Kindergarten Math and Literacy App Bundle

With the release of Learn to Read I created a kindergarten app bundle which has the Learn to Read app as well as the Kindergarten Pattern Completion app.  It is neat because both of these apps have a pattern recognition theme.  The math app is obviously a pattern completion game, but the reading app also is using pattern identification to pick out similarly spelled words.  The bundle gives you a dollar off discount.  Enjoy!

Amazon's New Test Drive Feature

Amazon has come out with a new feature that allows you to test drive apps on your computer from their website.  This feature allows you to use a paid app for free with some restrictions.  This is especially nice for apps that don't have a free lite version available.  On Google Play you can return an app within 15 minutes of purchase if it doesn't meet your expectations, but on Amazon all sales are final.

The feature is limited in that you are using the app via an emulator on a computer.  If the app makes use of GPS, a camera, etc, you will not be able to test those features out.  The response time from the emulated device seems pretty good.  The sound might be a little delayed, but overall I was satisfied with how my app performed via the emulator.

I like the idea of this feature, but I am concerned about Amazon giving away my content for free.  Amazon makes you give up a lot of control over price and use when you sign their terms of service.  This probably falls under the terms that I begrudgingly agreed to.  It seems you get ten free minutes every time you load the app.  The way Learn To Read works, reloading every ten minutes doesn't really hinder the overall experience.  If it was limited to a one time ten minute evaluation I would not have a problem with it.   While the maximum learning benefits come from a child having the device in their hand, and running their finger along the words while they read, the app is still usable on the computer.  I wonder if I will lose sales because of this?  Right now I need to maintain my current level of sales for about 3 years for me to make enough money for it to have been worth my time.

What is your preference for evaluating an app for purchase?  Screenshots, video, a free lite version, buy and return, or use in an emulator?  Would you still buy an app so you could use it on your device, versus only using it on the computer?

Free MP3 Audio Books For Kids

Browsing the web one day, I discovered that one of my favorite children's book authors, Robert Munsch, offers all his stories, told by him, in mp3 format, for download on his website.  At first I didn't know what I could do with the files, but when we were planning a long road trip I knew they would be perfect for the car.   Both my girls loved them.  Phrases from many of his stories have become part of our every day speech.

For instance we do not call Sharpie markers Sharpies. We call them super-indelible-never-come-off-till-your-dead-maybe-even-later markers, from the book Purple, Green and Yellow.  Whenever we are looking for matching socks we say, "Socks, socks, wonderful socks.  I'm never, ever going to take them off," from Smelly Socks.

The stories are silly and irreverent which makes them so entertaining.  Do you know of any good sources for downloading free children's stories?

Favorite Early Reader Books

My daughter loved listening to early reader books when she was one and two years old.  Now that she is five and getting closer to reading on her own, many of the early readers are boring for her.  However we did find one series that is funny and entertaining.

If you haven't read Mo Willems then I highly recommend you go and pick out some of his books right away.  If you are looking for early reading books his Cat the Cat series is really good.  I like them because the print is nice and large, and easy for young children to focus on.  The verse is repetitive so the reader gets lots of practice, and best of all the story is funny.  My daughter was telling all of our family about the books because she enjoyed them so much.


*Disclosure: This is my own unsolicited opinion freely given.  I was not given anything to write this post, but if you do purchase anything from Amazon.com by clicking on the images above, I will receive a small referral fee.

Six Pre-Literacy Skills That Help Kids Learn How To Read

Learning how to read is kind of mysterious.  There are certain rules and heuristics you can learn and follow, but there are so many exceptions that it almost seems like magic when the brain clicks and is actually able to read.  The question many parents have is, "Is my child ready to read?"  Learning requires a person to have a set of fundamental skills and then new skills are scaffolded from the existing ones.  By knowing the signs of pre-literacy you can avoid frustration, by not starting formal instruction until your child is ready.

Six Pre-Literacy Signs

1. Phonological Awareness - Perhaps the most important skill of all, is for a pre-reader to be able to hear sounds.  When a child has phonological awareness they  understand what words sound the same, and what words sound different.  They can figure out how many syllables a word has, and identify the discrete sounds in the word.  If you say the sounds "k" "aa" "t", do they recognize that those are the sounds that make the word cat?

• Rhymes, tongue twisters, and songs are all the ways children learn to hear the sounds of words.  

