The time children spend reading directly correlates to their academic achievement. Give students the best opportunity to succeed by encouraging them to read — whether it’s a good old-fashioned book or via new-fangled technology.
Children love technology, so it makes sense that reading on a screen would appeal to them. If you’re looking for ways to spark students’ interest in reading, apps are a great place to start.
Local Library
Your first stop should be your local library. Your library card is the key not just to thousands and thousands of books but a potentially larger library of digital titles. Check with your library to see which apps you can access through your library card.
Some apps allow unlimited numbers of digital titles to be accessed at one time, while others limit digital checkouts in the same way as physical books. Digital books, especially those for children, often offer extra features, such as music and read-alongs.
E-reading Apps
From Kindle to iBooks to Google Play Books, you can find many of your children’s favorite titles on e-reading apps that let them take a digital library wherever they go. Before road trips and vacations, stock up your kids’ devices with downloaded titles for an educational alternative to watching movie after mindless movie on the go.
Other Apps
» Bookster: This app includes pre-recorded narration by children and gives children the ability to record themselves reading.
» PlayTales: In this multilingual app, digital titles are accompanied by sounds, animation, a flip-book-like experience.
» MeeGenius: This app lets kids substitute their name for a character in the book. It also includes the ability to highlight words to review them later and a read-aloud feature.
» Bob Books Reading Magic 1 & 2 and Sight Words apps: Engage with classic Bob Books in color with the Reading Magic apps. The Sight Words app lets kids practice 30 sight words and includes four games.