Learning to read tools for kids

A dozen easy tools to teach your child to read | by Manisha Snoyer (www.modulo.app)

The question families ask me most is how to teach their children how to read. Over the past 20 years, I’ve helped hundreds of families support their children’s learning through a huge variety of tools. Most recently, I did a comprehensive review of over 1000 secular curriculum resources for parents and tested many of them with our students at Modulo.

There were two main takeaways from this process. 1) Every child learns differently. 2) Any parent is perfectly capable of teaching their child to read with little effort.

The first thing I want to emphasize is that it’s not a great idea to force your child to read if they are not ready. In the USA, we often push children to learn to read before they’re ready. This can lead to a lifelong loathing of reading. In other countries, like Finland, it’s common for children to learn to read at age 7 or later. Some developmental psychologists think that it’s not even appropriate for some children to learn to read until they are 10. Lastly, it is estimate that one in five children suffer from dyslexia. So, please don’t push before you understand your little learner.

This obviously part of a larger discussion, but for the time being, if you are looking for extra support teaching your child to read, here are my 10 favorite resources!

1. Reading by Osmosis. A good number of children can learn to read on their own without help, simply by observing the text on the page as you read aloud to them. A slight danger here is they never develop phonemic awareness, but it’s an easy and wonderful way to read. I write more about how to cultivate this approach to reading here.
2. Teach your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. Other children need more support with phonics. This book is the golden standard when it comes to direct instruction. It’s great for parents who don’t want their kids to have any screen time and have about 5–10 minutes a day to devote to their child’s instruction.
3. Wild Reading. This is a lovely, nature-based curriculum for families who want to take their reading lessons outdoors, designed by a mother and teacher.
4. Homer. If Teach your Child to Read is too dry for your child or you don’t have 5 minutes a day to teach them, Learn with Homer is a ridiculously fun app to teach literacy. They’ve also recently expanded to math, social-emotional learning and more.
5. Nessy. One out of five children suffer from Dyslexia. If your child is dyslexic or you think they might be, Nessy is a great choice. If you’re unsure if your child has dyslexia, Nessy offers a screening tool for $20.
6. Explode the Code. We also love Explode the Code. Both Nessy and Explode the Code use the Orton-Gillingham approach, which is widely considered the best method for teaching children with dyslexia how to read.
7. Bob Books. Once your child can sound out 3 letter words, I highly recommend you move on to Bob Books. They have such fun and colorful books to teach reading. Bob Books also offers pre-reading skills. It can be super fun for you and your child to take turns reading aloud.
8. Epic. After your child has started reading a bit more independently, Epic is an amazing resource full of free books and great critical reading questions. There is a read-to-me feature where the words light up as a speaker reads them (great for learning to read by osmosis.) Many of the boosk also have quizzes to help with critical reading skills. And your child can choose their reading level to make sure they get material they can read. It is a must have for any family who doesn’t mind screen time. Most schools offer a free subscription to Epic. If yours doesn’t, contact us via Modulo and we can put you in our class.
9. Alphablocks. If your child can’t get enough of shows and youtube videos, the Alphablocks channel is a very fun way to develop phonemic awareness. Make sure to start with level one and proceed level by level. To enhance learning, pause the video each time the letters sound out their names before they say the word so your child can try to guess before they give the answer.
10. Teach Your Monster to Read is a fun free app from the Usborne foundation. Personally, I find some of the games a bit complicated, but I know many children who love it and have taught themselves to read this way.
11. Duo Lingo ABC is another fun free app that the Duo Lingo just released to help kids learn to read and is a little more straightforward than Teach Your Monster.
12. Khan Academy Kids is a wonderful app to learn reading and every other subject. It’s free and for kids ages K-2nd.

If you, like me, get overwhelmed with too many choices, I recommend you start with Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, Wild Reading or Homer and then move on to Bob Books. Use Nessy if you think your child is dyslexic.

If you take anything else from this, please remember to be patient with your child and not teach them to read before they’re ready. There’s nothing like a boring reading lesson you’re forced to sit through to kill a lifelong love of learning!

We hope you find a resources that works for you! Feel free to contacts us via the Modulo web-site to give us feedback on these recommendations or tell us about another great one you found!

