Reading is one of the most important and most challenging skills a child needs to master. Without the ability to read, they will fall behind with studies, lose confidence, and struggle in this world of constant data streams.

With a good reading ability, the possibilities are endless, and this is why it’s a good idea to start reading and language activities as early as possible. Fortunately, technology is able to make this highly time-consuming task a little easier on parents with various apps to help with reading.

Technology has been used for reading for a long time, with ebooks and audiobooks making up a large percentage of the incomes of authors nowadays. However, since rule-based software and artificial intelligence have progressed, now there is a whole new level of support on the market.

Can Reading Apps Replace Human Tutors?

Audiobooks and reading games have improved a lot. However, there is normally a need for at least some human element in the teaching process. Parents also strongly influence a child’s ability to read from a young age.

Apps and AI certainly aren’t going to completely replace people for education in the near future, but they are starting to replace the need for people to teach certain elements. In the case of apps like  Readability, the aim is not to replace people, but instead, offer parents a more affordable alternative to many hours of traditional tutoring.

A tutor can still be used in combination with apps. Apps to help with reading can assist with repetitive tasks and highly time-consuming tasks. This means that your child can practice for hours, without it costing you hours of tutor fees. They can also practice reading when they want to or when you agree, rather than only when the tutor is available.

With AI development, it is now possible for the app to not only assist by providing interactive reading, but also with real feedback and reports. In the case of Readability, through AI technology, the app actually listens to your child reading, and then helps to correct them on any words that they mispronounce.

Children love that it’s an app and that no one is judging them. They can make mistakes in private with no need for embarrassment.

Parents benefit from scheduled reports, showing how things are progressing and any areas of weakness. They can also see how much time has been spent reading. This can be turned into a rewards-based system for motivation, but never punished if they struggle or don’t improve much.

Here are some of the advantages of using apps to help with reading:

• Available anytime
• Available anywhere on mobile devices
• Large library of appropriate and fun stories
• Colorful illustrations
• Private
• Pressure-free practice
• Constructive feedback
• Option to listen and follow the words
• Supports numerous learners under one app and dashboard
• Full reports for parents
• Set reading goals for added inspiration

There are numerous other benefits and uses, but hopefully, the above list gives you an idea of how comprehensive reading apps have become. They are starting to merge new and emerging technologies in ways never seen before.

This is creating some quite exciting results, not only from a technological standpoint but also for the ‘fun factor’ level that is now possible to create for kids. It is no longer about reading boring pages of texts that are of little or no interest, but instead, entire vibrant libraries of interactive adventures can be available at their fingertips.

What is the best app for learning to read?

Readability of course. But, although we are biased, we seriously do strongly believe in our app and its benefits. It is flexible and proven to help children learn to read. We literally created it with “the goal of making a positive difference within children’s literacy”.

Our tech experts have truly created something revolutionary, providing real-time feedback (using AI technology) to children who are trying to work out how to read. Unlike other simple reading apps, Readability blends artificial intelligence, with advanced speech recognition and natural language processing. Parents love the real-time reporting features, while their children get lost in a land of fun content and gamification.

Why not try our app out with our 7-day free trial to see how it works and the benefits it brings to the table. What have you got to lose?