Learning to read, one happy sound at a time.
Short, playful phonics lessons with a friendly reading buddy. Each lesson is planned from what your child has just shown they can do, and you see every skill they learn along the way.
There are always free lessons online.
Hear it, then find it. Every right answer is real listening.
Start with a reading check or a first lesson
Both play in your browser with no account needed, and a grown-up leads the way.
Four gentle steps to reading
Short, playful lessons that build real phonics skills, one step at a time.
Add your reader
A grown-up creates an account with an email and password, then adds a reader. Start from the very first sounds, or take a short placement to find the right level.
Play a short lesson
Your child listens, taps, and sounds out words alongside a friendly buddy. Every right answer comes from real listening and decoding.
Each lesson adapts
The next lesson is planned from what your child just showed: a new sound when they are ready, more practice where it helps, and review at the right time.
You follow along
In the grown-up area, see which sounds and words are learned and what the next lesson will cover.
Built for new readers and the grown-ups who cheer them on
Lessons that fit your child
Every lesson is planned from what your child has just shown they can do: a new sound when they are ready, extra practice where a skill is still growing, and review before it fades.
Real reading in every answer
The answer is never on screen to copy. Each right answer comes from listening, sounding out, and reading, so the progress your child makes is real.
Progress you can trust
See which sounds and words your child has learned, what they are practicing, and what the next lesson will cover, all built from their own answers.
Playful and encouraging
A friendly reading buddy, a world map to explore, and stars to earn. A wrong tap simply invites another friendly try.
From first sounds to little stories
ReadPals grows from single letter sounds to blending, longer words, and short stories. A quick placement lets a child who knows some sounds start further along.
Grown-ups stay in charge
A grown-up check guards settings, progress, and every outside link. You set up each reader, and children never need a login of their own.
Try a free game together first
Each game is one focused skill that takes a few minutes in the browser, with no account needed. These four start right where most new readers begin.
Say the Sound →
See a letter and say the sound it makes, out loud.
First Sound →
Practice beginning sounds: hear a sound and choose the picture that starts with it.
Sound Sort →
Hear one sound, then find every picture that has it.
Stretchy Blend →
Slide through each sound and blend it into a word.
See all 28 phonics games, from letter sounds and blending to syllables and little stories.
Made for families, homeschools, and classrooms
For parents →
Short lessons that fit family life, and a reading map that shows what your child has learned and what comes next.
For homeschool families →
A daily phonics lesson for each child at their own level, with progress you can see whenever you plan the week.
For teachers and tutors →
Free games students can play on their own at a station, each one practicing a single focused skill.
Grown-up questions, answered
Who is ReadPals for?
ReadPals is for children learning to read, from their very first letter sounds to reading little stories on their own. It suits preschoolers getting ready to read, early-elementary readers, and older kids who want to strengthen the basics. Each child gets lessons planned around what they already know.
What age is ReadPals for?
ReadPals is designed for children from about pre-K through the early elementary grades, but readiness matters more than a birthday. A child who knows no letter sounds yet starts at the very beginning, and a short placement lets a child who already knows some sounds start further along.
Does my child need to read already?
Not at all. Instructions are spoken aloud and supported by pictures, so a child who cannot read yet can play on their own from the first lesson. ReadPals starts with single letter sounds and builds from there.
How does ReadPals know my child is really reading?
Your child reads the sounds rather than matching shapes. The answer is never on screen to copy: your child hears a sound and finds the picture that starts with it, reads a word and picks what it names, or blends sounds into a word. A right answer comes from real listening and decoding, and those answers decide the next lesson.
New guides for teaching your child to read
Read every post on the ReadPals blog, with practical phonics help for grown-ups teaching reading at home.
Ready to hear the first sounds click?
Start with the very first sounds today. Lessons adapt as your child grows.
Start readingPlays in your browser · Lessons that adapt · Grown-ups stay in charge