Name: Hooked on Phonics Learn & Read
Rating: 4.54054 (6190 reviews)

User Reviews for Hooked on Phonics Learn & Read

4.54 out of 5

6.2K Ratings

4 years ago, Jennie*o1

Highly recommend!

I am well aware of how kids are being taught to read in schools... and it’s all WRONG (listen to the ‘EDUCATE’ podcast, and you will see just how bad it really is!) Anyways, when my son was about 16 months I introduced him to Hooked on Phonics. This. Changed. Everything. By 19 months he could recite his ABC’s. By 21 months he would rearrange the fridge magnets with the entire alphabet. By 24 months he would SPELL things to me like when he wanted water, he would literally SPELL out ‘W-A-T-E-R’ as well as other things like ‘ I LOVE YOU’. Today, he is now 3.5yrs old, my child is reading level 5 books. There is not a single word that he cannot decipher. He isn’t just reading, he is actually COMPREHENDING the text. I encourage parents to use HOOKED ON PHONICS. It is also critical to understand how schools are teaching kids to read (see podcast ‘EDUCATE’ on NPR.. it is an award winning podcast,) & to look at the actual SCIENCE behind how children are learning to read. Hooked on Phonics is absolutely vital in a child’s journey to becoming a good reader. I cannot express to parents just how important it is to teach your child PHONICS first and foremost. I suppose you don’t need to take my word for it, just see the science for yourself!!

4 years ago, jamiemclev

We have a reader!!

We have so enjoyed watching our now almost-5 year old son become a reader during quarantine using only this App and the related practice packs mailed to us. He went from reading words like ‘cat’ and ‘mat’ in March to reading full stories from our shelf, and he is loving the freedom it gives him to explore books in a new way. We have used the program inconsistently over the last 5 months depending on our family’s bandwidth, but it has been easy to move at our own pace and review areas where my son was not quite confident by revisiting sections of the App. He loves the songs (and so does his little bro), and they like the silly animals and their antics, particularly the rhino on the bulldozer and the strange but funny meerkat. There was a period where we saw problems with the App loading, and we reached out to customer service and they told us the developer team was working on it. This most recent update fixed any issues we were having and all seems to be in order. We can’t wait to finish the program as we start homeschooling more officially in September! We’re on the beginning of first grade now, so it won’t be long!

4 years ago, Pimpinsan

Worth it!! Reading in 3 weeks.

My five year old son had been in “Phonics” after school class two times a week for a few months for just 30 mins each session. I found that he was making very little progress and the activities he was doing did not hold his attention. Then after his school shut down due to COVID in April, I got him all sorts of learning books in order to prepare him for Kindergarten. He wasn’t too much interested in those. I decided to download the Hooked on Phonics app since it was just $1 for the first month. Let me tell you, I was a bit skeptical at first about the claims they were making that my son would be reading in a month. But to my amazement within three weeks he was reading. Now he’s reading everything and is definitely ready for Kindergarten and I couldn’t be happier. I must admit that some of the reviews almost made me not give the app a try, but I’m glad I did. Thank you Hooked on Phonics.

9 months ago, Masters Degree in Instruction

Good tool - some flaws with design

Overall, the Hooked On Phonics app is a really good tool for emergent readers and also pre-readers. My son gets good use out of this app and it does provide adequate feedback where your child will likely need to revisit based off of how well they do on the games. That being said, one of the issues that I believe is problematic for the learning skills of an emergent reader, is the fact that visually you cannot differentiate between a capital I and a lowercase L within this software. Establish readers don’t have difficulty with this because they’re able to gather the context clues surrounding the word to be able to interpret the information in front of them. An emergent reader is still building the decoding skills, and therefore can’t tell the difference between the two letters. It would be beneficial if software developers would adjust this, so that emergent readers did not have the confusion of trying to pronounce words with I’s that look like L’s and the readers wouldn’t be faced with the challenge of trying to pronounce words that do not exist within the English language.

4 years ago, childofalliance

Second Generation Win

My Dad used Hooked on Phonics when I struggled with reading growing up so when my own children started having problems I found an old cassette tape and book set and tried it out. They enjoyed it, but one of our kids has a hard time with Times New Roman font so I reached out the company to ask about the new app and book set. The customer service rep was not sure about which typeface the new system used but offered us a trial run for $1 of app and books. The new system has larger more adaptive font with more spacing between the lines as well. We love that the books are used in different ways on the app so we can reinforce what our kids are doing independently. Now both have the ability to read and we are continuing to work on fluency and confidence. Thank you Hooked on Phonics for helping a second generation of readers in my family.

