*Added note: Be sure to read the comments left by my readers at the bottom of this post. Their experience and advice is just as helpful as mine! And feel free to add your own comments about successes (or failures) with ABCmouse. I update this post often and try to answer all questions.
**Note that I do not approve comments regarding billing or credit card issues. I do not feel this is a safe forum to discuss those matters. Thanks for your understanding!
** I always try to update this post with the most recent sales - usually around the holidays. Check the highlighted areas in this post or the sidebar ads on my page.
I keep this post updated and moderate/answer all comments, so please Pin it for future reference and share with friends!
What is ABCmouse?
I'm sure you've seen the commercials for the website called ABCmouse.com. If you haven't, it's basically an educational website for children that you subscribe to monthly. I know, I know, just like me you're probably thinking, "Why on earth would I pay for something like that? There is so much on the internet for free!" And that's true. I can tell you my son's favorite websites right off the bat, and they're all free:
- NickJr.com
-DisneyJr.com (although they recently revamped their site and took away all of his favorite games, which I just don't understand)
-pbskids.org
-sesamestreet.org (their games are GREAT, and pretty much allow him to navigate freely without much support)
But my complaints about those sites are that they have pop-up advertisements, they don't always work (games will crash unexpectedly or freeze), and sometimes my kiddo needs help finding the right games or figuring out the directions. ABCmouse is fully COPPA-compliant (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act). It contains no pop-ups or links to other websites, eliminating access to potentially dangerous content. ABCmouse also does not feature advertising of any kind. We've yet to have a problem with it not loading, crashing or freezing (it better not if were paying for it!).
So, What Does it Have?
Well, pretty much everything. Your child gets an avatar and can then navigate through a "classroom." Subjects range from math to reading, science to art. They've pretty much got it all.
Educational Advisors. They have a curriculum board of education experts, according to their website, who help plan their games, and incorporate state standards into their lessons.
Diverse Screenshots. They like to keep the kids entertained, so they will occasionally spruce up the screen for the holidays. Here's an example of how they decorated for Halloween in October.
 |
| ABCmouse changes their screens for holidays and to add appeal for children. |
What's Good About It?
Free One Month Trial with Subscription: Need I say more? Try it out free for a month. If you don't like it, be sure to cancel it, otherwise they will keep billing you. There are no strings attached. ABCmouse recently offered me my own affiliate link to share with you (but that in no way changes my opinion of ABCmouse- what you read here is the honest truth, I swear!). To access their 30 day free trial, feel free to follow my link here.
** I always try to update this post with the most recent sales - usually around the holidays.
or try these offers:
Free for 30 days, then $12.99 a month until canceled OR
$5 for 2 months then $12.99 a month until canceled.
Safety: ABCmouse is 100% safe and kid friendly environment that is fully COPPA-compliant (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act). It contains no pop-ups or links to other websites, eliminating access to potentially dangerous content. They make sure it is 100% engaging fun education for kids! Additionally, ABCmouse also does not feature advertising of any kind.
Differentiation: There is literally so much on this site, and what I like is that they appeal to a large array of learning styles. They have audio pages, games, puzzles, art. They do their best to reach all types of learners.
Leveled Learning: You choose your child's level (starting at early pre-K up to Grade 2), and you can change the levels up or down at any time. When you change levels, you get a whole new set of games/activities.
Easy navigation: At first when I looked at it, I thought, "geez, there's too much on here!" But it's not too bad. There's a lot to see but the tabs are easy to locate and navigate through. My 5 year old can play without much supervision, and doesn't need much help following directions or understanding what to do for each activity.
Engaging: The games are brightly colored, fun, entertaining. They hold my son's attention and he doesn't even realize he's learning. He has favorite games that he likes to play and I can change the level of them so he is not always playing using the same skills.
Incentives: Kids earn "tickets" for every activity they do on ABCmouse. They can save up their tickets to "buy" items (they're not spending real money at any time, no worries there!) for their virtual room, virtual fish tank or virtual hamster cage. My son loves the hamsters. He builds elaborate tunnels for them, which in itself can be educational in an engineering kind of way.
Assessment Center
I do not have experience with ABCmouse's assessment center option (this was not yet available when we used the service), but one of my readers offered some advice about it and gave me some insight to whether or not it's worth it. So here is her experience with the assessment option. Many thanks to Diannika for sharing this info with us (you can read more of her suggestions in the comments section at the bottom of this post):
"The assessment center has a variety of tests your child can take to help determine where they stand when it comes to certain skills. I had my nearly 5 year old take both the pre-k and kindergarten ones, simply because the things it lists as learning goals on the site for kindergarten include a bunch of things she could already do, so why not?
