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Best Reading Apps for Kids

16 Jul 2024 | By Emily Parker | 4 min read

As someone who works with young learners, I’m thrilled to share the top 5 best free reading apps for kids, whether neurodivergent or neurotypical, engage with reading. These apps act like magical keys, opening up a world filled with interactive stories, exciting games, and endless learning opportunities. They’re designed to develop essential reading skills in the most engaging way possible. Let’s dive into these incredible resources!

1. Starfall

Starfall is an educational app that offers a variety of engaging activities for kids in pre-K through 3rd grade. The app focuses on:

  1. Phonics: Through interactive games and activities, Starfall teaches letter sounds, blending, and word recognition, making it an excellent tool for early readers.
  2. Reading comprehension: With a wide range of stories and reading exercises, Starfall helps children develop their comprehension skills by answering questions and sequencing events.
  3. Vocabulary development: Starfall introduces new words in a fun and interactive way, expanding children’s vocabulary and improving their language skills.
  4. Spelling and grammar: From practicing spelling words to learning about sentence structure and punctuation, Starfall provides a solid foundation for writing skills.

Goally’s tablet comes pre-loaded with Starfall, giving your child access to this fantastic educational app right at their fingertips. With Starfall, your child can embark on a journey of learning and discovery, all while having fun. Whether they are practicing phonics, improving reading comprehension, expanding their vocabulary, or honing their spelling and grammar skills, Starfall provides a well-rounded learning experience. It’s a winning combination that will set your child on the path to academic success.

best reading apps for kids. a dad and daughter read while sitting in a camping tent.
Read more: 3 Apps to Help With Reading

2. Epic!

Next up is Epic!, a digital library app that offers unlimited access to over 40,000 high-quality books, audiobooks, and educational videos for kids aged 12 and under.

The app includes:

  • Popular titles and series
  • Non-fiction books
  • Read-to-me books
  • Learning videos

Most importantly, Epic! Encourages a love for reading by allowing kids to explore a vast collection of age-appropriate content, making it one of the best reading apps for 1st graders. The app offers personalized recommendations based on your child’s interests and reading level, ensuring they always have something new and exciting to read.

3. Reading Eggs

Reading Eggs is an award-winning app designed to help kids aged 2-13 learn to read through a series of interactive games, activities, and e-books. For 1st graders, the app focuses on:

With over 2,500 e-books and a structured learning program, Reading Eggs is an excellent choice for parents seeking the best reading apps for 1st graders. Furthermore, the app’s progress tracking feature allows you to monitor your child’s improvement and celebrate their achievements.

4. Homer

Homer is a personalized learning app that offers a step-by-step program for kids aged 2-8. The app focuses on building essential reading skills through:

  • Phonics
  • Sight words
  • Reading comprehension
  • Vocabulary development
best reading apps for kids. a girl is reading while in school sitting on the floor.
Read More: Best Kids Apps

Similarly, Homer’s engaging content and interactive features make it one of the best reading apps for 1st graders. The app adapts to your child’s learning level and interests, ensuring a tailored and enjoyable learning experience.

5. ABCmouse

Last but not least is ABCmouse, a comprehensive early learning app that offers a wide range of activities for kids aged 2-8. With over 10,000 learning activities, including reading, math, science, and art, it’s no wonder this app is a favorite among parents and educators.

For 1st graders, the app focuses on:

  • Phonics and word recognition
  • Reading comprehension
  • Vocabulary development
  • Spelling and grammar

Moreover, ABCmouse’s engaging content and interactive features make it one of the best reading apps for 1st graders, keeping them motivated and excited to learn. The app also offers progress tracking, so you can monitor your child’s improvement and celebrate their achievements.

Goally | Apps To Support Child Development

Looking for fun ways to help your child learn life skills? Try Goally! The Goally tablet comes with award-winning learning apps and video classes to help kids develop the skills they need to become independent with FUN & evidence-based practices.

An assortment of interactive video class thumbnails, including dental care and cooking, on the best tablet for kids by Goally.

Our apps teach executive function, language, emotional regulation, finger dexterity skills, and more.

As your child develops new skills, you can increase the difficulty level of the tasks in the app to challenge and motivate them even further. This helps your child grow and progress at their own pace, while also keeping them engaged and excited about their development.

Goally kids tablet makes bedtime easy with bedtime routines completely controlled by the parent.
An assortment of interactive video class thumbnails, including dental care and cooking, on the best tablet for kids by Goally.

Goally | Best Videos to Teach Life Skills

Give your kid an independent future. Goally has 100+ video classes teaching life skills like “How to Choose a Restaurant,” “How to Interrupt Politely,” and “How to Get Ready for School.”

Goally takes kids on an adventure that includes interactive practice and checkpoints along the way! No web browsers, YouTube, or social media.

These top 5 best reading apps for 1st graders offer a variety of engaging and educational content to help your child develop reading skills. Whether your child is neurodivergent or neurotypical, these apps cater to a wide range of learning styles and abilities. So, why not give one (or all) of these apps a try and watch your child’s reading skills flourish? And remember, many of these apps can be used on devices like Goally. This makes learning even more accessible and enjoyable for your child.


FAQ’s About Free Reading Apps for Kids

What are the benefits of using free reading apps for kids?
Free reading apps can help kids build literacy skills and develop a love for reading in an engaging and interactive way.

Are free reading apps suitable for beginner readers?
Yes, many free reading apps offer content and activities tailored for early readers and those just starting to learn.

Do free reading apps include read-aloud features?
Most quality free reading apps provide read-aloud options to support kids' reading comprehension and pronunciation.

Can free reading apps replace physical books?
While apps are a great supplement, experts recommend balancing digital reading with physical books for a well-rounded literacy experience.

How can parents find high-quality free reading apps?
Look for apps from reputable sources like educational publishers or non-profits, and check user reviews for age-appropriateness and quality.

This post was originally published on 06/05/2023. It was updated on 07/16/2024.

Article by

Emily is a seasoned blog writer for Goally, leveraging her extensive background in child psychology and special education to provide valuable insights and resources for parents. Her commitment to understanding and addressing the unique needs of these children, combined with her expertise in educational strategies, makes her a credible and empathetic voice for families.

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