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Favorite Phonics Games, Apps, and Websites
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Free Phonics Games, Apps, and Websites
Starfall ABCs
ABCs and phonics integrate with fun images, animations, and activities
Bottom line: Great -- and free -- way to give kids clear, engaging examples of the ABCs in action.
Teach Your Monster to Read
Free phonics adventure oozes charm, has limited learning potential
Bottom line: Great style and character that'll get young children exploring letter sounds and sentences, but games could grow old quickly.
Phonics Tic-Tac-Toe Interactive Game
Twist on traditional game would get a boost from audio support
Bottom line: Kids can build their phonics knowledge -- if they can read the questions.
Grades: K–2
Price: Free
Phonics Genius
Quality flashcard-style phonics app missing some basics
Bottom line: Phonics Genius is a great resource for building phonemic awareness and a library of sight words.
Paid Phonics Games, Apps, and Websites
Kids ABC Phonics
Good intro for students new to phonics or apps -- or both
Bottom line: Colorful pictures, clear voices and easy interactivity build basic letter sound and recognition skills.
Endless Wordplay: School Edition
Rhymes, phonetic approach, silly animations help kids construct words
Bottom line: Good, holistic approach to the nitty gritty of constructing words.
Rosetta Stone Kids Lingo Word Builder - English Reading and Spanish Speaking Ages 3 - 6
Sweet early-literacy games introduce English phonics and Spanish vocab
Bottom line: Kids learn Spanish and practice phonics while having silly fun.
Wonster Words (Pro Edition) - spelling with ABC phonics by Puzzling
Word construction and silly animations stress phonics and vocab
Bottom line: Silly graphics and some odd defining sentences sometimes distract from a respectable teaching approach.
abc PocketPhonics: letter sounds & writing + first words
Strong phoneme development activities; good practice
Bottom line: An effective tool for phoneme-directed reading, although pictures of words often don't help kids understand word meanings.
Montessorium: Intro to Words
Well-crafted app lets emerging readers and writers develop reading skills through word building
Bottom line: Basic reading skills are developed through word building, word play, and letter-sound recognition.
Beginning Sounds Interactive Game
Cute sorting games help kids learn 18 initial sounds
Bottom line: Kids can build a good base of beginning letter sounds and related words but will need opportunities to expand their knowledge.
Grades: Pre-K–1
Price: $.99
Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read Classroom Edition
Research-based curriculum adapts beautifully to fun, easy-to-use app
Bottom line: Thorough, high-quality phonics program offers impressive benefits for emerging readers.
Montessori Early Reading - Phonics & Rhyme games
Fun with simple words, language sounds best for emerging readers
Bottom line: This app may be best for quick learners who need little help to push them over the reading horizon.
Montessori Letter Sounds - Phonics in English, Spanish, French & Italian
Thoughtfully designed, self-paced games bring letters, sounds to life
Bottom line: A warm, wonderful tool for teaching prereaders and young language learners solid literacy skills.
Touch and Write Phonics
Dig into unique writing textures for letter tracing and phonics fun
Bottom line: Provides a creative way to make phonics practice and letter tracing more fun.
Endless Alphabet
Adorable animated monsters teach sophisticated vocabulary
Bottom line: Animated words and definitions grab kids' attention and introduce challenging and unique vocabulary.
PocketPhonics Stories
Comprehensive, serious phonics program has great supports, some fun
Bottom line: Though it’s effective, this straightforward phonics review and practice tool could offer more fun.
Montessori Crosswords
Gently ease kids into phonics with superb Montessori-inspired puzzles
Bottom line: The surprisingly great combo of Montessori principles and technology helps kids learn phonics without overstimulation.
Starfall Learn to Read
Delight emergent readers with lively phonics lessons
Bottom line: Easy-to-use, plentiful phonics activities keep emergent readers engaged.