During this time of Covid-19 with children currently locked inside the home, parents are searching for ways to help kids learn and keep them entertained. For supporting the parents, Google has shared early access to Google’s Read Along Android app, which helps teach reading skills to elementary school students 5+ years old and it helps kids learn to read by giving verbal and visual feedback as they read stories out loud. The Read Along App is now available in 180 countries, the company announced yesterday.
‘Bolo’ to ‘Read Along’ App
In 2019, Google had launched an Android app called Bolo in India to help elementary school-age children learn how to read. Using Google’s text-to-speech and speech recognition technology, Read Along provides feedback as kids work through the app’s reading prompts and games. The app currently supports nine languages, including English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Hindi.
Interactive and helpful apps like Read Along are very much helpful for parents who may be struggling to balance work and teaching their kids to read at home.
Here’s how Google describes ‘Read Along’:
Read Along is a free reading app for Android that helps children have fun while they learn to read. Read Along has an in-app reading buddy that listens to your young learner read aloud, offers assistance when they struggle and rewards them with stars when they do well – guiding them along as they progress. It works best for children who already have some basic knowledge of the alphabet. After the initial download, the app works securely offline.
