Last Updated on June 3, 2023 by Editorial Team
It is a thing of common liking among parents that they want their kids to be fluent readers. They accumulate a number of resources and look for schools that offer good support for building reading and oratory skills in their children. The good news is that a big resource is available right in your hands in the form of Android phones and iPhones where you can find amazing tools like reading apps for first graders.
There are different types of reading skills that must be acquired at specific ages. Reading is said to be skilled when the reader is able to recognize the look as well as the sound of the letters and weave them into meaningful words. The other parameter for calling reading perfect is prosody. Means, the reader should be able to capture the emotion behind any sentence and read it in pauses and stresses as required to bring out the context.
Such a level of perfection becomes possible to achieve when the kids devote their time regularly to the reading activities. The apps for reading out loud and other reading apps offer a wonderful resource that keeps the early learners like first graders glued to this activity. Further, they do not mind to practice again and again; such is the engagement quotient of these reading apps.
How reading apps help in building reading skills in first graders?
Reading apps for first graders have complete support to offer to the kids who need more practice than usual for building this skill. These apps help in multiple ways, such as:
- Give introductory knowledge of words, pronunciation, sentence formation
- Provide relatable situations where words and sentence are to be used for enabling better communication
- Act as a wholesome solution for providing practice leading to enhanced fluency while reading
- Some apps have an element of gamification to develop reading skills in first graders using play methods
- Android and iOS reading apps offer added ease of use that can allow kids to touch, try, repeat attempts, and score progress – all of these by themselves
We’ve curated here the list of best reading apps for first graders that can drive them to practice more and often to become reading fluent and develop their communication skills eventually.
7 Engaging reading apps for first graders
1. First Grade Learning Games
Haven’t we all yearned to see the little munchkins learning something from their mobile phone use? The idea looks fascinating as parents and teachers have always wanted the kids to utilize screen time in some constructive activity. This yearning can find the best solution in this learning and reading games app. It is designed to offer good support for not only reading but also for numbers, spellings, calculations, sentence-building, etc.
With the help of this reading app for first graders, you can divert the attention of the kids into acquiring and improving their early reading and number skills. There is an introduction to sight words, etc. also, which boosts the confidence of the learners trying to master linguistics skills.
App Link: App Store | Playstore
2. Kids Learn English Reading: Learn how to pronounce
Pronunciation is a very important thing to learn to master reading skills. It is the result of phonics or phonemic awareness coupled with knowledge of spellings. Moreover, the pronunciations of various words change according to the country. So, this reading app allows you to pick the accents you want to learn.
Other advantages you can find are – knowledge of sentence construction, spellings, word use in a sentence, etc. This reading app for first graders also have an option where you can record what you speak and assess the progress in terms of speed, accuracy and overall fluency.
App Link: Playstore
3. Homer – Learn-to-read reading program app
Homer is one of the most used and highly rated early learning apps designed to offer learn-to-read support for young readers. It gives you a thorough walk-through to the concepts of sight words, phonics, letter recognition, etc. The app is of great use in knowing the use or application of words in different situations.
The app also contains some stories to read which can allow you to test your reading skills learned through it. Several parents have used this app for their homeschooling endeavors and found it one of the best tools to inculcate reading and number skills in the kids belonging to 2-8 years of age group.
App Link: App Store | Playstore
4. Monkey Junior: learn to read
Want your kid to be a multi-lingual talent? Then, this learn-to-read program is designed just for you. It is one of the most loved apps that have combined discipline and fun in the learning process.
The introduction of reading lessons covering various aspects of reading streamlines the learning-to-read process and allows young readers to adopt a progressive learning path. Since all lessons are stored in one place, readers can go back to any lesson whenever needed. Not only English, but this app also offers reading programs in Spanish, Chinese, and a few other popular languages as well.
App Link: App Store | Playstore
5. Reading Eggs
Reading Eggs is a self-paced learning program app that allows the kids to acquire reading talent the way which is most suitable to them. This app gives a complete overview of sight words, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension – all of which together offer an invaluable support for mastering the learning skills.
This reading app for first graders is a research-based app; that is why; it caters to the learning needs of growing readers in quite a systematic manner. The app is designed to motivate readers in multiple rewarding ways; plus, you can check your progress in reading, as well, through various assessment methods provided in this app.
App Link: Playstore
6. Learn to Read – Duolingo ABC
With over a million downloads, Learn to Read by Duolingo is one of the best apps in this genre. The app offers reading lessons for kids aged 3 – 8. Your kids will surely never get bored, as it has a vast collection of over 700 delightful stories to engage young readers. What makes this resource interesting for kids is that it combines learning with fun activities, keeping them glued to it for a long time.
As this app is designed by experts in the field of literacy and early education, special care has been taken to make learning to read a fun experience. The bite-sized lessons help kids progress slowly toward their reading goals. What’s even better? The app allows for an ad-free experience, and kids can use it offline as well, so there is no limit to learning.
App Link: App Store | Playstore
7. ReadingIQ
ReadingIQ is a complete online learning library app that comes to you right at your favorite gadget. This reading app for first graders and other levels has a vast collection of age-appropriate books.
Users get ample reading practice by reading the books that come with meaningful yet engaging illustrations. The experts reveal that reading 10 pages daily increases reading fluency by 10% at the end of an assessment period of a week or so. Access to books of all types comes as an icing on the cake.
App Link: Playstore
To conclude,
Reading apps for first graders is the best technology in education initiative that offers an easy way of having ample styles of practice resources in hand. These apps can work in all environments and can be used to improve reading fluency at home or as a pastime for kids even when you are traveling. So, download these apps and give a positive reinforcement tool to your child to master the art of reading.
An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’,