14 Apps That Actually Help Kids Learn to Read

When it comes to learning to read, some kids need extra support — and, luckily, there are several reading apps for kids to help get the job done.

14 Reading Apps for Kids

These days, practically as soon as kids enter traditional kindergarten, they’re expected to be reading. Reading levels in school are deemed extremely important from the get-go, and the push for more academic early education has led to more kids underperforming in the earliest years of school. Because some kids may not be developmentally ready to read, have shorter attention spans or, in some cases, have learning differences that prevent them from reading, it can be a stressful experience.

As a mom who was told her daughter was falling behind in reading at the young age of five, I know the feeling well. While I didn’t exactly agree that my daughter needed to be a seasoned reader at five or even six, I worried most about how her confidence would be affected if she was falling behind her peers.

I tried to support her the best I could and found that a low-pressure approach worked best. We spent time reading together and practicing sounding out words, but playing reading games on an iPhone and tablet felt more like fun and less like work. I realized that when my kid was relaxed and playing games, rather than stressed or frustrated, she could absorb the information easier. Here are some of the best reading apps for kids that she still enjoys learning from and playing.

Epic!

It’s all in the name. This app, which give access to 25,000 books with read-along technology, games and more, is truly epic.

Kids will have so much to do, they’ll never get bored reading stories of all kinds, learning phonics and just playing, as kids should.

Want to help kids reduce screen time and develop their imagination and creativity? Download Animopus from the App Store. Animopus is a drawing app for kids (ages 2 and up) that turns cartoon consumers into cartoon creators.

ABCmouse

Another absolute favorite app is ABCmouse. The step-by-step learning path lets kids track their progress and earn rewards for their work.

While there’s tons of reading work to be done at various skill levels, there are more than 850 lessons overall. Those include digital books, puzzles, games, songs and animations that create a very interactive reading experience.

VocabularySpellingCity

Popular among homeschool families for its planning and tracking features, VocabularySpellingCity is not only filled with fun games, but is a quality reading tool to help kids learn to read.

Parents can set up year-long word study playlists and activities to keep kids busy, focused and constantly learning to read.

Homer

The creators of this app truly understood that fun makes learning easy, which is why it's filled with fun games that kids can choose based on their interests.

It’s designed for kids ages two to eight with age appropriate tasks for each level and grows with your child so they can start early as toddlers and keep the learning going into elementary school (and beyond).

Starfall

The Starfall app offers multiple levels to encourage even the earliest readers to play along.

Beginning with ABCs to “I’m reading,” it lets kids practice with fun read-alongs, letter matching games and much more.

Hoopla

While not just for kids, this app is great for them. It allows you to download audiobooks from the local library instantly and listen on demand. Studies have shown that audiobooks are great for important reading skills, such as listening to sounds, as well as comprehension.

Even more, listening to stories is fun for timid readers, and with a world of books at their fingertips, Hoopla makes it easy.

Endless Reader

Kids love monsters, and with Endless Reader, they get to play with them.

The adorable creators will help them learn to recognize important sight words that are crucial to early reading with puzzles and letters that come alive and show them exactly what word they spelled. It's a good way to make the reading lessons memorable.

Hooked on Phonics

While Hooked on Phonics may be an oldie, the technology of the app is definitely a goodie. With more than 275 phonics activities, kids have tons to choose from, and it’s easy to find something that’s right for everyone.

The interactive games let kids practice essential reading skills while earning fun incentives at the same time. Plus, the app correlates to federal and state reading proficiency standards through first grade.

FarFaria

The best part about this app is the colorful and beautiful world of stories kids can choose from when playing. The narration brings each story to life and keeps kids engaged.

It’s been shown that kids read for longer periods of time when using it, and the read-along features make it easy to follow.

Amazon FreeTime

With access to tons of awesome and unique kids books, there is no shortage of reading time on this app.

And the best part? The parent dashboard feature makes it a unique experience, allowing you to set up educational goals and track your child’s reading from your own device.

Kids Academy

This app strikes the right note with kids because the experience is so personalized — something missing from most educational opportunities.

