ABCmouse is an online preschool-kindergarten curriculum that teaches letters, letter sounds, counting, math, art, science, music and phonics. The child starts out at the level that you choose and progresses through various areas by working virtual puzzles, singing songs, visiting the zoo and farm, reading books, virtual coloring, etc. A fun bonus is that the child gets tickets when they complete each simple lesson that they can use to "purchase" things for their virtual room. Cost is under $10 a month but you can try a month for free. Up to 4 children can use this at one time.
Website: ABCmouse
(52 Reviews)
Before investing in any homeschooling resources, please read "How to Choose the Best Homeschool Curriculum."
Contributor Reviews
Reviews are solely the opinions of the contributor.
Cons: Steal credit card information
Grades Used: None
I began filling out the registration so we could use this for our 2 yr old son but stopped before submitting anything due to the negative reviews I had read. The reviews that turned me off from going through with registering had to do with the billing and how people either weren’t able to cancel their memberships or were able to but were still being billed over a year later. Well, I just looked at my bank statement and they decided to charge me for the month wven though I never signed up. I typed my information in but exited the registration process once I read the bad reviews. They stole my credit card information and billed me. And yes, I am positive I didn’t submit the registration, I didn’t even advance past the payment method section. Do not trust them!!
We liked the service and the games; however I have a very bad taste in my mouth due to poor customer service and business practices. We paid for a yearly subscription in December 2017 and then I believe I cancelled so as not to incur unexpected charges. Well, I was charged again this week without warning and told that unless I could produce the cancellation email from a year ago, they would not refund me even though we haven't used the service at all in months. Clearly they don't believe in their product enough to sell it honestly and have to resort to sneaky money-grabbing. Stay away.
Cons: they continue billing even though you cancel before the trial period is over
I canceled my subscription right after the free trial, my grandson was bored after an hour and abcmouse.com has continued to bill me for a year regardless of my cancellation. I've canceled it again we will see if they actually stop billing me or if I have to sue them for fraudulent billing I do not recommend giving these ppl you billing information ever!!
Cons: Questionable ownership; cost
Grades Used: 1,2
First, I haven't seen enough educational value for my child given the monthly cost of membership. I'm also concerned that I recently found out that the owner and CEO, Doug Dohring, is a respected member of the dangerous cult of Scientology and funnels much of his money to it and its related organizations. You can search online about this. I don't think I want my money going to an organization with a long and verified list of abuses. Please, don't take my word for this. Do your own research as I did.
Cons: billing prices
Grades Used: na
I thank it gets 5 stars because when there was a problem customer service was great and fast response.
Cons: NO REFUNDS - they automatically charge a card on file which with NO notifications - boring site for advanced students
Grades Used: Pre-K - 3
I joined ABCMouse.com a few years ago after searching for online resources to help my children and plan for their academic years.
My children are now older and not very interested in ABCMouse, although one is 1st grade, she is very advanced and easily bored with what ABCMouse has to offer.
I didn't even realize I it was time for renewal when I received an email stating that my credit card had been charged. Upon researching cancellation of our account I've learned that ABCMouse WILL NOT issue refunds! Now I'm stuck with a bill for $79.95 for a program my children will not use! 🙁 This makes me angry, as there are a lot of things I could do with $80 bucks instead it has just been thrown into the wind! The company claims they send out notices of upcoming renewals, but I did not receive anything; I've also read reviews on ABCMouse elsewhere with the same issue. I went into the parent account and I can't even remove my credit information. So, they bill whatever card is on file.
There are many other resources, some of which are free. I'd say avoid ABCMouse simply because of their NO REFUND policy! That's just not good business!
Cons: My child is uninterested in learning and I don't know what to do to change that.
Grades Used: Preschool
My daughter has been using this for about a month. She really likes the games and coloring but she seems to only be interested in the games that deal with colors and I don't know how to get her interested in the other games and things that will help her learn more than just colors and shapes. Today, I tried to get her to play with the pet park thing and she liked it up until her pet wanted her to learn letters of the alphabet. She refused to even listen as it was reading aloud. After that was dine, I was trying to see what came after that and it was the "An alligator is long." sentence wherr she has to move the words into the shape if their outline and all she wanted to do was get mad because she doesn't like alligators and I don't know how to get her interested in actually learning. Help?
Cons: None
Grades Used: Age 2 to age 7 toddler to 2nd grade all 10 levels
We love abcmouse! Started my daughter on it just after she turned 2 and she was reading chapter books by kindergarden. She completed all 10 levels by age 7 and was so far ahead in school that we ended up home schooling her because she was so board. She basically used this site by her self. Its an all inclusive education that covers almost everything in the age range it's meant for. I'm just bummed that it stops at 2 grade. She loved it and we loved it. I recommend it to someone at least once a week. I have read people complaining about customer service and payment issues. I have never experienced any. Only great service.