Some of the tests are designed for the child to take independently, others need parental assistance. Which is which are clearly labeled if you take the option to test each section individually. If you take the full assessment option, however, it does all of the tests for that level in a row, so you will need to be sure to be watching closely to know when it is time for you to step in and help... which you will probably be doing anyway while they are taking the tests.
The ones which require parental assistance include things like counting out loud (and the parent has to say how high they counted without messing up) or reading things out loud or naming shapes (and the parent has to mark if the child did so correctly). The parent instructions will clearly tell you how much assistance you can give your child on the task, if any (for example, in the how high can they count test, you are allowed to ask them "what comes after (number they last said)" if they stop to encourage them to keep going, but not otherwise coach them). Let me tell you, if your child is struggling with a particular step, it can be really hard not to step in and help them. I honestly would not recommend the assessment if your child cannot accept that you cant help them with it.
We did the pre-k in sections, and the kindergarten all in one. Definitely do it in sections... after each one, you get to see the score, and my daughter LOVED hoping she got a green circle with 100% in the middle. In the all in one, you don't see any score till the end, and then its the overall score... you have to go into a more detailed view to see the section scores. Much less engaging for the child, and it led to her being much less interested in the testing once she realized she couldn't see her scores. She did like the meter at the top showing how far into a given test she was, however. That was in both modes... a character walking toward a star. If your child gets 100% in a section, that is it. However, if they get less than that, you will get recommended activities to specifically work on the things they are weaker in."
What's Not So Good About It?
It's not free. No, but it's not overly expensive either. At $12.99 per month until canceled (their standard rate), it's way cheaper than tutoring! Access their 30 day free trial here.
Differentiation: There is literally so much on this site, and what I like is that they appeal to a large array of learning styles. They have audio pages, games, puzzles, art. They do their best to reach all types of learners.
 |
| From the ABCmouse homepage you can choose what your child should work on. |
Leveled Learning: You choose your child's level (starting at early pre-K up to Grade 2), and you can change the levels up or down at any time. When you change levels, you get a whole new set of games/activities.
 |
| I liked that they incorporated some of the Everyday Math techniques - this is a hundred chart in the math section. |
Easy navigation: At first when I looked at it, I thought, "geez, there's too much on here!" But it's not too bad. There's a lot to see but the tabs are easy to locate and navigate through. My 5 year old can play without much supervision, and doesn't need much help following directions or understanding what to do for each activity.
 |
| The lady in the middle is your child's 'teacher' and this page helps you navigate your choices. |
Engaging: The games are brightly colored, fun, entertaining. They hold my son's attention and he doesn't even realize he's learning. He has favorite games that he likes to play and I can change the level of them so he is not always playing using the same skills.
 |
| This little monkey helps identify vowels, consonants and more. |
Incentives: Kids earn "tickets" for every activity they do on ABCmouse. They can save up their tickets to "buy" items (they're not spending real money at any time, no worries there!) for their virtual room, virtual fish tank or virtual hamster cage. My son loves the hamsters. He builds elaborate tunnels for them, which in itself can be educational in an engineering kind of way.
 |
| My son builds elaborate tunnels for his virtual hamster. |
Assessment Center
I do not have experience with ABCmouse's assessment center option (this was not yet available when we used the service), but one of my readers offered some advice about it and gave me some insight to whether or not it's worth it. So here is her experience with the assessment option. Many thanks to Diannika for sharing this info with us (you can read more of her suggestions in the comments section at the bottom of this post):
"The assessment center has a variety of tests your child can take to help determine where they stand when it comes to certain skills. I had my nearly 5 year old take both the pre-k and kindergarten ones, simply because the things it lists as learning goals on the site for kindergarten include a bunch of things she could already do, so why not?
Some of the tests are designed for the child to take independently, others need parental assistance. Which is which are clearly labeled if you take the option to test each section individually. If you take the full assessment option, however, it does all of the tests for that level in a row, so you will need to be sure to be watching closely to know when it is time for you to step in and help... which you will probably be doing anyway while they are taking the tests.
The ones which require parental assistance include things like counting out loud (and the parent has to say how high they counted without messing up) or reading things out loud or naming shapes (and the parent has to mark if the child did so correctly). The parent instructions will clearly tell you how much assistance you can give your child on the task, if any (for example, in the how high can they count test, you are allowed to ask them "what comes after (number they last said)" if they stop to encourage them to keep going, but not otherwise coach them). Let me tell you, if your child is struggling with a particular step, it can be really hard not to step in and help them. I honestly would not recommend the assessment if your child cannot accept that you cant help them with it.
We did the pre-k in sections, and the kindergarten all in one. Definitely do it in sections... after each one, you get to see the score, and my daughter LOVED hoping she got a green circle with 100% in the middle. In the all in one, you don't see any score till the end, and then its the overall score... you have to go into a more detailed view to see the section scores. Much less engaging for the child, and it led to her being much less interested in the testing once she realized she couldn't see her scores. She did like the meter at the top showing how far into a given test she was, however. That was in both modes... a character walking toward a star. If your child gets 100% in a section, that is it. However, if they get less than that, you will get recommended activities to specifically work on the things they are weaker in."
