The Reading Chest - worth the subscription?

[thetropicmama7]

Hello, does anyone here subscribe to the Reading Chest? I am trying to find a cheap alternative to actually buying books as my DS and DD (8 and 5 respectively) are both book lovers but we never find the time to fully utilise our local library. I am trying to gauge whether this is worth the money or whether I should just opt for something like Amazon's Kindle Unlimited but I would much prefer them reading "actual books" and less time with gadgets.

I've used it for all of mine and we love it. We get a regular supply of books and the dc's love posting the books back and getting mail with their name on. I had an unlimited subscription when I had my older dc's on it and now I just have a basic subscription for my youngest which is just right. You can opt various combinations of reading schemes and fiction and non-fiction and you can change your preferences at any time. They are really quick at sending out new books when you send the ones you've read back and you can track what they've read and review books on line, oh and the dc's get certificates when they go up a level. You can select the level you want and move them up when you think they are ready.

Yes it has been brilliant especially for the early stages of reading. I found it allowed me to push my DC on by choosing a higher level than she was on and she improved rapidly since we started! Now doing it for you get DC .

I used the reading chest when my DD was learning to read but tbh by about stage 8 she had lost interest in scheme books & preferred "normal" books.

But it was well worth the money for the early reading stage.

We love it. My Dd's school only give them two books a week, and because we read every night and DD is a pretty fast reader, we have always finished those the day after we get them. In the early stages I was buying loads of stuff, but it was hard to get the right level. Reading chest has been great. It has allowed my Dd to have enough of her much love biff and chips to be able to read them for pleasure as well as when we read together. Perhaps most importantly, when school said she needed to work on non fiction, it meant I have been able to offer her much more choice of non fiction she is interested in (we just return the ones she doesn't like). As a result she also enjoys non fiction reading.

Its great. Esp if you have an able reader, in the early stages - school are always a bit behind with the books they give out.

Yes it's lovely. The books are well levelled, good condition and is really reliable. There was only one time the post got delayed and we thought the books might have gone missing. Reading chest sent out replacements right away. The online system is also good. Easy to change package, add or remove additional children and change book band. The stickers and reward chart add to the experience. I feel my DS is privileged to be able to have this in addition to school books tbh.

Reading Chest is great for early readers, when you need to match their reading levels with right books. For your older child - you mention an 8yo - I'd think it won't be useful. By this age he just needs regular books, and unfortunately, library is the best source, if you don't w t to keep buying more and more books. Alternatively, Kindle, may be a solution for him, if library is really not something you can find time for.

It sounds great! Just visited the page. My dd is too small (2), but will bear it in mind for 4 onwards!

Thetropicmama yes yes yes! Its brilliant.

We've just signed up after I read about it in this thread. The first package arrived on Tuesday and was an instant hit with DS. He was so excited about receiving a parcel and I am really pleased with the different style books from school. Thanks ladies. Don't want to hi-jack, but any good ideas for online math stuff for Yr1? He doesn't do any computer stuff at home, so want to make it seem fun and part of his birthday present next week. Looking at the Maths Factor. Thanks.

As a teacher, can I add a word of warning to all of you lovely people? Remember, reading is much more than decoding/recognising the words on the page. That is only a small fraction of reading; comprehension (both literal and inferred) is far more important.

I often see comments that relate to their child being further on at home than in the reading scheme. Without meaning to sound accusatory, teachers understand reading much better than your average parent. Pushing your child on too soon can have a negative impact in many areas (e.g. decoding complex phonics, word recognition, fluency and expression, and as I said comprehension).

Saying that however, I'm all for children to be both challenged in their reading and enthused by it. So by all means, get into a scheme like this to get your kid hooked. Just don't be tempted to push them on too soon; remember, reading isn't a race.

We loved it and my daughter went from being a reluctant reader to a really enthusiastic one. Especially good if the reading to adults/monitoring/book changing provision is poor at your school, ours was.