With Kids Academy’s engaging and adaptive experience, kids will get just what they need and find the learning course that engages them the most. With more than 5,000 activities, that could include educational games, interactive and printable worksheets, songs, puzzles and flashcards.

Dr. Seuss Treasury

Nobody does reading quite like Dr. Seuss, and the app is no exception.

With 55 Dr. Seuss books all in one place, kids can sort and search books, finding all their favorite characters, including the Cat in the Hat, the Grinch and the Lorax. It also allows them to record their own voice reading and learn new vocabulary with tappable words.

Reading Raven

This popular app for four- to eight-year-olds helps kids to read with its learning adventure guide.

It’s multi-sensory, has step-by-step lessons and hundreds of activities for kids to enjoy. The highly engaging content helps build confidence and reading skills at the same time.

Monkey Word School Adventure

This creative and intuitive app takes kids through phonics exercises to help their early reading skills begin to develop. They can trace letters, practice rhyming with a fun maze, practice spelling and more.

After every round, the game gives a reward — a plant or animal to add to a terrarium — making it even more fun to play, learn and earn!

Want to help kids reduce screen time and develop their imagination and creativity? Download Animopus from the App Store. Animopus is a drawing app for kids (ages 2 and up) that turns cartoon consumers into cartoon creators.

Five simple tools to help your child learn

Ekaterina Shchetinina

After three summer months, it can be difficult for children to return to the educational “system”. The joy from the fees and new notebooks is quickly washed away by the flow of new information that needs to be remembered and be able to apply on the control. A week does not pass after the start of training, as the head is already spinning from how much everything is required at school and at home, and all these things take an enormous amount of time. nine0004

Found 5 tools that will make the learning process more interesting and easier.

Reader's diary

This tool will save memories of the books you read. You can write down quotes, the plot and the main characters of the work in it. The child will be able to think about what they read, evaluate the book and express their thoughts.

Regular keeping of a reading diary teaches the student to highlight the main thing and develop attentiveness and memory. And reading books from a boring obligation turns into a real adventure. Preparing for literature lessons and writing essays will definitely become easier - just read your abstract. nine0004

MIF has cozy reader diaries that are suitable for older students. They have 57 pages for reviews, and 5 for the reading schedule, book challenge, personal top and other activities.

Younger children will love the Reading Diary with Chevostick.

Opening of the reader's diary from Chevostik.

Use the notebook to record your book adventures, share emotions, track progress, and create. If a child is familiar with Chevostick from encyclopedias, reading books with a favorite character will be much more interesting. nine0004

There is enough space in the diary for 20+ books, as well as for a shelf with what you have read, your own rating and creativity.

Anti-textbooks

Anti-textbooks are not like boring school textbooks. They are written in simple language and designed in an infographic format, so studying them is easy and interesting. Bright encyclopedias arouse the child's interest in science, give an understanding of the importance of scientific knowledge and explain how everything works.

Opening of the book “How the Body Works”

“The world around is a complex system in which everything is interconnected and subject to the same laws,” the authors of anti-textbooks say. Therefore, they abandoned the "traditional" division into different sciences and talk about the structure of the cosmos, science, technology and the human body, explain why mathematics is needed, how to master the Python programming language and use philosophy in life. nine0004

The material from these books can be used to better master the school curriculum and prepare for reports and olympiads.

Math workbooks

Many people don't like math. Units of measurement, multiplication table, division, subtraction and fractions - how to figure it all out? To understand the "queen of sciences" will help the series "Kumon.Mathematics".

Each workbook develops a specific math skill through progressively more difficult and repetitive tasks. The series has notebooks with five levels of difficulty. Which will be useful both for kids who are just learning mathematics, and for older students while preparing for the OGE and the Unified State Examination. nine0004

You need to study in notebooks 5 days a week for 20 minutes a day. This method of successive steps allows not only to gain knowledge, but also increases self-confidence. And working on mistakes develops useful skills and “lays” the foundation for independent homework.

Free short course →

Self-development books

Self-discipline, time management and the ability to set goals are tools that will be useful not only at school, but will also make life much easier in the future. nine0004

World expert in the psychology of success Brian Tracy has adapted his new book to the needs of students.

To succeed in work and life, sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone.

