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Parents' Guide to

ABCmouse.com

By Dana Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 3+

Busy but thorough K–2 curriculum with reward store.

ABCmouse.com Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this website.

Community Reviews

age 4+

Based on 238 parent reviews

age 2+

Phenomenal Teaching Tool

This is a really great tool for helping teach kids their abcs and on the path to reading. The layout seemed a little busy to us parents, but was instantly intuitive to our kid, so I think ABCmouse probably knows what they're doing. My daughter's progress in learning her letters has remarkable since we started using ABCmouse. The only thing that I would note is -- at least for my 4-year old -- she loved the app and played it every second she was allowed to for the first week or two, but then slowed way down. What we learned was that we often needed to sit down with her when she was using it. She loved to show us how she could figure things out or pick the right letters, but was less interested in playing it entirely on her own.
age 8+
So good to my 7 year old she loves it!! Also my 5 year old he also loves it!

Privacy Rating Warning

  • Personal information is sold or rented to third parties.
  • Personal information is shared for third-party marketing.
  • Personalised advertising is displayed.
  • Data are collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
  • User's information is used to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
  • Data profiles are created and used for personalised advertisements.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (238 ):
Kids say (23 ):

This educational site/app combination is loaded with activities and is encouraging -- but the uneven content, busy presentation, and reward systems distract kids from the learning activities. From the colorful kindergarten classroom homepage and learning zoo to interactive books and songs, there are so many choices here that will engage most pre-K and early elementary-age kids. There are also multiple ABCmouse apps that offer additional ways to interact with specific parts of the curriculum and are included with subscription.

Unfortunately, one of the most positive points of the site -- there are no ads directed at kids -- is somewhat dampened by the fact that learning is rewarded by shopping. Also, there's so much content that it may be overwhelming for some kids to choose from the variety of options, especially since simpler is better for little ones. Kids who need more direction can follow the "learning path," which guides them step-by-step to activities of increasing difficulty. Not all content is top-quality: Some is basic point-and-click, and then kids simply listen to the audio response, and the overall look and feel of much of the content is outdated. But other ABCmouse.com activities and books, including titles from National Geographic Kids, are thoughtfully crafted, interactive, and aligned with many fundamental pre-K, first grade, and second grade curriculum goals. There's also a rotating collection of original video series that get kids inspired to learn more. Parents can customize kids' learning level, time allowed, and more. They can also choose to navigate in English or Spanish, and there's a large collection of Spanish activities, though they're somewhat limited. Overall, it may be a great fit for some kids, and some of the content is strong, but it may not live up to the promise for all parents.

Website Details

  • Subjects: Language & Reading : following directions, letter or word recognition, naming, phonics, reading, reading comprehension, speaking, vocabulary, Math : addition, counting, measurement, numbers, patterns, sequences, shapes, subtraction, Science : animals, ecosystems and the environment, life cycle, plants, weather, Social Studies : geography, Arts : drawing, music, rhythm
  • Skills: Thinking & Reasoning : memorization, solving puzzles, Self-Direction : academic development, work to achieve goals
  • Genre: Educational
  • Topics: Numbers and Letters
  • Pricing structure: Free to try, Paid, Free (The site has a free 30-day trial; subscriptions are $12.99.mo./$29.95/6 mos./ $59.99/yr with optional add-ons)
  • Last updated: August 20, 2021

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