Grass Valley, California – Independent development team, Preschool University LLC today is proud to announce the release and immediate availability of Letter Free Phonics 1.0, their educational app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices. The app helps children build their phonemic awareness of words by helping them focus on the individual sound of the first letter at the beginning of a word.

Letter Free Phonics helps a child develop an ability to listen for and discern sounds at the beginning of a word. Examples of this would include the /b/ sound at the beginning of the word “ball,” or the /z/ sound at the start of the word “zebra.” By playing the games included in the app, a child can develop neural pathways in their brain related to sound recognition.

“By helping a child develop an ability to listen for and discern words, Letter Free Phonics helps the child build foundational reading skills,” says Preschool University President Richard Colombini. “The four games included in the app help a child recognize the primary sound each letter makes, allowing them to have an easier time mapping that sound onto that letter when learning to read.”

The first two games included in the app introduce the letter sounds as the child solves two different types of puzzles. In the puzzles, each time the child moves a puzzle piece correctly, they’ll hear the sound at the beginning of the word representing the featured image. For example, a puzzle with a photo of a cat would sound the /c/ sound the word “cat” begins with.

The third game challenges the player to detect which of the displayed images begin with the featured sound. For example, if the sound is /d/ a child will need to decide which three of the seven images displayed begin with the /d/ sound. (“Doll,” “dish,” and “dog” would be correct, while “car,” “fish,” “hat,” and “vest” would be incorrect.)

In game four, a child will be presented with a sound and images in a random sequence. The player will then drag an indicator token to the proper image/sound pairing. For instance, when presented with a pairing of /h/ and “hand,” and /h/ and “peach,” the child would solve the puzzle correctly by dragging the token to the /h/ hand pairing.

When developing Letter Free Phonics, the image/word pairings used to represent each letter were carefully chosen. For example, to represent the letter “i,” the words “igloo” and “instruments” are used, as this is the most common sound for the letter “i.” This makes it easier for the child to map the skills they learn onto future phonics lessons.

The app’s options allow for the voice used in the app to be a female voice, male voice, or children’s voices. The beginning sound of the words can be set to repeat, or not to repeat. Puzzles options allow for partial solution previews, full solution previews, or no preview at all. Rotating puzzle pieces can be free spinning or set to lock in place. The various options help adjust the games to the skill level of the child, keeping their interest.

“We designed the games so children could play them independently after being shown how to play. The app’s built-in feedback mechanisms allow the child to work at their own pace with no pressure,” continues Colombini. “However, parents can also spend time playing the games with their offspring, making learning a family activity.”

Device Requirements:
* iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
* Requires iOS 10.0 or higher
* Universal Application
* 206 MB

Pricing and Availability:
Letter Free Phonics 1.0 is free and is available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Education category. A convenient in-app purchase of $0.99 USD (or an equivalent amount in other currencies) is available as an upgrade, allowing 6 more words per letter. The in-app purchase is free until September 30th.

Preschool University
Letter Free Phonics 1.0
Download from iTunes
Screenshot
App Icon

Preschool University LLC is a learning resource for those seeking the best methods to help their child learn to read at an early age. The company help young learners become excellent readers. All Material and Software (C) Copyright 2017 Preschool University. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other trademarks and registered trademarks may be the property of their respective owners.