When children have begun to develop as readers, it’s important that they understand that most pieces of writing offer much more than what appears at face value, and finding the deeper meaning from a text takes practice. Learning to not only decode words, but understand their meaning as a whole takes practice, too. Thankfully, there are some great apps available for boosting such analytical reading skills. Learning doesn’t stop when kids get home from school, so its important to provide your kids with ways to encourage further studies, and apps make a great option. With these apps for reading comprehension children will learn to be more independent and critical thinkers when it comes to active reading.
Our Top Picks for the Best Apps for Reading Comprehension:
Alice For The iPad:
This app translates the classic Lewis Carrol story into an interactive digital pop-up book, making it easier for children to follow the plot, understand the setting, recognize conversational dynamics, and draw conclusions from the story. Because Alice For The iPad stimulates both the cognitive and tactile senses, it stands as one of the best apps for reading comprehension. While it’s just a single story, children can choose from the abridged and complete version of the narrative, depending on their reading ability. It is a paid app; however, a lite version allows children to experience the first few chapters of the digital novel.
Endless Alphabet:
Children who lack a strong vocabulary are more likely to develop an aversion to reading. Apps like Endless Alphabet are specifically designed for younger children to learn words that are not part of their daily conversational language. Friendly animated characters act out the words — much like charades — and children must insert letters from a “bank” to spell the word. Learning words by sight recognition is important, but Endless Alphabet forces children to think about what each vocabulary term represents. They are engaging in higher level thinking, as they must make connections between the animation and the corresponding term.
Timed Reading:
A reading pace is something specific to each individual reader. Some children read more quickly than others. Reading quickly is important — but only if children are able to internalize the more important themes, facts, and overarching ideas from a text. Timed Reading presents material up to a fourth grade reading level, as children are timed by how long they spend on each page. From this, the app is able to determine an approximate words per minute, and will rate childrens’ overall speed. We recommend using the app with parental involvement, making sure to discuss the material covered and ensure kids aren’t only reading fast, but understanding the material as well.
Blio
Sometimes, simply hearing a good reader can help kids who struggle with reading. Furthermore, reluctant readers will be much more inclined to jump into text if listening to a passage is an option. Blio serves as a great tool for boosting reading comprehension because it offers the best of both worlds. Kids can listen to audio versions of text, read along as words are highlighted, and opt to read the ebook version of the text. This makes the app a great transitional tool for readers who are not yet ready to tackle texts on their own, offering various levels of guided help.
Versu:
Versu is one of apps for reading comprehension where children must think critically, logically, conceptually, and analytically. Children are in charge of completing a series of objectives regarding each story arc. Objectives can be a simple a recalling a portion of dialogue, or drawing a conclusion. Children must learn to be detail oriented readers, scouring the text for hints and clues to meet their objectives. Often they will have to decide what the characters will likely do next to force the story to a logical conclusion. This type of active participation, makes for an engaging and meaningful understanding of a variety of literary processes.