What's Not So Good About It?
It's not free. No, but it's not overly expensive either. At $12.99 per month until canceled (their standard rate), it's way cheaper than tutoring! Access their 30 day free trial here.
Or, try these deals:
Free for 30 days, then $12.99 a month until canceled OR
$5 for 2 months then $12.99 a month until canceled.
** I always try to update this post with the most recent sales - usually around the holidays.
Too Much Independence. It's easy to let your child play for hours, but if you don't want them sitting in front of a computer all day, be sure to monitor the time they spend on there and set a limit for how long you want them to play.
Distracting Incentives. I mentioned that my son loves the hamster cage ticket incentive. Sometimes that's all he wants to do on ABCmouse, but that's not really the educational part! So I tell him "You have to play 6 games first before you hit the hamster store."
Forgetting About It. There is a possibility that you will purchase ABCmouse and then not use it too much. If that's the case, then get on there and cancel your payments! ABCmouse will automatically renew each month unless you tell it not to (you can cancel at any time). So be vigilant about how much you use it.
Can My Child Play on a SmartPhone or Tablet?
ABCmouse does have an app that is compatible with most Apple and Android devices. The app is essentially a gateway to gameplay, so you need a strong WiFi connection and the latest updates for your phone or tablet. Check their FAQ page on their website for more information. If you're specifically looking for educational apps for your child, check out my recommendations for some great educational apps for kids!
What if I Have More Than One Child?
You can register up to three children per account on ABCmouse.
How Do I Cancel ABCmouse?
It is easy to cancel ABCmouse if you decide you no longer want it. Just go to the MyAccount section on the Parents page and there should be an option there to discontinue service. You can also reactivate your account any time. Added note that down the line, when my son had grown old enough and we decided to cancel ABCmouse, I did not have any issues with cancellation.
The Bottom Line - Is it Worth It?
So will your child jump up reading levels and become the super learner they talk about on the TV commercials? I don't know about that, but it's worth a try. If you can get the free trial (or a decent sale price for your subscription- they do run multiple sales throughout the year), why not give it a shot? I especially think it's worth trying if your child is unmotivated to learn (or unwilling to learn!), and it's great for extra summer practice. If there is a particular area that your child needs help with (such as recognizing letter sounds or counting to 100), this website might be able to help. And if not, just be sure to cancel before your free trial is up!
**And as another added note, just before The Jersey Momma's Boy entered First Grade, he lost interest in ABCmouse. Although this might not be true for all learners, this was the case with my boy, so we cancelled our subscription. Since writing this post, ABCmouse has added another level, so their program now goes up to 2nd Grade. I also HIGHLY recommend Age of Learning's newest online learning platform, Adventure Academy, for those kids who have outgrown ABCmouse. See below for my review post link.
Distracting Incentives. I mentioned that my son loves the hamster cage ticket incentive. Sometimes that's all he wants to do on ABCmouse, but that's not really the educational part! So I tell him "You have to play 6 games first before you hit the hamster store."
Forgetting About It. There is a possibility that you will purchase ABCmouse and then not use it too much. If that's the case, then get on there and cancel your payments! ABCmouse will automatically renew each month unless you tell it not to (you can cancel at any time). So be vigilant about how much you use it.
Can My Child Play on a SmartPhone or Tablet?
ABCmouse does have an app that is compatible with most Apple and Android devices. The app is essentially a gateway to gameplay, so you need a strong WiFi connection and the latest updates for your phone or tablet. Check their FAQ page on their website for more information. If you're specifically looking for educational apps for your child, check out my recommendations for some great educational apps for kids!
What if I Have More Than One Child?
You can register up to three children per account on ABCmouse.
How Do I Cancel ABCmouse?
It is easy to cancel ABCmouse if you decide you no longer want it. Just go to the MyAccount section on the Parents page and there should be an option there to discontinue service. You can also reactivate your account any time. Added note that down the line, when my son had grown old enough and we decided to cancel ABCmouse, I did not have any issues with cancellation.
The Bottom Line - Is it Worth It?
So will your child jump up reading levels and become the super learner they talk about on the TV commercials? I don't know about that, but it's worth a try. If you can get the free trial (or a decent sale price for your subscription- they do run multiple sales throughout the year), why not give it a shot? I especially think it's worth trying if your child is unmotivated to learn (or unwilling to learn!), and it's great for extra summer practice. If there is a particular area that your child needs help with (such as recognizing letter sounds or counting to 100), this website might be able to help. And if not, just be sure to cancel before your free trial is up!