Cons: Billing is automatic without authorization.
Grades Used: Pre-K; 1st
The ABC Mouse hooks the subscriber into an automatic renewal every year without notification. Once renewed you cannot cancel and must pay the full membership cost for the year (even if you cancel on day one of the membership unauthorized renewal. Better sites with better customer service and better business practices. Find them before you try this one.
Grades Used: k
I hate this website...After canceling a year ago I am still being charged 7.95 monthly I canceled my card because it was ridiculous and they could care less ... Customer service is horrible after being on hold for 2:06 minutes ... [redacted]!!!!!!
Cons: occasional slow loading speeds, games and animals can be distracting
Grades Used: 3+, Pre K, K, 1st and now 2nd
My kids LOVE ABCmouse.com. We started it as a fun alternative to cartoons and games when they were younger and wanted to have these things. When my 5 year old could pick up and read almost any book, I saw it was doing far more than I had realized to teach him. I do have to regulate them using ANY other feature than the learning path as they will get completely distracted by the extra prizes and clutter that they get to put in their 'rooms'. I wish there were less of that, but the tickets and the progression through the paths keep them super motivated and they love the content. Does not feel at all like school, so we use it to get them re-engaged when they are not motivated to get into the books. My now 7 year old is reading on a 6th grade+ level and now that they have added the 1st and 2nd grade levels he is really enjoying it again. Love that even my 3 year old gets on and feels like he is playing games, but learning his numbers and letters while doing it.
Cons: Sometimes the games don't load properly
Grades Used: Pre-K, K
As a parent, I love ABC Mouse. I like this site because the Learning Path has a clear focus and builds on itself. There are many great free sites, but they aren't really curriculums. I feel this is one of the most valuable aspects of the program. While it is fun to dabble and important to review, I like that a concept is introduced, taught, and reviewed through a variety of activities (stories, songs, puzzles, games, etc.). I often take the opportunity to expand upon or reinforce whatever the focus is on the Learning Path through casual conversation and games like "I Spy."
After about a year, my kids are not as enthusiastic of the program and I basically assign the Learning Path to them. Once they start digging in there are usually no complaints. I appreciate the generous ticket bonus and little virtual prize kids receive after completing a chunk of the Learning Path, as this is a great incentive for my children.
My kids continue to find new activities and games that interest them. There are many parts of the site to explore, and we are still finding features that I think have been there all along. That's not to say that the site is unorganized, it is just that in typical kid fashion they seem to get hooked on or interested in one thing and spend the bulk of their time there. (Eg, the pet park, videos, or songs).
This site takes some guidance from the parent as there are places where the kids can essentially play. Of course I want them to play and have fun, but I prefer them to do it in places that have educational value (especially when this comes with a price tag). My son LOVES building the hamster cages, and my daughter is more into buying virtual clothes and costumes for her avatar. I do set boundaries for the amount of time my kids spend here.
They really do a lot to bring in holiday and seasonal celebrations. They will often have a little musical greeting or a special puzzle. My then three year old got a big kick out of the classroom being on the moon on April Fool's Day. I really like that you can select the holidays you do or do not celebrate in the settings.
I am surprised by all the negative reviews about the program and customer service. I have had to contact customer service two or three times since I've had the program and have always had the issue resolved. Once they granted me a free month, which made me happy because I love the program.
Obviously, I am quite pleased with the program. It is hard to quantify the effectiveness of ABCmouse.com because I like to think we do many things to help our children learn and grow, but I feel it has had a positive impact on our children's reading and math achievement.
Cons: Boring stupid ideas
Grades Used: 1
Don'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!!!
Cons: none
Grades Used: pre-k,K,1st
As the parent of a 7yr old daughter who has been reading since she was four, I have nothing but praise for ABCmouse.com program.. she has been using since she was 2yrs old!. We now homeschool her and use the Horizons curriculum which we love, but supplement with ABCmouse. It keeps her engaged and helps with math concepts. I have never had a problem with billing dont understand negative reviews. Their program has now been advanced to include 2nd grade level which is very helpful since our daughter will be entering the 2nd grade next year.
Cons: Contuies to bill for cancelled accounts. Will not refund . Will not cancel my account
Cancelled account a year ago still charging my bank account.
Cons: Nothing is perfect, but I have no real complaints
Grades Used: Pre-K, K
I am beginning to like ABC Mouse more and more. In the beginning, my child was not interested. Once he turned six, I started implementing daily. He is required, by me, to complete each learning path session on his school days. I love the sight word reading, games and worksheets. I also love that he feels like he is able to do it unassisted. But he does ask for help if something doesn't make sense to him. I tell him he can play with the hamsters or take care of his dog or whatever he wants, as long as he completes the session. So it depends on how much time he is willing to spend on any given day. A year ago, I wasn't a fan. But I gave it another go and I am glad I did.