2 years ago, CrysG24

Best Literacy Tool EVER!!!

People! Listen up! This is by far the BEST way to build literacy skills! I’m a 90s baby and I grew up on Hooked on Phonics. Now I get to share the same experience with my child! This platform is incredible to use, my son is 5 and has developed phonemic awareness, letter recognition and can write! Through the use of HOP, he has developed a love for literacy and that is a mother’s DREAM! Additionally, I made a goof in my account and called the customer support team for help. Ryan Roberson was AWESOME and even took the time to understand my child’s needs on a personal level. He went above and beyond to fix my issue and showed incredible pride in the company. Give him a raise! Parents, don’t hesitate. Be the teacher your child needs and take the stress out of homeschool! Subscribe to Hooked on Phonics ASAP! It’s worth it!

3 months ago, Kellomatic

Subscription scams

The concept of hooked on phonics is great however their subscription service is a scam. I saw an instagram ad that said try 30 days for $1 and thought great it gives me access to all the apps and a physical starter kit. During sign up it says “easily cancel at any time” I have adhd so I like to cancel my trials preemptively and then resubscribe if the service works for us. I signed up through hooked on phonics website and then downloaded the app from the site after enrolling. In the HoP app I went to manage subscription and it brought me back to their website. When I hit cancel subscription it prompts with a message saying “it appears you have subscribed directly through your App Store, so you’ll need to cancel your subscription through the App Store directly” except I physically entered my payment method and I have no current or expired HoP in my app subscriptions. Now waiting for customer support to respond because they only have 9-5 hours

2 months ago, mvfmom

The commercials in the 90’s didn’t lie!

My little pre k man was having a hard time with sight words and getting really frustrated in school. I tried to help him at home so he would have the confidence he needed at school. We both ended up frustrated and I decided that maybe he just wasn’t ready to read. Then I saw and ad for hooked on phonics. All I could think of were the commercials from the 90’s. “Hooked on phonics worked for me!”. I had serious reservations but gave it a shot. My son has worked his way through most of the first month’s materials and is thriving! He asks me for more time with his workbook. The difference is amazing. I would highly recommend this to anyone and everyone who has someone who is struggling.

2 years ago, Mo$ki

Sub for 2022

I was gifted the Hooked on Phonics books by someone who had originally purchased it about 5 years ago. The videos seemed out of date but I thought that level of production is probably not worth updating too often. I decided to supplement the books with a subscription but the games are extremely basic. The graphics are on the same level as the outdated videos. I give it three stars because it works as a supplement to the books, which have done a great job for getting my 4 year old beyond kindergarten level reading in less than a year, but as for the app it doesn’t flow well, no customization for reading level and it really just follows the exact path as the book which could work against your child if they’re just memorizing. I’d expect more for a large company like Hooked on Phonics.

2 months ago, Sylaethus

Happy Mama

My 5 year old son started Pre-K this year. He’s lazy. Doesn’t want to do anything that’s ask of him, but I want him to read. I know he wants to because his father and I are gamers, and he wants to know what we’re doing all the time. I tell him that he needs to learn to read if he wants to play the same games as us. We tried another app that just didn’t seem to do it. He still didn’t care. I would bargain with him, bribe him. Nothing. My husband and I started making the joke about Hooked on Phonics (because we grew up in that era) and looked the whole thing over. We said ‘why not’, and signed up. My son now wants to play with this app and work on his reading. Everyday he comes home from school and asks to do his work book and play on the app. He read his first story to me without any help. I nearly cried. The app is well thought out, easy to use and very easy to follow. It’s clear on what it wants from the learner and he is able to follow along without any issue. I have never heard my son laugh like he does when he uses this app. When they said “Hooked on Phonics worked for me”, they weren’t joking. I have a reader now, and you to thank.

2 years ago, okay1904

My daughter loves it, great purchase!

My daughter is 4 and very intelligent; and had another educational app we were using. I decided to give this app a try as well and it’s great! She requires a lot be challenged and this app is perfect for that. The lessons are tailored to what she needs and allows for her to review often if needed. I highly recommend!! I also like the review/practice material that comes in the mail also. As well, as the review emails that lets you know how well she’s doing and the areas in which she may need a little more work in. Overall best purchase! Considering she’s not in preschool and will be starting school for the first time as a kindergartner. I have no worries she’ll do great!