**And as another added note, just before The Jersey Momma's Boy entered First Grade, he lost interest in ABCmouse. Although this might not be true for all learners, this was the case with my boy, so we cancelled our subscription. Since writing this post, ABCmouse has added another level, so their program now goes up to 2nd Grade. I also HIGHLY recommend Age of Learning's newest online learning platform, Adventure Academy, for those kids who have outgrown ABCmouse. See below for my review post link.
** I always try to update this post with the most recent sales - usually around the holidays. Be sure to check my sidebar ads, too.
Or, try these deals:
Free for 30 days, then $12.99 a month until canceled OR
$5 for 2 months then $12.99 a month until canceled.
I also have a full review and walk-through video of Adventure Academy, which is Age of Learning's new program for kids ages 8-13 (it's awesome!). Read that review here or click the Adventure Academy image below.
*If you are commenting below about your experience with ABCmouse, please know that I often refrain from approving comments regarding billing or credit card issues. I apologize if that offends anyone, but I do not work for Age of Learning, so any discussions about their billing should be taken up with them. I do not feel the comment section is a safe forum to discuss credit card or billing matters. Thank you for your understanding!*
Thanks for sharing this information!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! I hope it was helpful to you.
DeleteI've been wondering about this site for awhile now. You're awesome review answered ALL of Mt questions! Thank you so much for taking your time to do this for all of us Mom's out here!!
DeleteSorry for the late reply, but you are very welcome! Thanks for reading!
DeleteThanks!Great info!
DeleteI've looked at other review sites, and the consensus seems to be that this is a ripoff scheme, and once you are subscribed, the only way to actually have this company STOP charging your credit card is to cancel the credit card.
DeleteHi mls- I don't know what other review sites you are speaking of, but I can certainly answer for my own experience. What you're speaking of was simply NOT the case for me. I purchased and used this service myself for my own son and I did not have any issues canceling when my son outgrew it. I never had to cancel my credit card and I was not charged after I canceled my service. I have actually had a very good experience all around with Age of Learning, and we have used all three of their services so far (ABCmouse, Adventure Academy and ReadingIQ) with much success. That's the honest truth! I know teachers who use the service in their classroom and they absolutely love it. I would never classify them as a "ripoff scheme."
DeleteThank You! This was very helpful! I was looking for the pricing scheme because when I went to sign up for it it didn't say specifically "This is the $7.95 option" It just kept trying to get me to sign up for a year...so I did some research. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your feedback! I'm glad it helped. Yes, definitely look for the monthly option or the option to try it free first. Glad you found what you were looking for. :)
DeleteA note - buying the year subscription brings it down to $5 per month, as it's $60. My problem with ABC Mouse is that you can't limit the time the kids spend playing around with the stupid hamster, and the background music is incredibly annoying after a minute or so. I see there's a tab where they're working on permissions to keep the music volume low, but it isn't ready yet. There is an option to limit how much time is spent on the site each day, but not for any particular section. While it's true that once the child spends his tickets he can't shop anymore, it doesn't deter my daughter from just playing with the fish and hamster and not spending any time learning. I'd like to be able to use the site to keep her busy while I do other things, and it seems I always have to hover over her when she's on, telling her to play some games.
ReplyDeleteAwesome tips and comments, Heidi, thank you! Very true about not being able to limit the time in the actual 'play' sections. It would be great if ABC Mouse could change that. The music didn't bother me too much, but I can see how it could get annoying to some people. Thanks for your input!!
DeleteI have had it for several months. My 4 year old loves it but I JUST realized there was a 7.95 fee. I thought the start up $60 fee was an annual fee :( kind of like amazon prime)
DeleteHi Michael, thanks for commenting. I was searching their site and I couldn't find anything noted about a fee. So you're saying if you sign up for the annual option there is a monthly fee on top of that? Or is it a one time fee? I'll have to look into that because I always thought the yearly subscription was only one fee.
DeleteIt's a learning tool,not made to be a babysitter. You're supposed to interact along with them as they learn.
DeleteI agree that the site shouldn't be used as a babysitter (and that pretty much goes for ANY computer game or educational site, in my opinion), but for older kids I think it's good to let them have independent work time on the site, too. It's not about using the site as a babysitter, but encouraging kids to make independent choices.
DeleteIt's not ABC MOUSE'S responsibility to tell yr child he or she should stop playing with the hamster and get back on track. This is an opportunity for wimpy parents to exercise their NO muscles.
DeleteI agree that it's up to you as a parent to regulate how much your child plays and when to navigate out of certain areas.
DeleteI like your review. I'm thinking between this and Starfall for my little one. It's good so that his caregiver can provide some educational activities during the day as well. I do like that abcmouse will measure his learning. Thanks again for posting this.
ReplyDeleteYou're so welcome! Thanks for stopping by, SugarBellyMama. I will have to check out Starfall.
DeleteThis is exactly what I've been looking for! I couldn't find the price. It's like netflix, but better! Totally worth it. Thanks to the review, I'm totally trying it. My daughters 4. I want to get her to count to 100, we homeschool and after abut 30, she looses interest. Lol. I can't wait to try this. We have a lot of educational apps on her tablet, but this will be the best addition! Thanks again!! 😘
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly what I've been looking for! I couldn't find the price. It's like netflix, but better! Totally worth it. Thanks to the review, I'm totally trying it. My daughters 4. I want to get her to count to 100, we homeschool and after abut 30, she looses interest. Lol. I can't wait to try this. We have a lot of educational apps on her tablet, but this will be the best addition! Thanks again!! 😘
ReplyDeleteAwesome! So glad it helped. Thanks for visiting!
DeleteYou need to be very careful when signing up, or you end up paying doble or more for the same service.
ReplyDeleteThe service might be good, but the sign up pages are designed to take scam you.
A month later and with 80$ less in my pocket, i'm canceling the service
Wow, $80 is pretty steep! What were those charges for? But you're right, you definitely need to be really careful what you agree to and how long you are using the service. Thanks for the heads up.
DeleteWe are a few days from the end of the free month trial and I tried to quit and they offered a year for $29.95 so try that to get a better price.
ReplyDeleteThat's an awesome deal, Randy! Thanks for sharing that tip!!
DeleteJust did this and it worked for me. Thanks. Just remember to cancel the assessment centre free trial though or they will still charge you for that.
DeleteIs there a way to give your kid tickets? He earns like 10 a day and wants a cat for 200 tickets. It is going to take him a lifetime!
ReplyDeleteHa! I don't think there is (although that would be a cool concept to be able to gift your kid tickets or something). If I recall, some of the activities are easier than others to earn tickets at. We used to do the coloring pages to earn them faster because you only had to color one tiny thing on the page to earn tickets.
DeleteI love abc mouse! My kids use it all the time. Also, There is a school option/Teacher option. The teacher option is free, all you have to do that is different is answer where the kid's school is!
ReplyDeleteThat's great to know, thank you!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteUgh, I'm sorry to hear that happened to you. Was that your experience using the app or on desktop? I only have experience using the online version for desktop, and I have never used the app. Thanks for sharing your experience, in case other people have the same issues!
DeleteThe same thing happened to my kids and I have had ABC Mouse since 2013. I found out that the app is not compatible with ALL tablets and phones. It's currently NOT compatible with my Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus or my Samsung Galaxy Note 5. I called in to ABC Mouse and talked with a rep and they confirmed my situation. Hope this helps even though it's a year late.
DeleteThanks for weighing in. I will try to talk to the people at ABCmouse to see if they have any plans for improving this issue. I still don't have any experience with the app so I can't add my two cents about that. But thanks for commenting as I'm sure it will help other people!
DeleteI did not like ABC mouse for my 4 kiddos. Too busy & as mentioned above, too many glitches. My kids found ways to to get the easy tickets to shop most of the time. I was charged a yearly fee and now $15/mon. on top of that for a year. Even after canceling, it sounds like I will still be charged until my year is officially up. I'll be calling first thing Mon. morning to make sure this doesn't happen...even if I have to change my paypal account. I think I've been scammed by the mouse...
ReplyDeleteTime 4 Learning has a much better program. More learning in an organized way, time limits and a very complete comprehensive program. Reports and lesson plans are awesome.
Sorry for the late reply! Thanks for commenting. You are the second reader to comment about glitches and issues with the site loading. I did not have this problem when using ABCMouse, but I'd be curious if other readers are having the same issues. I will have to check out the other site you mentioned. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience.
DeleteDoes it help with classroom rules and how to act in school? What would be done advice on how to train them?
DeleteHi there! Thanks for commenting. No, I don't think it really teaches children how to behave in an actual classroom setting. The only way to get them used to a classroom (in my opinion) is to start them in school! Preschool gets kids acclimated to what a classroom is like, and helps them get used to general classroom rules. And, of course, parents and caregivers should model good behavior for their children, so that they understand how they should act when school starts. That's just my personal opinion!
DeleteDon't waste your time and money on this crap. My friend used to work there. She told me it was a horrible working environment and terrible human resource management team. They only hire the stupid people to make this crap to poison our kids. It crashed all the time and stealing my money after cancellation. There are better free website out there. My kids doesn't like this ABC Mouse crap! Google their reviews. All bad!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for voicing your opinion here, Susan. I don't know anything about working for them, and I'm not sure if I agree about them poisoning our childrens' minds. But I do agree that you should shop around to find an educational site that works for your kids. And I also stress to anyone who tries this service (or any online monthly service, for that matter), that you remain vigilant about your monthly charges. It is very easy to be over-charged or charged for services that you don't receive, if you're not careful. If you're enrolling in their free trial and decide to cancel, make SURE you are not being charged after you discontinue services.