2. Vocabulary - Having a large vocabulary makes reading comprehension easier.  If a large pool of words is already understood then divining context from a text is easier.  

• Use a wide variety of vocabulary around your child.  When they hear new words sometimes they will be able to figure out the meaning the word on their own, or they may ask you what a word means.  Either way, they are practicing skills in comprehension.
• Read lots of books.  It is often overlooked, but many picture books have robust vocabulary in them.  Non-fiction books are great for learning new jargon specific to a topic. 

3. Writing - Reading and writing go hand in hand.  Physical movement makes stronger connections in the brain. By teaching reading through writing the child can more easily associates the connections between the alphabet, the sounds, and the meaning.  

• Write letters.  My kids love to write letters and draw pictures for their grandmas.  Filling the envelope and putting the stamp on is part of the experience.
• Write lists.  Grocery lists, to-do lists, daily schedule, etc.  
• When I help my children write, sometimes I make dashed versions of letters for them to trace, and sometimes I dictate the letters to them.

4. Print Awareness - Stories and information are conveyed via words, and words are made up of letters.  Words are read from left to right, and from top to bottom.  You open a book from left to right and turn pages.  These are all things that children usually figure out when they are around books.  When your child starts asking you, "What does that say?"  you know they have print awareness.

• Read lots of books.  Occasionally point to the words while you are reading.
• Read and point out signs.  I especially like pointing out signs to my kids when they are doing something they aren't supposed to.  I will point to the sign and tell them it says, "No climbing."  The sign carries authority. :) 

5. Alphabet Knowledge - This is the skill most everyone focuses on. To learn how to read a child should know the alphabet and what sounds each letter makes. Some people think you should teach the child the sounds first and simply call each letter by its sound instead of its name. Either way, eventually they will need to know the sounds of the letters.  

• Alphabet books.  Both my children learned the alphabet simply by reading them alphabet books.  The children's section at the library is filled with alphabet books and thus we ended up read a lot of them.  As they got older I would make up stories by going through the alphabet book and incorporating all the pictures into my story.

6.  Talking About Reading - You know your child is ready to read, if they talk about wanting to be able to read, are asking you for help, or are trying to sound out words.  Some children teach themselves to read because they are motivated by immediate access to information important to them. 

Children usually have a strong basis in all these skills by the time they are six or seven.  With these skills mastered, figuring out how to read should be not too hard, but not too easy--a fun challenge your child can confidently tackle.




For more info:
Emergent Literacy from Not Just Cute
PBS Literacy Development Guidelines
Ready Readers - Six Core Skills

Learn To Read is on Amazon Appstore

Learn To Read is now available for Kindle Fire and all other android devices through the Amazon Appstore.  Learn To Read Lite is still going through the approval process, but should be live within a week.

Learn To Read Mobile App

• Get Learn To Read Lite for free on Google Play.
• Get Learn To Read on Google Play

• Get Learn To Read on Amazon Appstore
• Get Learn To Read Lite on Amazon Appstore

• Get Learn To Read on Nook Apps (TM)

Also Available on Nabi.

Brand New on the App Store for iPad and iPhone!

Learn To Read is an interactive early reader ebook for kids.  The idea for this app came from the frustration that most beginning reader books have very small type.  It is hard for children to focus on the words and move their fingers along the letters, while they sound it out.  Flash cards solve the size problem, but are boring because there is no content.

New Features

• New animation when the correct word is tapped
• You can now choose between two fonts.  The original print based font, or a font called OpenDyslexia that some people with dyslexia find easier to read.

Other App Features

• Alliterative and rhyming verse to promote phonemic awareness. 
• The child is asked to find the target word on a screen of words that sound and are spelled similarly.  This puzzle encourages the child to look for patterns in the words to find the correct answer.
• Uses a simple print based font where the letters look like the letters they are taught to write.
• There are sixteen target words for a total of 64 pages.
• There is a "read-to-me" option where the child can click the button to have the app read them the text.

For Teachers

Learn To Read helps achieve the following Common Core Standards

RF.K.2. Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).

- Recognize and produce rhyming words.

- Add or substitute individual sounds (phonemes) in simple, one-syllable words to make new words.

RF.K.3. Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

- Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ

This app is available on Google Play, the Amazon App Store, and Nook Apps, AppsLib, and Fuhu (Nabi).

Click here to see more posts about learning how to read.