4 years ago, MomSaysWhat?!

Lessons in activities great but “a” in end of unit books doesn’t match

My daughter just started the “Learn to read” program & was so proud to get to the end of the unit reading words that end in -an. Hooked on phonics spends the unit (and every subsequent unit) using the simple lowercase “a” shape (the one that my phone won’t let me type apparently, but we write as a circle with a line backbone), and then in the end of unit book the program switches to the fancy type lowercase “a” (as typed here). After spending a unit identifying the shape of lowercase a’s go switch to a new shape of a with jo introduction is rough on a new reader. The end of unit books could use more support in general- it’s unclear if the expectation is that she can independently read them or if she’s meant to listen to them as watch the words highlight as a means of reinforcement.

3 years ago, Vvvroom

It’s great but painfully slow

My kids definitely enjoy it but it’s unnecessarily slow at times. For example, we hate the shopping cart with the meerkat because it goes back to the initial spot each time the correct word is chosen. It drags and my kids just hate it and they’re bored. We wish there was a fast forward button. Please consider taking out some gratuitous actions or several speed options. Also, it’ll be nice to have an option to skip some lessons if needed. My oldest son should be starting at level 9 or 10, but this doesn’t give you the option at all. You would have to go through from level 1 and do every single activity. It’s too easy for him. I wish we can choose which level to start. Overall great, but not versatile and even frustrating at times.

4 months ago, Because dns

Deceptive and unauthorized billing

I downloaded this app many years ago for my daughter, I got it on a special offer for “free”. The “subscription” that I supposedly started doesn’t appear in my phone’s active or even inactive subscriptions. I tried logging into the site and manage my account. When I try to cancel it directly through the website, it says it is through the App Store and I need to cancel it somehow through them. Going back to try and find anything else that shows any active account subscriptions there is nothing to be found. I’m not sure how long they have gotten away with billing me $8 for something I don’t use anymore and never asked to subscribe. I can’t even see if that is a monthly or yearly bill unless I log into my bank! Very lowdown and dirty business practice, hiding the information for customers to see and easily manage being billed. It may only be $8 that does add up!

4 years ago, 0x294

Buggy [UPDATED]

UPDATE: I think as long as you keep your subscription current, the progress is saved. Personally, I prefer to manually update my subscriptions month to month (sometimes letting them expire for a short time) to ensure I don’t pay for ones I no longer use. In any case, the app works well and has helped my four-year-old develop independent reading very early, and I’m especially happy to see the introduction of a spelling program. I want to love this app as its method really is helping my kid learn to read, but it’s SOOO buggy when it comes to remembering/saving my kid’s progress. He’s had to do the same lesson 5 times and the app refuses to acknowledge he’s completed it.

3 years ago, suaside1

Very disappointed

We have been having issues with trying to log into the account and have tried many times to get a hold of someone to speak with and resolve this issue. I have called your number, but an automated message just comes on saying that due to a high volume of calls, my only option is to leave a message. After calling numerous times, at different times of the day, because I wanted to speak with a live person, this message always comes on and no one ever answers the phone. I finally gave up and left a message and to this day have not received a call back. We were only able to use this program maybe twice, before we started having issues, even though payment was still taken from my account. I now wish to CANCEL this subscription, effective immediately and I am so disappointed that I ever gave this program a chance.

3 years ago, KnittingsmyBag-Lois

Reading at 3

I started Hooked on Phonics with my granddaughter when she was 3 years old. We actually started because I care for her 8 hours a day and I didn’t want her watching television all the time. It was really just something to do but low and behold the child learned to read. I have to admit that now she is 4 the app doesn’t appeal to her anymore but she still loves the notebooks and reading books. I photocopy the pages in the workbooks so she can do them over and over again. It is a wonderful program. Just go at your own pace with no expectations and you will see something wonderful happen.

1 month ago, blablablaaa21

It works sometimes

I think my son learned more to read from the fact that I was reading to him growing up than using hooked on phonics, but hooked on phonics anchored in his reading skills. Stuff works a little bit better than the electronic because you literally have to reload all of the games almost every two weeks if you want them to consistently work. it keeps just getting stuck on loading and then he goes to other games so it kind of defeats the purpose when I’m driving and I’m asking him to do something educational because he uses patience and I lose patience with the fact that I have to download and reload and re-reset the password every single time it’s so frustrating.