DeleteNice option
ReplyDeleteWhat are some of these free websites? If you could please share. I have an in home daycare and could use these sites.
ReplyDeleteThis is good information but how well does this help the child learn? Has anyone used this and seen their child's knowledge of their ABC, sounds and reading improve from the software?
ReplyDeleteThat's a good question. When my son used ABCmouse he already knew a lot of the basic skills they were presenting (he was also a fairly good reader for his age), so it was really just reinforcement for him. I do feel it was beneficial for him, though, and was great practice for him, especially with the math skills and handwriting skills. But I would also be curious to hear first-hand from users who felt their children learned a great deal or saw significant improvement in skills. I can definitely say it helped to improve my son's love of learning, though. He was eager to play every day- it was educational and he didn't even realize it. I am happy that it made him want to do subtraction (with a little caterpillar munching game) when normally, that was not his favorite thing to do!
DeleteHey, decided to take advantage of the Black Friday deal you mentioned above ($45 a year running from Nov 20-27), as today is Nov 26. I clicked on the link, but they are offering $59 for the year, not $45. Still a good deal, so I'll give it a try, but wanted to let you know your info is incorrect.
ReplyDeleteHi there! Sorry for any confusion. The sale DOES run through the 27th, just be sure you're using the specific Black Friday links above or the sidebar ad on my homepage (on desktop or web version). Those are the only links that will give you the discounted price. There is a special price going on for the holidays like you mentioned (also a good deal) but to access the Black Friday deal you have to use the designated links in the post.
DeleteI used the Black Friday link and I see $45, what a deal! My question is, while I was reading the "terms & conditions" it mentioned the option to purchase "Assessment Center access". Can anyone tell me what this is and how much before I go thru with my purchase? The additional costs are bumming me out. Also, I learned my local library has abcmouse available. Has anyone used this? Do you still have to purchase an account or just use the library's license with limited access? thanks for your post, I wish I would have found it sooner!
ReplyDeleteHi Jessica! I never used the assessment center because that is a fairly new addition to ABCmouse and wasn't offered when we used the service. From what I gather, it's a way to test/assess for kindergarten readiness. Can you opt out of that? Is it an added fee? I was not concerned with assessing my son's kindergarten readiness when we purchased the service- I just wanted him to learn/practice basic skills and have fun doing it. But I know some parents might be concerned about preparing them for kindergarten. As far as the library use goes, I'm not sure about that. My guess is they would have a general account for all users, but maybe a reader can chime in and give us some more info about it! If no one responds I'll see if I can do some research and find out for you. Thanks for commenting!
DeleteI am trying to purchase for $45 but the link is taking me to a $59.95 option. Any help would be appreciated as it appears to expire today. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHi Rosemary- I am looking into that for you. It's possible the sale ended- they told me it runs "through the 31st" but I can't seem to find an end time. But usually when they say through the 31st it means until midnight. Let me see what the deal is!
DeleteI can't find out why the links are no longer active. I am assuming the sale ended today and does not run "through" the 31st. If I find out anything otherwise, I will post here in the comments again. Sorry for any confusion! This bothers me, too, as I do not like posting incorrect information.
DeleteThank you so much for your review. I am having an issue with changing the level for my kids. Do you think you can help me work this? Thank you in advance!
ReplyDeleteHi Mz. Lea! First, be sure your child is signed in. Then, if you go to your child's homepage within ABCmouse, there should be an option on the right side of the page in a column that shows their level.There should be little arrows left and right where you can change the level (making it more or less challenging). I believe this can only be done from the homepage. Does that help at all? Or did you want to change their grade level, not just the learning level?
DeleteHi, they're offering a deal right now for $45 which it says is 60% off. I don't understand how. If it's $60 a year, how is that 60% off? That's only 25% off. Do you happen to know anything about that 'JerseyMomma'? I'd appreciate your input. Thank you! Cheri L.
ReplyDeleteHmm I see your point! Let me see if I can find out for you, Cheri!
DeleteOK Cheri, I contacted ABCmouse and asked this very question, and they said that there is an option to pay monthly instead of yearly. So if you decided to pay monthly, the cost would be 9.95 per month, which is about $120 a year (which is where the sale price, at $45, is considered to be '62% off'). They also have another deal that they often advertise on their landing page, offering 49% off of $59.95, which is a 25% savings. A bit tricky wording on their part, so I'm glad you asked this!! I still think the $45 a year is a decent price for what you get, but they should probably clarify that percentage a little better in their advertisements. Oh, and I also asked what the benefit would be in ordering the service on a month to month basis (as opposed to yearly), but I haven't heard back about that yet. Thanks again for commenting. I think your question will probably be helpful to a lot of people who might be wondering the same thing.
