One of the things I did right by my children, was taking the time to sit and read to them. This usually occurred at bedtime and was a great way to help them wind down, as well as giving us some very special one-on-one time.
We especially liked rhyming books where I would leave out the last word, allowing my child to chime in and fill in the blank. This was usually accompanied by giggles of delight, as they were allowed to take part in the reading experience.
I like to think that this book time had a hand in the fact that all my children are avid readers, with strong writing skills.
As I would read to them, I would underline the words in the book with my finger, emphasizing the words being read. This in turn gave them the association of the spoken and written word. It was not unusual to find my toddler doing just this, as he or she babbled out their own story, of which they could only understand.
Let’s face it, in today’s society it is very common that both parents work. Due to this, that so cherished one-on-one time is not always as easy to come by. This is where book apps can be of benefit to both the child and parent. We have found many of the new educational book apps have many features that help the child so much. Here are some key ones:
- Promotes reading skills
- Fun and educational
- Adds animation as well as interaction
- Has the feature of underlining or highlighted words as they are narrated
- Allows the reader to read themselves, have it narrated to them or in many cases gives the option of being able to narrate the story yourself. This is a very nice feature for parents that have to travel for work.
- Many of these apps have a built in glossary. Tap on a word and get the definition!
These are just some of the features available in the world of book apps.
It goes without saying that the technology of apps has had a huge impact on the early reader. Having the combination of the written word with the narration feature, goes a long way in honing in on the skills of the early reader. Add to this the engaging activities and fun that are part of many of these app books and you have a powerful learning tool.
We hope you enjoy the review of one of these such apps from our website!