Common Sense Media Review
By Christopher Healy
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Strong educational content; decent entertainment value.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 5+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
My Reading Tutor
What's It About?
My Reading Tutor uses tested educational methods to teach basic reading skills to kids through read-along stories and word-based mini-games. A genial teacher character leads kids through the lessons/games, with all instructions spoken aloud. Stories can be read silently, read with the tutor speaking the text aloud, or read by the child, who can record his own voice reading the tale and then hear it played back. The games are varied and include ones where kids must tap words with the correct sounds, identify sight words, and so on. Parents can keep track of their child's progress in a special parents' section.
Is It Any Good?
My Reading Tutor offers some obviously very solid educational content. New readers should definitely get a boost in their skills from playing through the games and stories within. The stories themselves aren't much to speak of -- they're intended more as tools than genuine entertainment -- but they're cute. The games are well-designed, although some move at a slow pace that could frustrate more advanced readers. But for preschoolers and kindergartners who are just beginning to sound out words, the pace seems about right. And there's certainly a lot of variety, which can go a long way toward keeping kids entertained while they learn.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about learning through video games. Ask kids if they're more or less likely to retain what they learn if that information is gained through playing a video game.
Does the fun factor of a game make you pay more attention to the educational content? Or does it distract you from the lessons at hand?
Game Details
- Platforms : Nintendo DS , Nintendo DSi
- Subjects : Language & Reading : letter or word recognition , phonics , reading
- Skills : Self-Direction : academic development , work to achieve goals , Communication : listening
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Not available online
- Publisher : Mentor Interactive
- Release date : October 13, 2010
- Genre : Educational
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : November 11, 2020
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate