Starfall Home Membership Review

There are plenty of great learning websites, apps, games, and shows out there, but there is also a great variety in quality. Some are phenomenal, with engaging lessons and excellent, appropriate content. Others are...not, and sorting out the good from the time wasters can be challenging. While I don't like the girls on their electronics all the time, there are times when I need one to work independently so I can focus on the other. I am always on the lookout for fun but educational learning games for the girls to do this with, so I was thrilled for the opportunity to review The Starfall Home Membership from Starfall Education Foundation.




Starfall is great for parents, teachers, and definitely homeschooling families.  The program is generally for PK to 2nd grade students. With a kindergarten student at the very early stages of reading and a second grader at the top end of the program, I do feel like I got a good idea of what this program can offer. The program supports both literacy and math. Although in the PK years it could technically stand alone and cover the basics, it's more appropriate to us as a supplement.

In the kindergarten aspect, Reagan worked with numbers, rhythms, phonics, and language arts. She looked for patterns and read along with fun stories. Madison spent her time with some of the spelling games, fractions and early multiplication skills. Everything both girls did felt like a game, not like a lesson.

This particular program is really best on a desktop/laptop computer.  While the app for the iPad is great it just doesn’t offer all of the features of the desktop program. We used this program at the library so both girls could experience it at once.


The program is easy to use. Both my girls were able to navigate their way around without much issue. Occasionally they'd call me to get back to a certain screen, but generally speaking, this was great for us for independent work.

The downside (if you can call it that) to the independent navigation is that kids can wander around to truly anywhere they'd like to go. The program is open-ended.  There isn’t a way to assign tasks.  There is no definitive order or plan.  There is no set time to work.  There is no real start or finish.  Children just work at what they like for as long as they like unless the parent says otherwise.  If Madison felt like killing time, she could wander her way back to skills she's long since mastered. If Reagan decided that the second grade games Madison got looked more fun, she could give those a shot.

I would say that Reagan was definitely more interested than Madison. Madison is beginning to age out of early childhood programs, and although there was still plenty of second grade material for even the more advanced student, she tired of it pretty quickly. Reagan really loved it and it was just perfect for a kindergarten kid.

There are a number of great helpful tools in the Parent-Teacher Center.  You’ll find a math worksheet generator, various printables, posters, and other downloads.

Overall, Starfall is a big winner in our home.  We've used it off and on for the past three plus years, and it's one we're always happy to come back to again and again!