My boys love to play games, especially video and computer games, however I always struggle with allowing them too much screen time and I am very strict about the media they are exposed to.  I love to find activities and games that combine fun with learning so when I heard about Go Go Kabongo, a website where kids can play games that assist with learning how to read, I was anxious to give it a try!

Go Go Kabongo is a website geared towards children ages 4-7, and offers a wide range of games designed to build early reading skills such as attention & focus, comprehension, phonics, planning and sequence.   There are a total of three different games in Go Go Kabongo, two of which are free and a third that you can upgrade to for under $5.00.  Each game has three worlds, each containing several levels of play, ensuring that kids will continue to be challenged and not get bored.

From the minute I logged on to the Go Go Kabongo website I was drawn in.  It is easy to navigate, and registering for an account was super simple!  I love that I have a parent account with separate sub accounts for each child.   There is no arguing about which game each kid is playing and if they are going to mess up each other’s levels (thank you Kabongo!).  Now you know what I like but what about the kids (they are the real critics, right?), and I am happy to say they love it!  They are really drawn into the graphics, bright colors, silly characters, and catchy music in each game.

Each game starts from the tree house area where you are greeted by a friendly Kabongo character who guides you though the next steps.  Begin the adventure by entering the Presto Chango bubble to design your character for game play.  The boys loved this activity and spent a lot of time perfecting their characters, changing their clothes and facial features several times.  It was pretty funny to see what they ended up with!  From there you can click on a map that will take you to each of the levels of play.  The games were easy to navigate and learn especially since you are guided by a Kabongo character who gives clear directions on how to play each game.  Each game offers a different skill building activity and challenge.  Most of the games were really easy for my older child, but I found that for my five year old there was a nice balance between games that really challenged his reading skills with ones that he was able to complete without difficulty.  For him this is especially important because he is a child who gets frustrated very easily and it is important that he has activities that he can be really good at so he will stay engaged.  Once each game is completed the child earns a virtual reward that they can choose from.  Examples are a sticker for their comic book, decoration for their tree house or a skateboard ramp for their skateboard park.  This prize was a favorite in our house since both boys love to skateboard in real life.  They almost always choose a new component to their skateboard park, and love having the characters they design “shred it up” on the ramps!

So here is the best part of this game in my opinion.  Each time your child plays a game their play is tracked and assessed to see what level of reading comprehension they are achieving!  In the parent center I can access each child’s progress report to see what they are learning!  I love this because I can get a clear picture of which areas they made need to work on and suggest spending more time playing certain games to assist with building their skills in these areas.  In addition, the parent area also provides parents with featured articles on reading and an activity area where you can print games, coloring pages, and craft directions to take your learning offline and reinforce the skills children are learning while playing Go Go Kabongo.

The folks at Kabongo have really thought of everything with this website and have figured out how to teach kids in a way they can relate!  My boys are having a great time playing and I can sneak in some learning while feeling confident that they are being exposed to positive messages in a safe media environment.

So what ya waitin for?  Here is a free upgrade coupon just for you! Check it out and Go Go Kabongo!

Kabongo can also be found on Facebook and Twitter or blogging at http://blog.kabongo.com/

* Disclaimer / Disclosure: I received a complimentary product  to review. This post reflects my honest, personal opinion and experience with the product which may differ from yours. Product information and photos courtesy of the sponsor.