6 months ago, Klance74

Annoying App

First, I don’t like having to download the app and create an account before I can find out how much it costs. They want you to give them information and invest time so you are invested in the app and more likely to buy. Every other screen I have attempted to select takes me to a screen called Parent Area which asks to enter my birthday. I downloaded the app 15 minutes ago and have had to enter my birthday 12 times already. When I first downloaded the app I quickly had a pop up window that said something like “Select the most relevant statement”, but there was no statement, only BACK and NEXT buttons, which were both greyed out, so I had to close and restart the app. Initial impression is that not a lot of quality programming went into this app.

2 years ago, anita_lupita

Made a HUGE difference

I homeschool my 5 year old and teaching him how to read the traditional way was starting to just get so painful. I was excited to try this app since hooked on phonics is how I learned to read once upon a time and I was not disappointed! In just 2 weeks of using the app 30 mins a day, I saw a huge improvement. The only con I think of is that every now and the levels can drag on with repetition and he loses interest because he finds it too easy and just wants to move onto the next section.

4 years ago, Emily0081

Can’t hold my 5 year olds attention

I figured I would try it since it was only $1 for the first month and she’s going to be doing complete remote learning her kindergarten year, which I’m very nervous about. But I had doubts because my daughter is very much into her phone and playing Roblox and other stuff on it, so learning games never hold her interest. And I was right when it came to this one. Unless I forced her to sit and do it she has no interest whatsoever. And I don’t want her to end up hating the learning process. I’m not sure how I’m going to do it this year and make sure she learns everything she needs to. I’m terrified. But I think for kids who don’t already spend hours a day behind a phone or tablet (yeah I’m a bad parent I know) I do think your kid would benefit!!!

2 years ago, kbuck2008

Add more users

I’ve contacted the company multiple times to make them aware some family’s have more then 3 kids. However I have to make two different accounts with two different emails to accommodate my five kids to use the program. If this is not addressed soon we will quit. And I will warn every family I know that has more then three kids that this program and company does not support large families period.

2 months ago, tina love games

Words are pronounced incorrectly and hard to hear

My child is a kindergartner that is entering into first grade in a couple of months. He started at level 13 and he has a hard time understanding what words the narrator is pronouncing. He brings his iPad to me and I also have no clue what the narrator is saying. The narrator does not speak clearly and pronounces words incorrectly? He pronounces haul like hull and many more odd pronunciations. It sounds like this program is made with AI voiceover. I’ve seen so many ads on this program and decided I would try it but honestly, their are way better programs out there and I have subscribed to many. If you all fix the pronunciation of the words, the program would be great but that is a major flaw in the program.

2 years ago, 11710070514

Please make getting the right answers a bit more interesting.

My little one enjoys this app, and learns from it, but you wouldn’t know it by her performance. Why? The animations for wrong answers are more interesting, visually speaking, than those for correct answers. For instance, the flowers in the bee game. The petals shake and disappear for wrong answers, while a correct answer elicits a simple “ding.” The baby determinedly chooses wrong answers, avoiding the right one, because she wants to see the more interesting animations. Making correct answers more visually appealing would greatly improve this app.

2 years ago, LaynaStar

It helps but easily bores

Before pre-k my son had already mastered the alphabet and phonics so I was excited to try this with him to challenge him to learn more. The lessons are good but since there is little to no variety he races thru it to get finished. They do get harder as far as words go but there is zero challenge in the lessons. And it is literally the same set of lessons over and over just with different word families. I do appreciate that the lessons build up and continue using words he has already practiced. But PLEASE add some variety to the lessons so young readers stay engaged and have something new to look forward too.

4 years ago, Jellybean898

Needs to work out some kinks

It’s a good app but there’s definitely a lot of room for improvement. I really wish “aw” would be added to it because my son really struggled with “aw” words (saw, jaw) when we were doing sight words without the app. I wish you had to make the kids speak the words before they moved on. Because he can just click right through them. So I really have to be right on top of him when he’s doing this otherwise he’s not getting anything out of it. If my Spanish app requires me to say things in Spanish before I move on then there’s no reason why it can’t be on this app too. It’s an okay app. Just really needs a bit more tlc.

