TNT Reading is a PC software-based solution that helps kids learn to read. This phonics for kids software starts out with the basics of the alphabet. It then moves on to teaching words. TNT Reading teaches kids how to identify consonant sounds at the beginning, middle and end of words. It also teaches children about rhyming words and associates words with pictures. For these reasons and more below, TNT Reading is our TopTenREVIEWS Silver Award winner.
With the TNT Reading exercises, you can adjust the reading level from preschool to the third grade and beyond level. This is a nice feature because instead of having separate applications for each reading level, you can access all the reading levels as you need them. This can be less expensive and more convenient than products that require separate purchases.
Your child can take an evaluation test when you first set up the software. This initial test helps you determine on which reading level he or she should start working. That way, your child can immediately focus on what he or she needs. This also provides an atmosphere where your child will feel adequately challenged.
The learn to read exercises encourage children to find particular letters before they move from the left side of the screen over to the right side where they disappear. TNT Reading also rotates letters sometimes, which can increase the difficulty level for your child.
Within the reading test menu, you can practice identifying letters and their sounds; long and short vowels; beginning, middle and ending consonant sounds; beginning blends; long vowel rhymes; and vowel digraphs. A digraph is two letters that combine to make one sound, such as "Ch."
As children complete the exercises, TNT Reading determines how well they performed. If they did a good job, you can see their score and name on the high scoreboard. This can be a motivational feature; however, it may have the opposite effect if your child is not performing as well as other players.
After children successfully complete an exercise, they have the opportunity to play a two-minute game. TNT Reading offers five games. Each time kids successfully complete an exercise, they can choose to play one game. While the TNT Reading games don't focus on reading, they can be a nice break. In these games, kids will fight fires, help a mouse travel through a maze, put together a puzzle and more. While these game breaks are fun, we would have liked to see games that are more integrated into the application so that children feel the whole experience is a game rather than separate lessons and games.
There's a separate menu for the TNT Reading tests. Children can take reading and memory tests. They can also access reading and memory skills programs. One of the learn to read tests includes several words that rhyme and one that does not. Your child must identify which words rhyme and which one does not.
When you establish a profile for your child through this learn to read software, you can also allow him or her to select his or her own avatar. Some examples of avatars include fish, cats, dogs and imaginary creatures. While this is fun, we didn't really see where the avatars appear in the application, other than on the introductory page.
Some of the games in this learn to read application are a little more complicated to understand how to play than others. Your children may need additional direction from you in order to comprehend how to play the games. However, the games still provide a break where kids can compete against the computer.
The TNT Reading exercises themselves are easy to understand. The narrator speaks clearly, asking the student to click on all the balloons with the letter "B" and so on. As the exercise changes, so do the instructions. They are short and clear enough that children can understand and follow them.
We ran into some problems with not having enough hard drive space and an insufficient video card for this learn to read software, but few users will encounter these two problems. You'll need at least 2GB of free space on your hard drive. You'll also need a video card that has at least 256MB of video RAM.
While it's not necessarily difficult to set up this learn to read application, it does take more steps to set up than other products we reviewed. You can access many of the other products directly from the internet with a username and password. However, TNT Reading requires you to download the software onto your computer. This makes it less accessible too because your kids can't use this learn to read application on any computer. However, this application can be nice if you don't have access to the internet – although that's more and more unlikely these days.
This learn to read software is for computers that have Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP. TNT Reading doesn't run natively in Mac OS. However, you can use Boot Camp or similar software to install a Windows partition on your hard drive. You'll need a 2GHz Pentium IV PC processor or higher. You'll need Microsoft DirectX 8 or higher with at least 256MB of video RAM. This learn to read application requires that you have at least 2GB of free hard drive space on your 40GB hard drive. You'll also need 512MB of RAM. You'll need a soundcard that's compatible with DirectX. TNT Reading also requires headphones or speakers so you can hear the verbal cues of what to click on in order to progress through the application.
You can call or email BrainTrain for technical support or general inquiries. Expect to wait up to two business days to receive a response to email inquiries. If you call the tech support telephone, the hours are 9 to 5 Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday. You can also gather additional information from FAQs online.
TNT Reading has an extensive user manual that consists of more than 300 searchable PDF pages to help you should you need it. This is a long manual for this type of software; however, you can conduct a quick search if you're looking for particular information, which can make the size more manageable.
TNT Reading helps you find which reading level your child is most comfortable with, and helps strengthen his or her skills from there. Through lessons and tests, your child can learn the alphabet, letter sounds, prefixes, suffixes and more. This learn to read software is easy to download to your computer. The manufacturer offers multiple help and support options, including a comprehensive and searchable user guide. Through phonetics and TNT Reading, your child will be able to identify letters, sound out words and read.
