I was compensated for this review. Â All opinions are my own and as you know, I never promote anything that my own struggling readers haven’t truly benefited from.Â
This website exists to educate parents on the best methods and resources for teaching their struggling learners to learn. The reality is though that we can be the best teachers and use the best curriculum but learning for our kids is still hard. And honestly, who does enjoy doing what is hard? Â Not me!
This is why I was so excited when my two sons with dyslexia (ages 6 and 9) tried and loved the Nessy Reading and Spelling online reading program.
Why Nessy Reading and Spelling Works With Kids With Dyslexia
There are hundreds of online programs for teaching reading. What sets Nessy Reading and Spelling apart from other programs is their approach to teaching reading.
Unlike most online reading programs, Nessy Reading & Spelling is Orton-Gillingham-based. The Orton-Gillingham (O-G) approach to teaching reading is one of the only approaches that has been proven to be effective with dyslexic kids.  For more information on the O-G approach, read this.
Why my Kids Love Nessy Reading and Spelling
Kids begin their adventure in learning by taking a short placement test in spelling and reading called the Nessy Challenge. Â This helps parents to know where to start the program.
Visit the islands of Nessy, play games, and win nuggets
Next, kids visit the islands of Nessy, watching short, simple, animated videos to teach phonetic concepts. The videos are engaging and a little silly which helps my little guys remember.
The strategy videos are followed by fun games that practice the concept for both reading and spelling.
Nessy Reading & Spelling Banana Wheels Game
Hands Off My Bananas Game – Nessy Reading and Spelling
Sorting game – Sir Minky – Nessy Reading and Spelling
There is enough variety in the games that kids don’t get bored, but not so many different games that they become overwhelmed.  Kids collect golden nuggets for playing which adds another layer of motivation. Also, games only review one concept at a time which provides some laser-focused learning time that my kids need.
Why Moms Will Love Nessy Reading and Spelling
Printable worksheets. Â While I’m not usually a fan of worksheets for my kids with dyslexia, one thing that I appreciated about the program as a homeschool mom was the amazing free, full-color, printable worksheets and card games that coincide with every concept taught. Â These have been fantastic for review between the kids’ sessions on the computer. I slipped the worksheets in plastic page protectors and my sons use dry-erase pens to complete them.
Nessy Reading and Spelling has over 1,000 free worksheets
Kids are really learning. Another reason that parents will love Nessy Reading and Spelling, is that their kids are really learning.
Kids with dyslexia need a LOT of practice with reading and spelling to become fluent. Â With Nessy Reading and Spelling, my kids are having so much fun they don’t realize how hard they are working. This is a win-win.
One thing to note is that while Nessy Reading and Spelling can be used to teach any kind of learner to read, dyslexic or not, it may not be suitable for a stand-alone reading curriculum for kids with dyslexia.
My 9-year-old is on the more profound side of dyslexia. He uses Nessy Reading & Spelling purely for review and fun. Â My 6-year-old is more mildly dyslexic and seems better able to keep up with the pace of the program. Â If he starts to move too quickly and forgets the concepts he’s learned, I print off some worksheets and card games for review before he practices on the computer again.
Affordable. At $12/month, Nessy Reading and Spelling is well worth every penny. Or purchase the complete Parent Pack which includes the following 5 Nessy products for 10% off.
About Nessy Learning
The people at Nessy Learning created Nessy Reading & Spelling to help children who learn differently. They know what works and have a sincere desire to help kids and educate parents. Â Download a free copy of the Nessy Dyslexia Explained e-book.
Follow Nessy Learning on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube for more educational information and encouragement on your dyslexia journey!
Very interested! Coupon code doesn’t seem to work on the parent bundle.
I’ll check with Nessy and get back to you!
It should work now!
I was just researching this and am grateful for the discount.
Do you need to buy 2 licenses (one for each child) or can 2 kids in the same house use the same license?
I just spoke with Nessy and yes, you have to purchase 2 licenses.
