PocketPhonics Stories

Upon opening the application, the user is greeted with a fun splash screen and a chance to set up a user profile. It is good to see that the profile set up is protected by a multiplication secure question. There is also a secure set up for the parent’s zone where you can find help and support, your account and links to other apps from the developer. The app can also be used to set up individual users, small or large groups and organisations such as a school. This option can be managed within the on-line platform for the app. We love the fact that each user can add their name, date of birth and photo, this would be ideal for use in a classroom situation. Once a profile has been set up the teacher or parent can set letters to uppercase, lowercase or cursive and also an American or British style of hand writing. This is a great feature as many phonics apps miss the option of lowercase and capitals or they are purely designed for an American audience.

Once the user has entered their profile they are asked to master 1 of 24 levels. Each level has a mixture of games focusing on a series of letters in turn. The first section focuses on letters S,A,T,P,I and N. Once a letter is chosen the user needs to trace the letter correctly, this then moves onto matching letters into simple words. We love the letter tracing and this really helps with fine motor skills and letter construction. We also love the animations that accompany the words. Once the user has completed the set of letters and words they can move onto the next level. Once again there is a parental or teacher lock for these levels to see if the child is ready.

Level 2 looks at a set of 6 books which include words and letters that have been previously learnt. Two of these books are unlocked where the other books require a subscription. Reading a story introduces words and pictures. Tapping on the word helps the child to further their knowledge. There is also a series of picture games and card games to test their knowledge. We really like the fact that the audio recalls the child’s name making it very personalised and if a child gets an answer wrong choices are eliminated so they can try again. Our only concern was with the character “It”, some children found this difficult to read as a capital “I” appeared mid sentence. Once the book has been mastered the child is rewarded with 3 stars. All these levels are linked to some fantastic personalised on-line platform certificates where the teacher or the parent can monitor the progress of the child and print then off accordingly. These reports can be handy for parents and the certificates are great for motivation. We found at times the app was a little slow for some of our users and books were a little dull. Although as an initial app for young readers it is highly effective. It is clear that the app is more instructional rather than fun but the increasing levels should keep the users engaged. We did notice that levels can be skipped and unlocked by parents or teachers if previous levels seem a little slow.

The in-app purchases offer a lot of material, customisation and reporting. Access to the on-line platform is really where this app comes into its own and the developers can be congratulated for the way it which this works. Being able to see the progression of each child in several formats such as letter sounds, books, numbers and the alphabet that has been covered. The ability to send tracker invitations and a weekly report for progress is excellent. Our students really enjoyed the certificates which helped to create competition and motivation within the classroom. Parents also receive emailed progress notifications and they can also can get a free ebook on teaching kids to read via the settings.

It is noted that parents and teachers can try the app for free and there is availability of low-cost subscriptions for both parents and schools.

There are a number of phonic apps available in the App Store and the Pocket Phonics Stories application in by far one of the best. Not only does the app contain a vast amount of content but along with the support of the on-line platform it is a great way for children to engage in an educational, instructional and fun way.

Further Reading:

Reading Apps for Kids

Letter Tracing Apps