DeleteHmm, I thought it was $7.95 a month, I wasn't aware it had gone up that much. I also read above where someone mentioned about getting more tickets, did they ever do anything about that?
DeleteI do agree with you, it's a great site and well worth the $45 though. You have a wonderful site yourself. Thank you for any help on this and all the time you spend helping others, it blesses all of us, thank you so very much for that!
Aw, thank you! That means a lot to me! I love that this post has become a resource for people, and I try to be honest and keep it updated as best I can. And as for the tickets, I haven't heard anything else about them getting more tickets or adding different options. I still think it would be neat if you could gift tickets to your child for good behavior or something. Thanks again for your comments and for reading!
DeleteYou're quite welcome. I totally agree with you. You're idea of being able to gift tickets for various things would be absolutely wonderful, such a great idea. Thanks again for all your work on your site!
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome!! And thank you again for visiting my site and for the kind words. :)
ReplyDeleteDo you have a homeschooling recommendation? Our daughter wants her little one to be educated at home and was told that ABC Mouse would be good in conjunction with another program. She's 5 years old.
ReplyDeleteI think ABCmouse would be wonderful for homeschooling purposes. I would use it in conjunction with her regular lessons. I don't feel like it should be used as a sole source of learning. Children still need hands-on activities, too! Have you checked out https://www.rainbowresource.com/? They have tons of homeschool supplies and lessons. Also, TeachersPayTeachers.com has amazing lesson plans and printables! Lots of freebies, too. I hope that helps.
DeleteI know this is an older review, but it's still relevant to the service in March of 2019. I wanted to comment. We have been using ABCmouse since my kiddo was about 3, and he's 7 now, finishing the last "semester" of first grade. We home school and abcmouse has been an integral part of that process since pre-k.
DeleteAlthough we had our own home school syllabus, I liked to have my kiddo do daily exercises on the "learning path" because the syllabus on abcmouse was different than mine. He learned a LOT from the site, and I think the music and the videos helped him the most. I can't tell you how many times I heard "can we watch some Ivan videos while we have breakfast?"
My only complaint is that I would love to have the ability to create a parent "play list." My kiddo is struggling with subtraction and it would be nice to be able to create a list of activities that would help with the area where he's struggling. I might suggest that to the company. I thought we had that option once, but now I can't find it. Anyway, we've used the service from pre-k to 1st and we'll finish out second grade with it. I've found it a very useful resource for our home school.
Amanda, thank you so much for your comment! I always encourage my readers to check out all of these comments, too, when making their decision, so this is REALLY helpful! I do have a contact at ABCmouse that I will mention your suggestion to. I am actually surprised they don't have a playlist or favorites option already, so let me see what he says! If I hear anything I will reply here and add the info to my post. Thanks again!
DeleteWe just started using ABC mouse yesterday on a free trial. I see a lot of questions here about the assessment center thing (i was offered a trial of that as well when i signed up) and that you didnt have that when you used it, so thought i would give some info for others who stumble across this (feel free to use it in an update if you want)
ReplyDeleteThe assessment center has a variety of tests your child can take to help determine where they stand when it comes to certain skills. I had my nearly 5 year old take both the pre-k and kindergarten ones, simply because the things it lists as learning goals on the site for kindergarten include a bunch of things she could already do, so why not?
Some of the tests are designed for the child to take independently, others need parental assistance. Which is which are clearly labeled if you take the option to test each section individually. If you take the full assessment option, however, it does all of the tests for that level in a row, so you will need to be sure to be watching closely to know when it is time for you to step in and help... which you will probably be doing anyway while they are taking the tests.
The ones which require parental assistance include things like counting out loud (and the parent has to say how high they counted without messing up) or reading things out loud or naming shapes (and the parent has to mark if the child did so correctly). The parent instructions will clearly tell you how much assistance you can give your child on the task, if any (for example, in the how high can they count test, you are allowed to ask them "what comes after (number they last said)" if they stop to encourage them to keep going, but not otherwise coach them). Let me tell you, if your child is struggling with a particular step, it can be really hard not to step in and help them. I honestly would not recommend the assessment if your child cannot accept that you cant help them with it. I had to remind my daughter repeatedly that i couldn't help her with stuff. (luckily, she could accept that, she just kept forgetting... or hoping i would change my mind lol)
We did the pre-k in sections, and the kindergarten all in one. Definitely do it in sections... after each one, you get to see the score, and my daughter LOVED hoping she got a green circle with 100% in the middle. In the all in one, you dont see any score till the end, and then its the overall score... you have to go into a more detailed view to see the section scores. Much less engaging for the child, and it led to her being much less interested in the testing once she realized she couldnt see her scores. She did like the meter at the top showing how far into a given test she was, however. That was in both modes... a character walking toward a star.