Thank you for the reply
How advanced does this go? My daughter is past the basics but still needs practice, especially in spelling. Also I was wondering if it can be done on a phone. There isn’t good internet access in our area so all i have is my phone. Thanks
Up through 5th grade. 🙂 And yes, it can be done on a phone or tablet.
Would this be a good complement for All About Spelling Level 5-7? My son is currently finishing AAS Level 4 and All About Reading Level 4.
Hi Liza. How old is your son?
Hi Marianne,
I think a critical fact is omitted from the article. If a student with known or suspected dyslexia is already receiving instruction with an Orton-Gillingham based reading and spelling program, a parent should NOT mix methodologies as it will confuse the student. For dyslexia to be effectively remediated, one program should be done with fidelity. This is what research has shown to work.
Thanks for the newsletter and all that you do to educate parents about dyslexia!
Kimberly Downey
Certified Barton Reading & Spelling Tutor
Homeschooling Mom of one dyslexic son and two neuro-typical learners
Because Nessy teaches one concept at a time, explicitly and with a lot of review, my kids did very well with it.
As a reading specialist in a school setting, and as the owner of a private tutoring practice, I’ve utilized Nessy as a supplement to Barton, and as a stand alone program with great success. I agree with Marianne, the continuous review and explicit instruction makes it very effective alone, or paired with other Orton-Gillingham influenced /structured language programs.
does the code work for the dyslexia pd or just the reading and spelling
Hi Ashely. It does not work for Dyslexia PD. It does work for Nessy Reading and Spelling or the Parent Pack. 🙂
My son is in the 4th grade and was diagnosed with Dyslexia in May. His school is looking into Nessy, do you think this would be enough or use something like Barton or Wilson and Nessy as extra reinforcement.
It would definitely be good. It would be better to use something like Wilson or Barton as a main curriculum and use Nessy (even at home) for reinforcement and practice.
Hi! Thanks for the info and sharing what you have learned through the years.I have 2 questions. 1) Are there any coupon codes?
2)If you suspect your child is dyslexic would you use the Reading & Spelling part of Nessy or the Dyslexic Home Education pack? Thanks!
Hi Marianne,
Thank you so much for your helpful blog. I was planning on using Phonics Intervention this year, but saw this. I have three questions for you: 1) Could this be used in addition to a OT based phonics curriculum, in a more independent way, mainly for fun and extra reinforcement? 2) Also, is it way too young for a 12 year old who reads at a 4th grade level and cannot spell well at all? and 3) Do you have any experience with Nessy typing? And with their typing program too, would it be too young for a 12 year old, even if he really struggles? (I guess that’s technically four questions! ; )) Thanks in advance!
Michelle
Hi Michelle! 1) Yes, we use Nessy as a supplement to our regular reading program for extra practice. 2) My 10-year-old likes it so I would say that it depends on your child. You can have a 7-day free trial to see what he thinks. SOme kids start out thinking that it is childish but then enjoy it so much that they stay with it. 3) We haven’t tried Nessy Typing yet but plan to soon. Good luck!
Thank you so much for this review. I recently learned of Nessy for my 7yr who I and her eye dr. strongly suspect has Eye conversion issues and dyslexia. We are homeschoolers who just found your site, thank you so much! I cant wait to dive into the site and learn more to help my child. Our current reading and spelling program is just not clicking, so the search is on for ways to teach her how she learns.
This is great! Thank you so much for your helpful review! We did the Dyslexia Quest which screens for 6 areas of dyslexia, and it was SO helpful in understanding my 7-year-old’s dyslexia (she hasn’t been formally tested). It was also a lot of fun for her. We are planning on doing the free trial, but I have no doubt my daughter will love it. Thank you so much for introducing us to this great program and for all the encouraging posts!
I’m bummed the discount code has expired. My daughter is really enjoying the free trial!
Try code MS10 for a 10% discount. The best deal is to buy the year subscription at 10% off which makes the program $7.50/month!
Hi there my 12 year old daughter really wants to try this, is there another code please as worth vat the dyslexia pack is 135 pounds so any discount will help! I have really enjoyed reading everyone’s experiences!
I wish schools would invest in more reading programs to help children with Dyslexia.