Parents’ Guide to Savvy Reading and Savvy Math

Savvy Learning is running a sale this week! From Monday, September 30 - Thursday, October 3, 2024, use this affiliate link plus the code FRIENDSFAMILY2024 for a $1 trial class and $25 every month of Savvy!

Are you looking for reading or math help for your child? I’d love to tell you about my family’s experience with Savvy Learning, and help you discover whether it could be a good fit for your child.

How We Got Started with Savvy Learning

I’ve been a longtime fan of Janssen at Everyday Reading… she’s a former children’s librarian and has experience with children in both public schools and homeschool (and 4 kids like me!) I LOVE to read and am always looking for book recommendations for myself and my kids, and Everyday Reading is one of my favorites.

So a few years ago, when Janssen and her husband started a new reading program for kids, I was excited to try it out!

We had previously used All About Reading, which is a printed parent-led homeschool curriculum. I really like All About Reading, but with four little kids, it was quite a burden on me as a parent to find that dedicated one on one time to do the lessons.

I was thrilled to outsource reading to make it easier to get the more phonics-focused reading lessons in every day — freeing up my time to do what I really like to do, which is read aloud to my kids.

So, I signed up my daughters for Savvy Reading classes for a few months that spring. From what I overheard of their lessons, I was very happy with the quality of the Savvy Reading curriculum. Compared to my son who took it later (see below), my daughters were not nearly as enthusiastic about doing Savvy… I’d say their experience was fine.

When the school year ended we decided to take a break. Over the summer though, my girls both really started flourishing with reading, and by the time September rolled around we stopped using a phonics/reading curriculum entirely since by then they were both able to read chapter books on their own. I honestly couldn’t say whether their reading skill increase was due to Savvy or not, but looking back, I’m glad we gave it a try!

My Son’s Great Experience with Savvy Reading

Then last year when my twin boys started Kindergarten, I had an inkling Savvy would be a good fit for one of them.

Turns out, it was the right choice - he ADORES it!

Every Monday - Thursday my son has a 25 minute Zoom-style class with an adult reading "coach” and 2-4 other students.

As long as you don’t change your class time, the other students are consistent (one of his classmates has been in his class for 6+ months) and the teacher is too… he’s been in a class with “Miss Michelle” from day 1.

My son sits at my computer and participates in the interactive class — they read stories and practice sounds and say rhymes and have fun — while systematically learning to read along the way!

He just really truly loves it and sets a timer to count down the minutes to log on to class every day. Best of all, his reading skills have really grown!

I do take a moment to help him log on (you can log on 5 minutes early and he’s always eager to get into the virtual classroom as soon as it lets him in) but after that he’s completely self-sufficient.

It’s so fun to see him excited about doing Savvy, and growing as a reader!

All the Details on Savvy Learning

Is Savvy a good fit for you? Here are a few other things you might want to know:

What age is Savvy Learning for?

Savvy is appropriate for kids as young as 4ish and goes up to a 5th grade reading level. (Personally we don’t do reading lessons in our house until age 6… so no need to start right at four years old.)

What is Savvy Math?

So far, I’ve just talked about Savvy Reading, but there is a Savvy Math program too! It operates the same way as the Reading program. I will say, personally we had some challenges scheduling Savvy Math for one of my kids — I think fewer students do Math so they have less class options available… just fyi!

Is this just for homeschoolers? Or just for kids in traditional school?

I think Savvy Learning works great as an option for homeschoolers or kids in traditional public/private school. For homeschoolers, this can be a complete reading program… no need to do extras (besides reading to your child, library visits, etc.)

If your child is in a regular school setting and you feel your child isn’t getting enough support in Reading or Math — maybe they’re “behind” and need extra support, or maybe they’re “ahead” and are looking for an extra challenge — Savvy could be a great fit too! If you have an early riser, they could schedule for 6:30 or 7:00am before school, or you could do an afternoon/evening class before bedtime.

Is Savvy Reading good for kids with dyslexia or special needs?

Dyslexia runs in our family, which is one reason I was excited to try out Savvy. Savvy Reading is based on the Science of Reading/Orton Gillingham method, which is kind of the gold standard in reading education, especially for kids with dyslexia.

In fact, I was talking with an educational psychologist a few months ago who explained that typically in a public school setting, a child with diagnosed dyslexia will do reading intervention in a small group setting with a few other classmates for about 30 minutes a day. Sound familiar??

If you suspect your child has dyslexia, I’d consider enrolling them in Savvy Reading while you pursue testing and/or an IEP, since the testing process can often take several months. If your child already has a dyslexia diagnosis, you could ask their teacher or pediatrician if Savvy could be a good fit.

The interactive, high-energy environment could be great for some kids with ADHD, and some students may benefit from the social aspect of being in a class with other kids! I’d suggest reaching out to Savvy directly to see if it’s a good fit for your children.

Are private classes available?

Yes! My kids have only ever done the group classes, which have 2-4 other students in the class. But, there are private classes available (at a higher price) if your child would do better in a 1:1 environment with a teacher.

How to Sign Up for Savvy Learning

If you’re ready to sign up for Savvy Reading or Savvy Math, you can sign up with my affiliate link here. Use the code NATURE for $25 off… that works to take $25 off every month, not just the first month!

Still not sure if Savvy will be a good fit? Your child can do a $5 trial class to try it out! Your child will meet with an individual teacher for a trial lesson (you’re welcome to observe too!) so you can check it out!

Let me know if you try out Savvy… I’d love to hear how it goes!