If your child gets 100% in a section, that is it. However, if they get less than that, you will get recommended activities to specifically work on the things they are weaker in. We didnt check that part out yet, since it was already bedtime when she finished the tests (we did let her play around on it a bit more... its a weekend so bedtime isnt set in stone anyway... but didnt bother with the specific activities, just exploring the app) but i cant help but see it as a good thing to be able to target specific skills you know your child needs help with.
As for some other comments i saw in the comments, there is now a control to turn off background music and an ability to set an overall time limit (tho not area specific)
Thank you SO much!! This is extremely helpful. If it's okay with you, I will add this to my post so other readers can learn about the assessment option. I can see how this would be useful for homeschoolers, too, to keep track of progress. Thank you so much for taking the time to add your comments.
DeleteI have 3 kids, 2, 4 and 7. I start using ABC Mouse because they daycare my kids went were using it, and I though it should be good for learning. At the beginning they use it for approximately 1 month, because we mention them that if they want to use the tablet, it can be only on ABC Mouse. We thought that if they want the tablet to use it with a program that they learn something.
ReplyDeleteThat was our mistake, they don’t enjoy the app, none of them. After a month of use, they don’t want to even open the app or they start crying. They prefer PBS Kids or other learning apps, but they don’t want to be on ABC Mouse at all.
I didn’t want to resign on the learning app and I keep my subscription for several years to try on different ages if they want to go back to the app. And every time they like the app less and less.
I tried to cancel the contract and I got the reply from ABC Mouse support with their terms and conditions.
I will try some other apps like Sago Mini or Playkids and keep working with PBS Kids. With those I got better success and if the kids are in a good mood, they play and learn, instead of going to ABC Mouse, that they don’t like it. The app didn’t work for my kids.
Hi Gabriel, Thanks for your input! Did they tell you why they don't like the app? I am wondering if it gets redundant for them, since they use it at daycare, too. Maybe when they get home they want to play on a different site, since they use ABCmouse at school? Just a thought. My son never had any issues with it- it was the one site he would use without complaint. The only time I saw him beginning to lose interest was when he outgrew it age-wise. Thanks for giving us your insight!
DeleteHow did you change levels my child broke her tablet but recently got a new one and needs the level adjusted
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if this will help but this is the suggestion I gave to another reader who asked the same thing: First, be sure your child is signed in. Then, if you go to your child's homepage within ABCmouse, there should be an option on the right side of the page in a column that shows their level.There should be little arrows left and right where you can change the level (making it more or less challenging). I believe this can only be done from the homepage (and I'm not sure if this is the same for the app- this is on desktop). Does that help? Or did you want to change their grade level, not just the learning level?
DeleteDoes anyone know if the ABCMouse Assessment option is included or is it an add-on which requires a second fee? I see the $45 annual free but I also see a 3.095 charge for the Assessment.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Doug
Hi Doug- I believe that is an added fee but let me double check.
DeleteHi again, Doug! I double-checked for you. Yes it’s an added fee. During sign up you can check a box to try The Assessment Center 30 days free as well. Or get it for $99/year or $3.95 a month. I hope that helps!
DeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI clicked on the landing page and it says $59.95 for 12 months. I thought the promotion ran until January 8th?
Yes, you are correct! That was an error in my links. Sorry about that. Thanks so much for pointing it out. The sale links should all lead to the $45 New Year's sale now, and it does run until January 8th.
DeleteDoes the tablet need to be connected to the internet in order to use ABCmouse? I don't want my kids being able to get onto the internet.
ReplyDeleteHi there- ABCmouse does require internet access. However, one of the reasons we always liked it is because it contains no pop-ups and no advertisements of any kind. They are fully COPPA-compliant (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act). Not only do they not have pop-ups, but they also don't have any links to other websites at all, which means your child won't accidentally click on something or wander away from their window. I hope this helps!
DeleteJersey Mama,
ReplyDeleteI'd love to try the assessment but was not offered a free trial. 100 per year seems high. Do you ever see any discounts on the assessment add-on? Thanks so much
It's possible they are not offering the assessment as a free trial during their sale, but I will double check. On it's own, I don't usually see any discounts or deals for the assessment, but let me ask and see what they say about that! I agree that $100 is a lot to add on!!
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ReplyDeleteis ABCmouse efficient to be used in homeschooling?
DeleteI would recommend it as a supplement and not a replacement. Meaning, I would not rely on ABCmouse as the basis for learning. It's GREAT for homeschooling, but as an added lesson- use it to reinforce skills, practice, start or end lessons, as rewards, etc. That's not to say that kids couldn't learn new material from it- they definitely can. But nothing, in my opinion, replaces real teachers and lessons. This is a wonderful supplement, especially during downtime or when you need some time to yourself, too.
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