Bamboozled by PHONICS? Read with Phonics App - Review

Until Mini Reviewer, Izzie, started school in September, I am a little embarrassed to admit that I was bamboozled by these "PHONICS" everyone was talking about. When I learned to read we used sight words - basically repeating the same word over and over again until we could remember it! Of course, I knew what the letter sounds were and had taught these to Izzie but that was pretty much the extent of my phonics knowledge! I now know that learning to read using phonics (sounds) is a much simpler method than using sight words as there are only 44 sounds to learn. Once these sounds are understood then most of the English language can be decoded so it gets children reading more quickly. Sounds easy, doesn't it?

Well fortunately for the most part it has been (phew!) but I am always looking for new ideas to keep learning fun and so when we were asked to review a new phonics app, I jumped at the chance!

Designed by teacher, Sophie Cooper, Read with Phonics is a fun new app to help children learn to read. It is aimed at primary school children aged 4-7 years old (Reception - Year 2). The app consists of a series of games for the different letter sounds that when completed unlock further sounds. There are four stages or worlds to complete: 1. Water World; 2. Forest World; 3. Lava Land; and finally, 4. Jelly City. The sounds in the stages get progressively harder.

Albee!

Over the past few weeks Izzie has enjoyed working her way through the different stages of the app with Albee the Alien. Initially I was concerned that the games were a little repetitive as it is the same format for each sound. However, this has not bothered Izzie in the slightest, in fact, I think it has enabled her to get to grips with the app quicker and allowed her to work through the later stages independently. The games help to improve recognition, comprehension, segmenting and blending. They consist of finding the correct sound; completing words; matching words to the correct pictures; and, in the later stages, identifying nonsense (pseudo) words from real words. The app keeps track of progress and so it has been easy to identify any areas that Izzie has found more difficult.

I have also had a little play with the app and I found it to be extremely user friendly and the games easy to follow. I particularly like that the font is very clear and the voice used has good pronunciation in UK English. My three year old has also been able to complete some of the easier games and there is a fantastic phonics song available online, which is also great for younger children.

Overall we have been incredibly impressed with the app and, as we approach the end of Izzie's first school year, I am pleased to say we are all getting to grips with our phonics!

Sophie wanted to create "the ultimate learn to read resource for the classroom", however she has created an app that is perfect for home use too. So if you have a child starting school this year or are a bit bamboozled by phonics, I really recommend that you take a look at the  Read with Phonics website. As well as the great song, there is also a free phonics guide and resources for parents and you can of course purchase the brilliant app for £7.99. 

*Disclaimer: We received free access to the Read With Phonics App for the purpose of this review. All opinions are as always our own.