It is a known fact that sometime in your life, you will lose your place while reading. I am guilty of this, and so are my girls, so we were excited to try out Brennan Innovators, LLC Reading Focus Cards. We received three sets of the Combo Pack; each came with two reading cards of varying length. One sized for a textbook or iPad, and the other for a standard-sized book. Each card then came with two clear, tinted strips in blue and yellow and a clear strip and a clear matted strip; Brennan Innovators, LLC refers to these as filters.  Each set also included directions for how to use it. These are not just for focus reading or underlining text; they can also be used for Math! Finally, each card is hole punched for easily storing on a key ring or in a 3-ring binder. The cost is $16.95 per set, but they do have bulk pricing if you would like more than one.

When we first received the Reading Cards in the mail, the girls and I chose the sets we wanted. Some of the colors for the Cards were different, and we chose sets that had colors we liked or, in my case, what was left over after the girls picked theirs. We then tested the filters for 10 minutes each over a few days before adhering the filters to our cards. I was surprised that we all were so different. 

I read on a Kindle with blue light at night, which feels a bit uncomfortable at times. So, I was surprised that I set up my longer Reading Card with the blue filter for my Kindle. (The blue filter is a bit brighter than the on-Kindle blue light.) I set up my smaller Reading card to the matte finish, which I found to be best for physical books as I liked how it took the glare off the ink when reading under a bright light. I wonder if this has something to do with the fact that I wear glasses, but not sure.

My two girls both went with yellow for their Reading Cards; however, my oldest said both the yellow and blue worked for her and had the same result. My oldest quickly tired of using these, but my second oldest said it helped her stay on track a bit more when reading, especially when reading the Bible, which has small print.

I am interested to see how these Reading Cards will work with my six-year-old this upcoming school year as she has shown some signs of dyslexia, and I have read several articles that, in many cases, colored filters help.

I was impressed with these. However, I felt that the larger iPad variety was a bit too flimsy. I cut mine down to a vertical Kindle size, and the ease of use was better for me this way. We do not use many larger paged textbooks, so this was solely based on personal preference.

-Product review by Rebekah Rubingh, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, June 2021