For quite some time now, both kids have struggled through writing and drills. They both have weakness in their fingers that causes writing to be difficult. DS8 also has shaking in his hands that causes him much frustration. He is my perfectionist, and he gets upset when he doesn’t do it “just right”. When the opportunity to review BigIQkids.com arose, I happily put my name in for consideration. I had high hopes that this would help alleviate some of the obstacles that both kids were experiencing.
I must admit that I have not been disappointed! From the first time that DD12 signed in, she has been improving. BigIQkids.com is done in a way that works for her. She is spelling better and is working at improving her multiplication and division facts.
After each game, she receives a “game token” as a reward. She can either use it to play a game right then, or she can save it to play later. The reward system works well for her. I especially like getting the email update each time that she completed a level or milestone. {Note: We previewed Premium Math, Premium U.S. Geography, and the free Spelling program for DD12. Not all features that we tested are available in the free programs. A breakdown of features for each pricing level is here.}
The above is a screen shot of a math drill. I really liked the ability to go in and tailor the drills to each child. DS8 needs more time than DD12. DS8 needs addition, and DD12 needs multiplication and division. There was also a scratch pad for DD12 to work out larger problems.
The U.S. States program uses repetition to teach state shape, location, spelling, capitals, and abbreviations. DD12 is flying through this program. She is now on the state abbreviations. Just the other day, I got an email that said,
“Hi, DD12’s Parent/Guardian: DD12 successfully completed the State Abbreviations Lesson – LEVEL 1. DD12 is doing great!”
However, sometimes the email isn’t as great, like the one I received a few days before the above email.
“Hello DS8’s Parent/Guardian: DS8 did not answer the Texas summary question correctly on the first try. Please let DS8 know tha tthe state summaries are an important aspect of BigStatesTime.com and paying close attention to these summaries will help DS8 do well on the State Fun Facts Game.”
While it is not always fun to get the above email, it is nice to know that I will be updated on his progress in case I might be working with his sister while he is doing his lesson.
We reviewed the Premium Spelling Jr. with DS8. I have to say that there are many good merits of both the Premium Spelling Jr. and the free spelling that we used with DD12. I like that I can either use the lists provided, or I can put in a custom list. I like that the free version has a separate vocabulary section that is completed after the spelling section on each word list. The downfall that I saw was with the Premium Spelling Jr. As I mentioned before, DS8 is a perfectionist. At one point of each spelling word list, there was a quiz. The program made a big deal about being in the 100% club. At the end of the quiz in which DS8 missed a word, the program made a big production about his not making the 100% club. He was very hurt. I was surprised to see such emphasis on 100% in the Jr. program and not in the upper grade free program. Spelling Jr. is for students below 3rd grade.
Would I recommend BigIQkids.com? Yes, I would!
Pertinent Information:
- Product name: BigIQkids.com
- Price: There is a free version, but the version I reviewed was the Premium version. The Premium pricing structure is here.
- Age Range: K-12th grade
- Read other reviews on this product on the Crew Blog Page.
FTC Disclosure: I was given a one year Premium membership for each of my two children for review purposes as a part of the TOS Crew. Although I was given this membership free of charge, my opinions stated above are my own and not influenced by anyone.
Michelle says
Thanks for the Alexa review. I just left one for you as well!
Naomi says
Thank you very much!