - enjoy the readers and other components.
There is something to be said about packaging that invites children to learn and acts as a handy way to store, transport, and grab-and-go with a program, and the Learning Dynamics Reading Program nailed it in designing theirs.
2. It has varied components to keep learners engaged (but not so many that Moms, Dads, and teachers go crazy!)
Over the years, I have taught a lot of children in the United States and overseas, and one thing that I have come to recognize is that each student is truly different, so one size rarely fits all.
Thus, when I look at a new program, I appreciate something that can adapt to many types of learners - those who like repetition and those who like variety; those who tune into songs and silly stories and those who prefer visual stimulation; those who like things cutesy and catchy and those who like them straightforward and with plenty of white space... In other words, I like one program that can reach many students, even if it takes a little tweaking with some.
The Learning Dynamics Reading Program is such a program.
In the weeks that I have been using it, I have found that it hits the mark for visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners as well as interpersonal and independent ones. (Independent only for those who have already progressed with reading and are using program materials to "fill in" holes or practice skills.)
The bright, bold illustrations with expressive faces appeal to visual learners while the fact that the books are printed with a large, bold font and plenty of white space appeals to my child with dyslexia.
Auditory learners and those who like songs and ditties can appreciate the audio CD and also will benefit from the conversation and systematic teaching of sounds and blending that are a part of the lessons.
They can also play extra games with the flash cards if you know some, as I do.
Those who like cutesy things, stories, and rewards can have them. Those that don't, can skip them.
The Learning Dynamics Reading Program offers enough materials to provide variety and to appeal to children with a range of learning styles, but not so many that it becomes tedious for moms, dads, tutors, or other teachers to keep track of them and use them.
Included in the program are:
- a concise. spiral-bound Lesson Manual that allows you to open-and-go.
- 50+ full-color decodable Easy Reading Books that allow students to build a library while also developing stronger and stronger reading skills.
- a CD with 34 learning songs.
- an Activity Book/Workbook with simple activities to reinforce learning
- cute little Letter Rewards.
- a variety of Flashcards which can be used as directed in the Lesson Manual and can also be used for other games and activities.
These all fit neatly into the box the program comes in and can be tailored in use to your child's needs and likes.
3. The program can unlock reading within just four weeks.
The Learning Dynamics Reading Program was created to make teaching children to read easy and Learning Dynamics is so confident about the design and success of their program that they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.
I don't think you'll need to use that guarantee, though, if you try the program, because it really is well designed so that you can bring a child in preschool through second grade from hearing sounds, to matching them to phonograms, to blending them to make words, to reading decodable books in just four weeks and, then, progress further with reading in subsequent weeks.
Enjoyable, 15-minute lessons work through a system of introducing an attainable challenge to your child, practicing it, having your child meet success and be rewarded, and, then, moving on with the traction gained from your child's growing confidence and skills.
In doing so, the program helps your child to:
- develop phonemic awareness (or, in layman's terms, the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate the sounds of language).
- learn explicit letter-sound correspondence (which is essential for both reading and writing).
- master frequent letter-sound relationships systematically (which is great for all children, but, especially for those with dyslexia like one of my own children, and, I believe, some of my tutoring students).
- sound out words with letter-sound blending.
- use decodable text to practice letter-sound relationships (and enjoy reading independently!).
- read interesting stories to develop language comprehension (and chat about or narrate them with a parent, tutor, or teacher).
You can read more about how it works here and also in reviews from other Homeschool Review Crew Members who used the program with younger children.
I used components of it it with my eight (now nine) year old for review and fun and also with my eleven (now twelve - they both had birthdays during the review period) child with dyslexia so that she could fill in some holes and gain confidence. I also used it, primarily, with a nine-year-old delayed reader who I tutor and he is progressing nicely with it!
A friend of mine who just happened to have bought the program for her five year old around the time I began using it as a review, noted that we have the same program and said her five year old is enjoying and succeeding with it, too.
So, I truly believe the Learning Dynamics Reading Program works for young learners even if I am using it with older ones.
4. It adapts well for struggling readers beyond the target age of pre-k-8 years.
As I have explained, I am using the Learning Dynamics Reading Program with older learners.
With my own children, I pretty much let my eight- and twelve-year-olds read through all the readers on their own and occasionally read them to me. I also use specific lesson flashcards or books to highlight specific reading/spelling patterns as I note they need help/refreshers with them.
With my tutoring student, we do not use the music CD, but rather, I buzzed through the first lessons reviewing materials he had previously learned, and, then, slowed when we got to the first lessons that use the books.
Since then, I use the lessons pretty much as directed sans the CD and the rewards and picture flashcards. Instead, I read the silly story that goes with each sound when the student is writing the phonogram for it.
We also use a notebook to play additional games with target words from the readers and tend to reread one or two books and tackle a new one each lesson.
We also use the flashcards to build words and play games.
It is working out quite well and we will stick with this program moving forward.
The readers engage and challenge my student and allow him to level up, gaining skill and confidence.
5. Anyone can teach it!
The Learning Dynamics Reading Program was created with parents in mind. It is designed in such a way that anyone can follow it with little to no preparation. Simply open the box, pull out the Lesson Manual, and follow the instructions in it using the included supplies and a writing utensil, and you're all set.
Each lesson is structured in an easy-to-follow manner with everything you need to teach a typical learner included.
You can see more about it here:
As for learners that need a bit of a different approach, the program is good for them, too. However, you might want to tailor and tweak it to meet a particular child's needs.
Being a long-time teacher (former classroom teacher, current homeschool parent, and long-time tutor), such tweaking comes naturally for me, and, I have found that I can do it very easily with almost no outside materials when using the Learning Dynamics Reading Program. (Seriously, all I have used besides the lesson materials when teaching with the program are a small whiteboard, whiteboard markers, a notebook, and some gem stones.)
6. It is reusable!
Almost the entire program is reusable - the books, the flash cards, the letter rewards, and the manual. The only piece that is not reusable is the consumable student workbook, but additional copies of that piece can be purchased separately for just $18.
That means you can teach many children to read with one program, or, like me, teach one and review skills with others.
The lesson manual walks you through each step and the program has a 98% success rate and is backed by research from the Unviersity of Oregon and the International Education Institute.
It is simple, engaging, adaptable, multisensory, and great for more than one child!
We definitely recommend it!
It is obvious that we have liked Learning Dynamics here.
My nine-year-old said:
I think this would be good for kids who are just learning sounds and reading. They are also good for older kids who have reading troubles. I liked reading the books. They are easy.
My twelve-year-old said:
It is a good review of my skills. I read almost all of the books during my lesson times.
I don't really like the pictures, because they are so cartoony and I don't like cartoony, but they do have expression and tell the story, especially when the words in the early books are simple.
I would recommend this product to people who are just learning to read or who are having trouble reading.
There is not much writing on a page, there is a lot of white space, and there are pictures. This can help kids with reading problems.
And, I've said a lot already in this review, but will sum it all up by saying the Learning Dynamics Reading Program is a well-designed, well-packaged program that can serve as an open-and-go way for any parent or teacher to help a young child learn to read or as a convenient and adaptable set of materials for a parent or teacher of a struggling reader to invite skill building and confidence.
I am glad to have been introduced to the Learning Dynamics Reading Program through the Homeschool Review Crew and have used the program regularly with kids since it arrived on my doorstep. If you'd like to try it out, you can get 10% off by using the coupon code THAPPYHEARTS.
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