2 years ago, eivv120805

Could be great if the app ever worked

This app is incredibly frustrating. We have never made it past 2 exercises until the next one just won’t load. Customer service is no help, even after providing screen shots of the problem they just tell you it’s fine on their end. I’ve used the app on multiple different devices all with same lack of loading and then error message. So buy it if you enjoy kids staring at an app that stalls out and won’t work and customer service who suddenly goes silent when you say the phrase “I would like a refund”. And no it’s not an internet issue or an operating system issue, it’s literally the app only, everything else works.

4 years ago, hmacnski

Bring back the old version

I’m a homeschool mom, my first daughter learned to read using your program I have all the sets and for a reward that would get to use the app that went along with the books and was super excited to learn to read. Now that my other daughter is learning to read with the physical books she doesn’t get to use the app because it’s too baby-ish and doesn’t look like the books anymore or easy to use. They loved the part where they earned trophies and extra books to read on it. Wish you would give the option to use the old app or new one for others. Disappointing. I’m going to have to find another reading program to buy now to use for my other daughter.

1 year ago, MamaBR16

I want to like this but…

My almost kindergartner is getting bored with it after just 3 days in but that’s not my main concern…I sit with her while she’s working on it and during the “PreReader” lesson on capital letters with the bee going from flower to flower it asks the kids to find the flower with the sound that the letter on the bee makes…but it’s not actually the letter sound the guy is saying, it’s the actual letter. My daughter even said that’s not what B says…as the guy just said B and not the sound. That’s what it does throughout the whole exercise. Why is this being taught that way? It’s incorrect.

2 months ago, BeckJ1234567

Absolutely Recommend!!

The only regret I have in getting Hooked on Phonics is not getting it sooner! I use the app primarily for my kindergartener who responds so well to the app. She gets home from school and begs to work in the workbook and read the books too. I’ve also started a profile for my pre-reader and she loves it as well. The games are really engaging, well animated, and well paced for building both phonic and sight words skills.

1 year ago, 英语学习者3797

Good app but why the update

App was great, but now it won’t auto rotate when we flip the iPad screen. There are other issues with stories that are missing words. Other issues with the new noise button covering words during activities, such as the balloon activity. Then, some of the red font doesn’t work when listening to the stories aloud. The developer needs to thoroughly test the app before making it public. All the issues above could have easily been avoided. Still helpful for teaching reading though!

1 year ago, Liy’lah

Not letting me cancel an subscription

My son has been using this program for months and he was doing fine until I got emails about a payment. I am aware that the program is paid for but I tried to cancel it and I went through the website and it would not let me login and cancel my subscription. I even went through the email that you guys have been sending me and it still wouldn’t let me login and cancel my subscription, it’s a good app but I’m disappointed because I’m still being charged

1 year ago, Erinh1201

Kindergartener

My son entered Kindergarten and was immediately referred to a specials teacher for reading skills. They evaluated the kids first day in September and then again in January. When the results in January weren’t much different then September I looked into what I could do different. My son (who also has ADHD) started hooked on phonics in February and by mid March was pulled from the specials class and testing at the top of his class in reading and sight words.

4 years ago, Mememememe6969

NIGHTMARE, THESE PEOPLE ARE THIEVES

This is a nightmare, I thought I canceled months ago, but just realized I’m still being charged. I tried to log into the app, it takes me to safari to log in, but I can’t because I only ever had a temporary password as I cancelled it the first time I logged in. I request a password reset over and over, never get an email. I request in the app for a new password, they send me an email, then say I successfully changed my password, but then my password doesn’t work and I can’t log in to cancel, again! This app is a joke, it’s so poorly designed, and they are clearly counting on you forgetting to cancel, or not noticing that they keep charging you. Trash people with a trash app.

3 years ago, Emmles14

This has helped my son so much!

My son was behind in reading and it was a struggle trying to teach him myself. But after just 1 week of doing the Hooked on Phonics lessons, I saw such a huge improvement!! I love the way the program is structured and how they make it fun for the kids. It’s been a month now and I am so proud of how far my son has come. I’m a huge believer in Hooked on Phonics and recommend it to anyone!!!

3 years ago, MRHambrick

Great app - a suggestion

My 3 year old has been using the app for a few months and it (along with our phonics work-practice if individual letter sounds) is helping her start to blend. The lessons progress well by teaching kids word families. The one area I would improve is the pronunciation of the short letter sounds. I would remove the “uh” sound from letters like /b/ /c/ /p/ /h/ etc. I think the “uh” sound makes it more difficult for kids to blend as they progress in their reading development.

8 months ago, kawekids

Love it!

