Learn First Words: Free Reading Game for Kids

Learn First Words is a free game to help children learn to read.

The child is shown a picture and multiple choice answers.

The child progresses through the round by selecting answers and can practice mistakes.

The game uses spaced repetition learning (SPL) techniques. The same words are shown multiple times in a round, and with increased frequency if incorrect.

You can play Learn First Words here

How to play

The child can learn the words via word-visual recognition (also called the Look and Say or Whole Word method) as per the Ladybird ‘Learn to Read’ books published in the 1960s and 1970s. Or, via phonetics if they know the phonetic alphabet already.

I found my son was able to guess the correct word often by saying the word out loud and slow, “Veh-ol-cane-o”, recognising the first sound, Veh, and choosing the option beginning with a ‘V’.

You may be surprised how fast they learn which words are correct simply by repetition and the flashing green and red colours.

Why did I make Learn First Words?

When I learned Brazilian Portuguese I studied a high-frequency word list using Quizlet, an SPL learning platform. I found it a helpful technique. I thought a game like this may be good as I teach my son to read. I enjoy making simple games that combine basic computer skills such as moving the mouse with another skill such as reading.