CertifiKid Field Report: ABCmouse.com

Posted Oct 22, 2016

The brain of a little one is an amazing thing. Think about it--in the first five years they go from not being able to hold up their heads to walking, talking, and having pretty strong opinions. Any parent who’s tried to get a three year old to eat something they don’t want to, knows this all too well. Taking full advantage of those brain-forming years is so important.

One of our team members recently took the subscription-based educational website ABCmouse.com for a test drive. Here is their CertifiKID Field Report:

What Makes It Unique?

With its bold colors and music, ABCmouse.com is visually engaging for little eyes and ears. The educational aspects come in the form of games and stories so kids don’t feel like they’re sitting down and “working” on their letters or colors.

When a child completes a task they earn points that they can then use to “buy” things in the pretend online store. I felt like this was a unique way to tie skill-building into the concept of accomplishment and reward.

The website is structured in a way that allows your child to move around in skill sets so that they always feel engaged. For example, storytime was fun for a while, but now they want to color. It’s a nice feature for keeping them interested in what they’re doing. Some of the site highlights are the learning zoo and books that are interactive.

They aren’t just learning to read when they’re on the site, they are picking up early keyboard and online navigation skills. That’s a big plus in my book!

Is It Easy to Use?

Yes and no. Younger kids, or those that haven’t had much exposure to computers or tablets may need you to be nearby to help guide them. Once they get the hang of it though they should be good to go.

ABCmouse.com Is Great for...

I think that the prime age group for this site is between 2 and 6 years. Some of the games and activities could be a bit rudimentary for older kids or those who are already early readers. My daughter struggled with reading at the Kindergarten level.

ABCmouse.com is perfect for her because she doesn’t feel like it’s a “Baby Place” which makes her enjoy the learning aspects. Honestly, I’m convinced she just thinks it’s a game.

If you have a child struggling with reading this could be the site for you. The same thing goes if you have a very young child that shows interest in learning beyond numbers and colors.

UPDATE:

After this CertifiKID Field Report was submitted, our CEO decided to sign her family up for ABCmouse.com. This is what they reported:

When I asked my kids why they loved ABCmouse.com (and they did) they said; “It feels like going to Chuck E. Cheese. You play games then get tickets to buy things for your character.” I felt like I was the winner here, my kids were working hard at learning and thought it was all fun and games!

My kids are fairly good with a computer. ABCmouse.com was very easy for them to use. The graphics are great and there are almost endless options for them to explore so it’s never boring. Having that huge selection of things for them to do made me feel like I was really getting my money’s worth from the subscription.

~ Jamie (CertifiKID founding mom and CEO)
 

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