In "Get Out of Your Comfort Zone: For Schoolchildren and Students," he talks about how to get more done in less time, beat procrastination, find what gets in the way, and learn how to learn.

And, for example, Olaf Sheve, the author of the book Superstudent, believes that everyone can study well and get high marks. After all, 80% of academic performance depends on our efforts, and only 20% is determined by intelligence. nine0004

In this book, the child will find learning techniques, tips on speed reading, time management, note-taking, setting SMART goals. Learn how to properly prepare for exams and tests, make mind maps and apply mental techniques.

Books that broaden one's horizons

The child will read the main books and textbooks one way or another at school. But books that broaden one's horizons are about something else. They fuel the desire to learn something new every day and share it with others. nine0004

For example, with the book "How many spots does a cheetah have" you can learn unusual facts every day, and then tell them in class or add them to homework, essays and reports. Each spread of the book is devoted to one topic - this allows you to read both in order and open on any page and learn something new.

Opening of the book "How many spots does a cheetah have".

For better memorization, you can try to play a guessing game - whose number was closer to the real one, he won. nine0004

And with a guide to rocks, minerals and fossils, you can arrange a real excursion. The author of several dozen books for children and youth, Dan Green, in his book “What kind of stone” reveals secrets from which young explorers’ eyes light up: “What will happen to sand if lightning strikes it?”, “Where to look for stones that flew from space?”, “Which mineral smells like a rotten egg?” and "Why is a pomegranate called a pomegranate"?. It will definitely be interesting and informative.

The 5 tools we have discussed will help your child to integrate into the learning process, learn new things, quickly settle into school and develop the skills necessary to successfully master new knowledge. nine0004

Cover: unsplash.com

Learning to read | Games for learning to read

Surely most of you want to teach your child to read before school. Do you take into account the wishes of the child? If not, this is one of your mistakes. For effective learning, it is necessary that the child shows interest and desire for this lesson. I want, based on personal experience, to talk about where to start, how to teach and what mistakes to avoid when teaching a child to read. So, are we learning to read? Reading games can often be even more effective than early reading teaching methods. For example, Glenn Doman's technique, or Zaitsev's cubes. Do you want to understand everything and make the process more efficient? Then let's go! nine0004

Reading preparation

Start simple. Read to him for the first time. This will help to develop in the crumbs an interest in reading, the desire to be able to do it yourself. Be sure to set an example for your child. There should be a lot of books and the child will certainly need to see you reading.

It is extremely important for a toddler to have his own books. Do not spare money for the purchase of children's literature. The baby should have a lot of books, preferably large and with bright pictures. Take a special corner for him, where you can put a bookcase or hang a shelf. The kid needs his own personal library. Having his books, but not yet learning to read, the child will try to imitate you. For this purpose, put a child seat. Then the baby will be able, like an adult, to sit down and delve into “reading”. nine0004

Learning to read. Alphabet

The desire has been developed, we proceed to the process.

Toddlers have no concept of learning. There is only play and sleep. We draw conclusions - you need to learn playfully. Games can be with letters, in letters and about letters. There are many methods for teaching reading. I would advise not to be guided by any one, but to familiarize yourself with several and take from them only what is right for your child. The most useful thing you can learn from them is educational games. Most importantly, do not make another mistake - "learning by method." Show personal interest in the chosen game and play together with your baby. nine0004

What exactly do you need to start with? Naturally, from the alphabet.

First of all, print (you can also draw) short phrases on large sheets. The letters in the words need to be made in different colors: consonants - black, vowels - yellow, "b", "b" and "th",? green. Hang the sheets in a conspicuous place. Multi-colored letters will interest the baby, and he will begin to ask you which letter is which. Prepare a sufficient number of phrases mentioning all the letters of the alphabet. If the spelling of uppercase and lowercase letters is different, then be sure to make phrases for both cases. nine0004

IMPORTANT! Draw only letters, no pictures! Why? More on this later.

I'll tell you about the games I played with my daughter.

Learning to read. Games for learning to read

The first game for learning to read. Let's call it "Remember the letter" .

