Hi Everyone,
We wanted to drop by and introduce our new completely free (and will always be free) litracy app, Readingmate.
Readingmate are on a mission to get children to fall in love with reading. The enjoyment of reading has been reported as more important for children’s educational success than their family’s socio-economic status (OECD, 2002).
But finding the time to promote a love of reading can, at times, be an arduous task for parents and children. Readingmate aims to take away this hassle and stress and shift children’s perceptions of reading from something they must do to something they want to do.
We understand that, for parents, the volume of choice for children’s books is staggering. The Readingmate library itself contains over 130,000 books. And there’s more than barrier of wondering what the next book is, to support in getting your child settled down with a good book - finding which book will inspire and challenge your child in equal measures. A review of the top 100 selling children’s books on Amazon today will give a recommended age range which spans 3.3 years. This is of course a recommended guide, and all children develop their literacy skills at different ages.
How are parents supposed to know what to choose and when to introduce it?
The Readingmate App is an always free tool for parents to use to track and encourage their child’s unique reading journey. Readingmate have teamed up with literacy experts, charities and teachers to calculate reading ages for 1,000’s of books. This hard work was used to create a unique algorithm which will give parents individual recommendations based on where they are today, the books that they like, and developing a list of suggested reads to move onto next. Creating a unique reading journey just for them.
Finishing a book and finding the next recommended read is a simple task with the Readingmate App. After completing a book, the user will be asked how easy the child found it, and how much they enjoyed it, both measured on a simple 1-5 scale.
The app will offer a range of suggestions for their child to read next. No need to scour the internet or chase teachers for recommendations. All the information is ready, waiting and always free within in the app.
Parents are also supported with a host of information, available in app, on how to further promote the love of reading. Recent articles include the impact of using phonics to develop a child’s speech and 10 easy ways to improve your child’s language skills.
Whilst the algorithm of course has a set number in its system, children are not tied to it based on their age, or (more importantly) their ability. Something Co-Founder Hannah Rix has seen worry both parents and children in her time working as a teacher.
“We want to put the love, enthusiasm and excitement back into reading. A genuine passion for reading opens doors for our children. But without it, life can throw many hurdles their way. It’s not enough to teach our children to read, we need to inspire a love of reading. Of course, what we’ve developed uses a numbering convention to progress a child through their journey, but the journey is as unique as each child that uses it. Our aim is to develop a love of reading that will cultivate thinkers, listeners, and learners. Not tie them to an attainment level or a number.”
Whilst the technology and the app are core to Readingmate and their goal of supporting parents and children with their love of reading. The approach has a much wider scope. Co-founders, Hannah and James, believe that every child should have access and opportunity to read, every single day. That’s why they have teamed up with the nation’s schools and literacy charities to donate 20p from each sale within the app. This money goes towards funding valuable reading programs, literacy trips and supporting the most vulnerable families in society.
We really hope you love using our App, and we really welcome any feedback you may have on it also. You can download the app, or access our free learning resources right here - readingmate.co.uk/app/
Thanks - James A