These 10 Apps Will Help Your Child Learn to Read
Back-to-school time is almost here, and that means a lot of homework and arguments about screen time. This is also the time of year when younger children can become frustrated as they begin or continue their reading journey. If your kids are struggling, there are plenty of apps to help them make the most of their screen time and give them the boost they need. Here are 10 you can try, many of which are free or have a free trial.
Hooked on acoustics
Parents who grew up in the ’90s no doubt remember advertisements for homeschool curriculum books that featured children who said the curriculum “worked” for them. There is now an app-based version of the program. There are two packages available for purchase: one for $6.99 for access to three learning apps (the other two improve spelling and math skills) for up to three users, and another for $15.98 that includes activity packs sent to your home by mail, all with the number 30. -day ensures that your child’s reading will improve. Please note that some users have complained that the apps may not work properly.
Khan Academy Children
The free educational app Khan Academy Kids is considered by many to be the gold standard, offering over 5,000 games and activities to teach reading and writing. The app also has a library of books about dinosaurs, vehicles and other kid-friendly topics, with no ads or subscriptions.
Epic
I first heard about this app from my son’s teacher—it’s more geared toward kids with basic reading skills. It offers a seemingly endless supply of books and audiobooks from major publishers that kids can read or listen to on their mobile devices and tablets. Epic also boasts a stats page that tracks how many books users have read. Using the app in school is free, but access to the Epic reading library at home will cost $13.99 per month or $84.99 per year after a one-week free trial.
Learn to Read – Duolingo ABC
The people who help you learn languages have created an app that helps preschoolers master fundamental reading lessons using over 700 games and activities, each building on what they learned in the previous one. However, everyone must start from the beginning of the program, which may be overwhelming for some users who do not have a basic understanding of reading concepts.
Homer: Fun Learning for Kids
Instead of forcing users to start from the beginning, as Duolingo ABC does, Homer offers more personalized and interactive phonics and reading lessons, each building on the previous one. A variety of audio and read-aloud stories will also capture your child’s attention. There are also classes in math and social and emotional skills. New users can try the app for 30 days for free; then you purchase a monthly membership for $12.99 or pay $79.99 for the year.
Teach your monster to read
They say the best way to learn something new is to teach it, but your child teaching a monster the basics of reading isn’t exactly what’s happening here. After users create their creatures, they join them on a journey through space. When the monsters run into trouble during their journey, users must play a mini-game that teaches them reading, including spelling out letters and understanding basic sentences. The games are designed for children of different skill levels; children can play for free on the Internet . There is a one-time fee of $8.99 to use the app version.
Reading eggs
Parents who homeschool their children have showered this app with a lot of praise. Users collect eggs for their avatars by completing reading-based activities. It also features books and other content for children from preschool to middle school age. Many also note that it’s not as gaming-focused as its competitors, which could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you feel about gamified learning. It has a 30-day free trial, and then subscription costs $9.99 per month and $69.99 per year.
Starfall Learn to read
The app’s mascot is a rat, and its interface looks horribly outdated. However, Starfall is another app trusted by parents who homeschool their children. Why? First, it is free to use because it was developed by a public non-profit organization. It also supports users with learning disabilities, as the nonprofit’s founder was inspired by his struggle with dyslexia to create comprehensive content that includes letter recognition, phonics, and reading choices.
Endless alphabet
The name of this app is a little misleading: it’s a vocabulary building app, not a letter recognition app. Users work at their own pace to assemble large words using their phonetic sounds, and elaborate animations help demonstrate the meaning of each word when spelled correctly. There is a one-time fee of $8.99 to use the app.
ABCMouse – Educational games for children
Like Hooked on Phonics, ABCMouse began selling its educational kits via cable. It has now moved into the digital space and offers more than 10,000 educational games in its ad-free apps, but users note that the quality of the games can be wildly uneven. Additionally, one of the more unusual aspects of the app is that users earn points for “purchases,” giving kids an early introduction to capitalism that they may not yet be ready for. There is a free trial and the app costs $12.99 per month or $45 per year.