First make blanks. Draw cards with letters of the alphabet. Process: lay out 3 cards (more is possible, but it is better to start with 3 and gradually increase the number) and name each letter. Invite your little one to memorize them. Next, give the child a task. For example: "Now you will turn away, and I will remove one card, and you will tell me which letter is missing." nine0004

This game will not only help you learn the alphabet, but also serve as an excellent memory training.

I advise you to play in turns. Once the kid guesses, and once - you. So the game will be much more interesting for him. Guessing yourself, sometimes "make a mistake", play along with the child. When he calls correctly, be sure to praise.

You always need to tell your little one how smart, observant, attentive and other good words he is. This stimulates his interest and desire to achieve even better results in the game. nine0004

Ready-made cards from the previous game will serve you for the next one.

The second game for learning to read. "Name a letter" .

The game is similar to the first one, but the principle is slightly different. We say: “Can you name the letter that I will now show. She is VERY complicated! 🙂 and show the child a card. From the first game, you already know which letters the kid knows well, and which ones are still difficult for him. Therefore, first show those that he already knows well. Alternate learned letters with complex ones. Be sure to help him if he can't handle it. But this should not be done obsessively, but as if he himself remembered. nine0004

Again the same advice - play in turn: once you guess, and once - the baby. To make it more interesting and fun for him, make a smart and thoughtful face when you “try” to guess the letter. In "particularly difficult" cases, ask him or other household members for advice. Play more often so that the child thinks he already knows more than you.

The third game. "Find the letter" .

Take one out of the finished stack of cards, show it, call it (or the kid calls it himself if he already knows this letter) and offer to find the same one in his own BIG and SUPER INTERESTING book. It's even better if you're searching at the same time, but the child NATURALLY finds first. nine0004

Reading by syllables

Letters have been learned, let's move on to reading by syllables. Again we use games as the most interesting and effective tool.

The first game. "Little words" .

Make up questions or stories with two letter answers.

— What should you shout in the forest if you get lost? — Ay

— How does the cow moo? - Mu

The kid will figure out that only from 2 letters you can already make a small word. Tell him that he already knows how to read a little and this will spur his passion for learning. nine0004

Second. "Fold a syllable" .

It's like the ones you played while learning the alphabet. But here you show two letters in turn, combine them into a syllable and invite the child to read. You can diversify the game by inviting the little one to come up with interesting stories about letters. For example: where (why? how? why?) "m" found "a". What will their family be called later?

Third. Girlfriend letters .

Compose a story about 3 (2) girlfriends: "s", "t", "r" (your choice). Invite the child to look in the book (HIS!) for words where they are all together. For example: horror story, wanderer, page, archer, etc.

Whatever game you play, do not force the child if interest in this activity has disappeared. Only with the will can he learn to read. And in order to have a desire, come up with new games, taking the above as a basis. You can invite the crumbs to come up with a game on their own. Basically, use your imagination. nine0004

Learning to read words

We start this stage only when reading by syllables does not present any difficulties for your baby. Start with simple 3-letter words. Further complicate the task by increasing the number of letters. Invite your child to read signs and advertisements on a walk. ALWAYS praise him, encourage him, let the baby have the idea that he is the smartest and smartest.

Never rush your baby. It would be better for him to read only short words for a longer time, but then he will retain his love of reading. nine0004

IMPORTANT!

Do not name the letters as the alphabet teaches - be, ve, es, etc. Speak ONLY the sound - b, c, s ... Speak vowels shortly and clearly. Otherwise, then the child will have difficulty reading. After all, you want the baby to read "m-a-m-a", and not "uh-aaa-um-aaa."

Why can't pictures be used with letters?

Using this alphabet will make reading difficult for your child. Everything is very simple. Studying the letter next to which the picture is located, the baby associates the image with the letter. It seems to be what is needed. nine0105 BUT!

First! What if, for example, instead of a ball (letter "M"), the baby sees a ball? Or “A”, on which a watermelon is almost always drawn (more often not even a whole, but a slice)? How do you explain that this is exactly “WATERMELON”, and not “PIECE” or “SPLIT”? After all, this is a completely different letter. After all, many children very often have their own special way of looking at things. Can you be sure that your child sees exactly the right item in the picture? What if "SH" is associated with the word "BALL", or vice versa? Reading errors are guaranteed to him.

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