Reading Raven

Reading Raven is a self-paced, phonics-based reading app for emergent readers. Young children need to spend time in front of letters and words. Noticing the letters and words around their world and most importantly, in books (both paper and eBooks). All this exposure to letters and words will help children when they start to blend the sounds together to read on their own.

Reading Raven has one of the strongest educational and design foundations we have seen. Reading Raven has done a wonderful job of creating a variety of phonics activities that support and motivate children in practicing skills that will help them be strong readers. The app will take your child from when they are just discovering what a letter is through when they are blending letters together to make words. The app also seamlessly connects writing each letter to the phonics activities which helps reinforces letter identification and formation in context.

Parents and teachers are given in-app tools for customizing their children’s learning experience. Make sure to read the parent and teacher guide in the app and visit the Reading Raven website for videos and more information.

Activity 1: Read – Read – Read

We can not encourage parents often enough to spend time reading to and with your child everyday. It does not have to be in a formal setting. Just grab a book and plop down somewhere and read.

Spend a lot of time in the car? Download eBooks and share your device with your child or just keep a backpack with books in the backseat. See activity #2 for more ways to use books on the road.

Don’t have a set routine? Set up a chart with your child to read one book a day together before bed. Set a goal that is good for the whole family. There is nothing wrong with showing your child how adults need to be held accountable too.

Your child is already a reader? Here are some ideas to keep reading fun:

• Read to the family pet.
• Set up an author chair and stuffed animal audience.
• Include Grandma and Grandpa.
• Visit the local library.
• Read on a Saturday morning with a mug of hot cocoa.

Activity 2: Favorite Stories Read by You<

What You’ll Need:

• Your child’s favorite books.
• Read to Kids app (or any other recording app/device)
• Some quiet time.

Children love hearing repeated stories. Often there is just not enough time in the day to read stories as many times as our little ones would like. If you can get some quiet space, take the time to record yourself reading your children’s favorite stories.

We like the Read to Kids app because it allows you to create the page turn sounds. The app also has a built in timer that shows how long to wait for the page turn. Let your children use the app to record themselves reading a favorite book or just telling their own stories.

Happy Reading!