Cons: everything
Grades Used: toddler and 1st grade
Worst rip off ever! Program does not work on ANY browser or device. Freezes up and will not let my 2 sons progress. Sends them on endless loops doing the same lame coloring assignment. After only a few frustrating hours of having it. I cancelled. No refunds! I would not trust them with your payment info either. Many people report still being charged after cancelling. Closed my Paypal too, just in case. I would never recommend this app or this program to anyone
Cons: No teaching, just playing (FALSE advertising!!!)
Grades Used: Pre-K, Kindergarten
I felt compelled to do a review of this because I am sick of seeing the completely unrealistic commercials. I have a pre-school age child and 2nd grader. Both used them (the 2nd grader in Kindergarten) for several months. It did not work with my son but I thought maybe it was his learning style being incompatible with it so I decided to give it another try with my daughter. Both kids like it but learned NOTHING! Just clicking and playing around and didn't seem to advance or really teach. The ridiculous commercials (that are like every 2 minutes on T.V.) make it sound like it will teach your kid to read or make them get ahead. Its basically sub-par learning games. I got a much cheaper learning game on disk with a book and my daughter learned colors, shapes, counting and many numbers in a very short time. Please don't waste your time with this lie- unless you just want something cheap to distract your child. No, you're 2yr old will not start reading on his own like this stupid commercial seems to imply!
Grades Used: 1st
We are experiencing many challenges with using ABC Mouse web-site. We have unsuccessfully tried to contact them on several occasions. We have experienced unreasonable wait times -- 30 to 45 minutes per call -- before needing to hang up and return to our duties. We are very frustrated with their customer and tec service for the web-site.
Last email sent to ABC Mouse was as follows: "After being a customer for 7 months, I have to ask 'how can we get our problems with using your site resolved or our account canceled with payment refund?'"
watch out for these people they will double charge you and there to lazy and incompetent to bill you correctly. from what i have seen the site isn't all that its cracked up to be the app never works and that web page has a lot of issues as well.i would never recommend this site to anyone.
Cons: keeps charging your account after cancellation, kids found it boring after about a week
Grades Used: Preschool-2nd grade
My preschoolers thought the website was completely boring. All of the sudden I was not able to sign in anymore. They of course do not have anyone to talk to on the telephone for customer service, you must contact them by email. I could not cancel my account because I could not sign in. They have never responded to all of my emails. I have had to cancel my bank card in order for them to stop. This process has been a nightmare. Do not fall victim to their free trial, they make it impossible to cancel.
Cons: needs to add to it past kindergarten
Grades Used: toddler time- level 2 preschool
LOVE IT. My daughter became addicted to it and when she hit the preschool levels she became very independent and didnt want to sit on my lap to do school so now she has her own secured laptop that allows her on ABCmouse and she does everything from feeding her hamsters and caring for her aquariums to caring for her other pets and teaching them while secretly working on her learning path. It has so many activites that she has took it upon herself to explore the more difficult ones and she still enjoys it.
Now if only they finished the faint level 7 I seen in the graduation window and such to add elementary grades 1+ to it all would be good.
I pay 19.95 for 4 months and get the other 8 for free essentially and i can handle that on my budget easily. one tip make sure you mark in your budget when you start paying especially if choosing the 4 month or yearly payment options because otherwise the due date can sneak up on you unexpectedly.
Cons: Terrible customer service
Grades Used: Pre-K
BUYER BEWARE
If you purchase an annual subscription it will be set to automatically renew. ABCMouse.com does not send you a notification ahead of time to let you know that your subscription is about to be renewed. I have a lot on my mind and a lot of things happen over the course of a year, so having the date I began my subscription at the top of my list is a ridiculous notion. Also, ABCMouse.com refuses to give any sort of refund even if you cancel the very next day after your subscription is renewed. So, now I am paying for a full year of something my daughter no longer uses. This company could at least have the common courtesy of notifying its customers BEFORE the subscription is renewed instead of letting the customer find out when it appears on their credit card bill.
A sentence in the terms and conditions of ABCmouse subscription:
"We may change any fee or charge at any time in our sole discretion."
Are you kidding me? Who in the world would ever sign up for a subscription like this? By purchasing a subscription you allow the people running ABCmouse to charge you any amount at any time. Only the sleaziest internet companies do this, No one has flagged this? It's funny that parents that buy this for their kids to learn to read can't do so themselves... There is no place for such a term in any agreement that is fair and reasonable. Shame on ABCmouse!
Cons: None
Grades Used: preschool
My son loved playing ABC Mouse! He is very stubborn and independent, so it was nice to allow him to learn without feeling like he was "in school". However, he eventually just started to play with the hampsters and began to lose interest in the activities. I was sad, because I really did like the program!