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Top early literacy apps 2020

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Most young children are already using apps on phones or tablets, at least occasionally. Whatever you think of kids’ screen time, we want it to be quality time. There’s some evidence that interactive apps support early academic development, but finding quality early literacy apps can be difficult and time-consuming. Lots of early literacy apps are (IMHO) simply rubbish.

It’s helpful to read adult reviews of apps for children, but to really road-test an app, I like to watch a young child using it. My colleague Caitlin Stephenson and I have thus filmed Harrison (aged 4, nearly 5) trying out some of my favourite early phonemic awareness and phonics iPad apps for young children.

The resulting video is below. We hope it gives you a taste of how each app works, to help you decide whether it would suit the small person/people in your life. The video is 16 minutes long, and the apps tried are listed below (numbers in brackets are start times on the video clock):

• Graphogame (0:06)
• Phonics Hero (1:50)
• Hairy Letters from Nessy (3:26)
• Bob Books Reading Magic 1 (5:00)
• Reading Raven (6:25)
• Reading Doctor Letter Sounds 1 Pro (8:32)
• Cake Shop Letters (or if you prefer, Spooky Letters or Dinosaur Letters) (10:10)
• Initial Code from Sounds-Write (full version is here) (11:37)
• Wordchain 1 (13:04) which in 2024 is a web-based program not an iPad app.
• Phonics Read CVC 100 Words by Joe Scrivens (14:36) which in 2024 seems to be unavailable, but CVC Phonics Spelling Practice by the same person is good, and still available.

The only tablet I have is an iPad, but some of these apps are available for other platforms. Many also work on iPhones. Please note that my app store links are to the Australian store, so if you’re elsewhere, you’ll have to search your local apps store for these apps.

I’m not quoting prices here because they often change, plus some apps have hundreds of activities, while some have only one/a few, so it’s a bit like comparing apples and banquets. I’ll leave the value-for-money question up to you.

Other early literacy iPad apps IMHO worth considering for young children include:

• Alphablocks Letter Fun and Meet the Alphablocks
• Atlas Mission
• Blobble Write, also available for Android
• CVC Words Short Vowel Phonics
• EBLI Reading Adventures, or see the EBLI website (US).
• Jolly Phonics Sounds Adventure, or Jolly Phonics Lessons, or for Android here.
• Let’s Read 1: Sounds, Let’s Read 1: Spelling and Let’s Read 1: Words.
• Making Words Kindergarten and First Grade
• Maria – Learn To Read
• Oz Phonics Reading Intro, Oz Phonics 1 & Oz Phonics 2.
• Phonics Bingo, Magnetic Letters & Train Phonics by Joe Scrivens.
• Phonics Flashcards & I Can Spell With Phonics
• PLD Reading Race 1a & Spellstar 1a for both Apple and Android.
• Pocket Phonics
• Reading Magic 1 & Spelling Magic 1 (and other Preschool University apps)
• Ready, Set, Read
• Read With Phonics games, also for Android, or see their website.
• Starfall Learn To Read, also for Android
• Teach Your Monster To Read
• What’s Changed?
• Word Sounds/Phonemes
• Word Wizard for Kids, also for Android

Beginners’ decodable books allow children to practice phonics skills by reading stories  containing simplified spelling patterns, and some of these are also available as apps, often for both Apple & Android:

• Decodable Readers Australia
• In 2024 the Fitzroy readers are only available for Android
• Little Learners Love Literacy or for Android
• Pocket Phonics Stories
• Quackenworth Vowel Stories
• Twinkl Rhino Readers or for Android

Apologies to all the people who make good apps of which I’m not aware. I’d love to hear about them, and wish I had more time to search for and try them.

I hope this blog post helps you find apps that the small people in your life enjoy, and which help them develop great early literacy skills.

Last update: 18 June 2024