We have only been using Hooked on Phonics for a short period of time and we really love it! The lessons are colorful and fun but they also challenge our daughters and teach each concept very well! The lessons that our daughters struggles with, the app does a great job of helping them to grasp the concept! We love the reading, spelling, and math! Thank you Hooked on Phonics! It’s been a great experience and they are enjoying learning!

1 year ago, Rai DY

THE BEST

Hi. I started my subscription with hooked on phonics/math just last month. And my daughter and I have been enjoying her ‘study time’ since then, granted its for a 30 minute activities and reading only but I can see that she is starting to really learn and understand letters and numbers. Thank you Hooked on phonics. Your app and the materials really help her learn. More power to you guys. MOM out there do not hesitate to subscribe.

1 year ago, Is That All You Can Do?

Disappointing

Initially this app was great for the kids, and they sang along as they learned. Though it’s hard to track their progress, and you must wait for the weekly reports. I would be nice to be able to track in real time - not just what lessons are “complete”. The weekly progress reports are great, if you actually get them every week. I got them on week 1 and week 4. Customer support was dismal. They even asked for my password so they could log into my account to see what the problem was. That alone is enough to tell me all I need to know about this company. Plenty of other resources out there. On to the next!

2 years ago, Ashley340789

Highly recommend

My 5 year old was struggling in preschool being ahead. I bought this program to help him out and get an early start to kindergarten. We did our first purple learn to read book and within 10 minutes of doing the lesson he read his first book! He was so excited and couldn’t wait to show his teacher! This is definitely worth every penny!

3 years ago, katssps

My little buddy is reading!

I just leave the monthly packet on our kitchen table and my 4yo and I have been slowly working our way. He loves it! I don’t pressure him and so sometimes we fall behind on the months, but he is reading already! (Started July to August). We keep the books in his room that they send and we read them some of the nights at bedtime to reinforce what he has learned. Love it!

4 years ago, eichelbergerveronica

5yr old daughter is now reading in 1 week!!!

Myself and my 5 yr old daughter have been using HOP for a week now, ONE WEEK!, and she can now read 4 books!!! She’s doing incredibly with this program. She does her lessons on the HOP app and she uses it along with the workbook and practices until she gets it right. I’ve struggled all year to teach her to read and in one week she can now read 4 books! Thank you Hooked on Phonics!

4 years ago, rwandrw

Used to be great

This USED to be amazing, BUT the program was rewritten and now it makes no sense, follows no discernible pattern, and our second child is getting almost nothing from it and does not stay engaged like he did with the previous version. Then is for some reason it gets deleted (Oh I am sure your child would not do that) you lose your account information as to payments and plans. Hours and hours multiple phone calls & Emails to get it back only to have to do it again because a little brother deleted it. I don’t have the time or energy to work to get the program back and am looking for a new one that works

3 years ago, jacqg213468952

Terrible after the redesign

This used to be an amazing app that my son loved to use. Unfortunately they have made it busier, less user friendly and full of glitches now. The muted colors were nice but the new format took away some favorite features and worst of all they have added too much background visual stimuli that is unnecessary. Apparently the developers are completely unaware of what cognitive load is. My son went from progressing and navigating this on his own to needing help every step of the way with the new design. Really really poor design that is not beneficial to kids of any ability level.

4 years ago, GraceColler

Absolutely the Solution for Many

My eldest child is gifted and my younger possibly struggles with dyslexia. HOP has worked wonders for both children. My first child was completely independent with it back when it came in CD form and she taught herself to read at the age of 3! My son who is 6.5 and is struggling is not fighting the lessons and is delighted by the online content. I can’t say enough for this wonderful app. Worth the money any day of the week.

4 years ago, Taylor-Made Ministries

I had to give a star but really no stars

I taught two children to read using the older version. this new version is horrible. The upload is too slow to keep the attention of the children. I have given it some time and still cannot identify a path or how to determine when you have completed an area. They have sections but those have not as helpful as the outline path of the previous version. I realize there may be some aversion to change. But I am pretty adaptable if the change is greater than what was. This is all over the place and is taking longer for the children to learn to read. No stars.

4 years ago, CandLH

Fun but needs different games

My kids like this but they quickly got annoyed with having to do the same game over and over a ton of times. They “games” are pretty boring too. My daughter loves all the songs though. I also wish there was an option for the app to read the book to them in the pre-readers section. They are just learning their letters and the books are very difficult for that age.

