Once children master reading sight words, it can be difficult to select "just right" reads for them. You can support your developing readers by adding to the picture books and early readers that they already love!
Try Advanced Easy Readers for a challenge as your child grows in confidence reading with you. When they’re ready to move on to even more complex reads, let us help you pick the best series in the Juvenile Fiction section. We call these Step into Chapters, and they have a great balance of words and pictures to support your reader as they move into the realm of chapter books. You can also find books like these in our e-book collections.
Colorín Colorado is the premier national website serving educators and families of English language learners (ELLs) in Grades Pre-K through 12. Colorín Colorado has been providing free research-based information, activities, and advice to parents, schools, and communities around the country for more than a decade.
This engaging reading website offers hundreds of interactive games, books, videos, and printables—all for free! With popular titles (including those from the much-loved Diary of a Wimpy Kid multi-book collection), your pre-K to 8th grade child will have plenty to read and enjoy.
For early readers, explore the new Khan Academy Kids. This self-paced, personalized program is perfect for little ones ages 2 to 6. If you have an older child looking for extra reading help, head to the original Khan Academy site. You'll find personalized reading instruction for your 2nd grader and beyond. Practice reading comprehension in a self-paced, safe place and watch them grow.
PebbleGo is a research resource for early elementary children. It has a variety of texts on animals, science, and history with a read-along feature for struggling readers. However, this online resource requires a school sign-on code. Check if your school has a subscription.
Prodigy's brand-new adventure introduces kids to a world filled with adventures, wishes and more ways to practice reading and language skills. As your child plays, they'll answer questions that help them gain more energy. Players can use their energy to gather resources from an open world, craft items, earn coins and build their very own village! Prodigy English is a great way to motivate kids to practice their language skills in a fun, engaging environment. Create a free parent account to get started today. Free, with optional paid membership.
Reading Bear, a project of WatchKnowLearn.org, is the first free program online to teach beginning readers vocabulary and concepts while systematically introducing all the main phonetic patterns of written English, all using innovative rich media.
Reading Rockets is a national public media literacy initiative offering information and resources on how young kids learn to read, why so many struggle, and how caring adults can help. On this website, you'll find hundreds of free resources including articles on teaching reading, classroom strategies, in-classroom video, parent tips in multiple languages, video interviews with top children's book authors, a daily news service, and more.
ReadWorks has a variety of engaging, well-written text to correspond with whatever your K-12 child is studying. These topics cover both non-fiction and literary assignments, complete with question sets and vocabulary practice. ReadWorks provides a feature called StepReads. This presents the same information as the original text, but in a simplified way. Instead of "dumbing down" the topic, ReadWorks teaches the same material (including vocabulary words), no matter the child's reading level. Recommended for teachers and homeschooling parents.
You know the importance of reading aloud to your kids, but some days it's hard to find the time. Not to worry—with Storyline Online, your child can enjoy books read by some of the biggest celebrities in Hollywood. Each story includes an animated video to accompany the actor. There's also an included activity guide to help you discuss the story together!
If your struggling reader loves a good story, keep that love alive with audiobooks. From classic fairy tales to Greek myths, your child can explore the world with a wide variety of audiobooks from Storynory. Each book includes a transcript so kids can follow along. The website has ads, but all stories can be downloaded to keep your child listening ad-free. There is also an ad-free app.
