Please recommend apps/games to improve reading skills

December 19, 2011 10:53 AM

Are there any iPhone/iPad apps or games that would help a 10-year old with her reading? When she reads out loud she does really well for a few minutes but quickly starts to skip words or guess them rather than trying to read what's on the page. She loves computer games so I was wondering if a reading game might motivate her.
posted by Dragonness to Education (10 answers total)

My local library has a free database of online books. Yours may too.

Cool Mom Tech has a lot of reviews of reading-related (and other kid-friendly) apps and games. Here's one they featured recently.

But it sounds to me like she knows how to read, she's just not reading something that interests her. Is there anything her friends are reading that she might be into? A parent-child book club? A book about some topic she's passionate about?
posted by chickenmagazine at 11:37 AM on December 19, 2011

My eight year old boy barely read a year ago. What made the difference was multiplayer Minecraft. He was very interested in reading the chat and wanted to respond when people wrote to him (he was player with the adults on MeFightClub, so it was a controlled environment of adults knowing he was a kid). His reading is phenomenal now. He was also tested and given an IEP at school. But I credit playing Minecraft over the summer for the biggest jump in his motivation and ability to read.
posted by saucysault at 1:28 PM on December 19, 2011

Minecraft does have a multiplayer app on the iPad but I haven't tried to get it to work so I am not sure if it includes chat. I have tonnes of reading apps on the iPhone and iPad but none have really "stuck" with my kids, sorry.
posted by saucysault at 1:32 PM on December 19, 2011

My kids are younger, so I haven't looked at the older kid books here, but check out Tumblebooks.
posted by instamatic at 2:10 PM on December 19, 2011

It's not clear from your question if non-app/game ideas are welcome, so I apologise if this isn't helpful. I've found taking it in turns to read e.g. alternating pages can work really well. It sounds as though her attention span is waning - reading a really good book with someone else taking turns helps it feel like less of a chore and maintains the interest in the plot, which will make her want to read more/longer, thus improving her skills to the point where she can go it alone. I got a very reluctant 13 year old reading voluntarily by herself with this method and the Harry Potter books.
posted by *becca* at 2:48 PM on December 19, 2011

Is there a reason she needs to read out loud for longer than is comfortable/interesting for her? My ten year-old does not really like to read aloud, but she can read just fine. She was a "late" reader, but once she found books she wanted to read, it really took off and now she's a self-proclaimed bookworm. Still, reading aloud is not her thing at all.

And I agree with others who mention Minecraft. My daughter's reading, writing, spelling skills have improved a lot since she started playing Minecraft.
posted by upatree at 5:48 PM on December 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

I'd get her vision checked - it could be eye fatigue that causes her to slack off after a few minutes of doing just fine. I'm a voracious reader, but I've noticed over the past year or so that I get very tired/sleepy after only a short time reading even an exciting book. Getting my glasses upgraded made a world of difference - now I'm reading late into the night again and enjoying it immensely.
posted by aryma at 7:10 PM on December 19, 2011

One more thing to consider: when I have been spending a lot of time on the computer or playing games, it can get hard for me to read for very long before my brain starts skipping over stuff; my brain is still primed for short-term stuff and I have trouble keeping my attention on something longer. So if it's an attention issue, a reading game may be detrimental to this particular issue. It sounds like she can read perfectly well, plus most games by their very nature are going to be centered around short tests.

I also agree that reading out loud for more than a minute or two is tiring. I can read for hours at a time perfectly well with no distractions, but it's surprisingly taxing to read for more than a few minutes aloud. And I say this as someone who would routinely read evidence aloud in eight minute chunks in high school debate; your mouth skips words your brain doesn't because your brain has fewer physical limitations on speed.

I could be off-base, but it's something to consider. I'm generally pro-game in most situations, fwiw.
posted by Nattie at 7:32 PM on December 19, 2011

Response by poster: Really helpful answers, thanks so much! Suggestions that fall outside of the domain of games are also very welcome.
posted by Dragonness at 10:56 AM on December 20, 2011

Response by poster: Wanted to follow up for anyone reading this: we got her a Kindle and she's been reading avidly ever since. Instead of asking for Daddy's iPhone during car rides or at a restaurant, she has her Kindle now.
posted by Dragonness at 10:15 AM on December 27, 2011