1 year ago, Don’t bother, it’s terrible

Awful awful app

This app freezes and you get stuck in a loop of having to input your birth year and then having to X out of an offer to subscribe and you can’t escape it. Even if you’re already subscribed. I tried agreeing to the subscription just to move on but instead it double charged me for the same account with VERY different fees and I was still stuck in the loop. Had to contact support. Some of the pages won’t let you continue or it shows the activity is not completed so you can’t move onto the next lesson. It’s extremely infuriating. Onto a new app.

1 year ago, R.J.B.1

Less than expected

I was really disappointed in this app. It’s not very intuitive and the presentation comes across as clunky. I thought that this well established system would be the ticket to help engage my daughter in reading practice, but I wasn’t even sure how things were organized or how to gauge her progress. She lost interest in it very quickly and would rather do any other reading activity than use this app. I have already canceled my subscription. I think Khan Academy is a far better option.

5 months ago, RK101101

Cute but very buggy

Sat with my daughter during an exercise with words end in “id”…where you have to click on the letter flying by that matches the word the game says…in our case, “kid”…she was there waiting for 20 minutes waiting for a “k” to float by, but it was nothing but b, m, and r floating by…the whole time. Sadly, this sort of buggy behavior has been pretty common…so we turn off the game and return to it later…usually resolves the issue, but not always. Deleting this after our month and moving on to another.

Description

Learning Program: More than 5 million children have learned to read with Hooked on Phonics over the past 35+ years. We utilize cutting edge research and guidance from leading educational experts to teach early reading skills most effectively. Machine-learning algorithms give children more practice in areas where they are struggling, and parents gain better insight into how their children are progressing with robust reporting features. • Perfect for preschool, kindergarten, 1st grade and 2nd grade readers (ages 3-8) • Correlates to Federal reading proficiency standards into 2nd grade • More than 250 songs, award-winning videos, interactive games, reading lessons, & ebooks • Earn virtual awards and achievement certificates • 100+ ebook library with stories to complement every lesson • Use on multiple devices – pick up where you left off, no matter where you are • Add multiple readers and track their progress individually Hooked on Phonics contains 42 progressive lessons featuring leveled learning activities that cover key building blocks of reading: short vowels, simple plurals, simple compound words, beginning and ending consonant digraphs and blends, two-syllable words, and sight words. Each lesson concludes with a story specially written with the words just learned. Your child will read this book, proudly, on their own. If your child is in Pre-K, has not quite mastered the alphabet and letter sounds, or they are struggling with Step 1 of the Learn to Read program, the Pre-reader section may be a good place to start. The Pre-reader section is an exciting preschool learning program that introduces pre-readers to the alphabet and letter sounds – critical skills they’ll need to begin Step 1 of the Learn to Read program. WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU DOWNLOAD: Hooked on Phonics is FREE TO TRY for 7 days. You’ll get access to the entire program from pre-reader to 2nd grade. Try it before you buy it, and experience the joy of your child reading their first book. With a paid subscription, you will also have access to the Hooked on Spelling and Hooked on Math Apps at no additional cost (a $12/mo value). Simply download the apps and use your Hooked on Phonics login credentials! Terms of use: - Hooked on Phonics provides a 7-day free trial, which upon completion, becomes a monthly subscription charged to the user’s iTunes account. - Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. - Subscriptions may be managed by the user by going to the “subscriptions” section in the app store after purchase. https://hookedonphonics.com/terms-of-service/ Practice Pack Program: What sets Hooked on Phonics apart from other reading apps is the option to include complementary Practice Packs (additional purchase required) that help a child develop concepts of print, reinforce the lessons learned in the app, and give instructions for hands-on ideas for deeper learning at home. Built by education experts with feedback from our customers, the Practice Pack program includes 5 Pre-reader, and 15 Learn to Read packs that include workbooks, stickers, storybooks, and in the first Pre-reader pack, flashcards that are sent to the home, monthly. Users can customize how often they receive these shipments through their account dashboard to tailor the pacing to each family’s needs. Created in conjunction with the App, the Practice Packs allow children to engage in different modalities of learning, review the skills they’ve gained in the App, and practice hands-on skills—like writing and tracing—that can’t be mastered in a digital setting. The result is an immersive program of learning experiences that keeps kids highly engaged in learning to read. Start your child on the path to becoming a confident lifelong reader, and download Hooked on Phonics now!