Read, Play, Learn: How We Made Phonics Fun with Readiculous

Here at Mrs Wordsmith, we're passionate about making literacy fun. We believe learning to read should be an adventure, not an arduous chore. That's why we created Readiculous, our early literacy learning game that combines the proven principles of the Science of Reading with the power of game-based learning. But what exactly does that mean? And how did we do it? All is revealed in our ‘The Making of Readiculous’ report. Let’s go over some of the key pedagogical elements that went into the creation process. 

The Science of Reading Meets Gaming

The Science of Reading is all about the reading instruction methods that are backed by research and are proven to work. By explicitly teaching the relationships between sounds and letters (i.e. phonics instruction), we’re able to give children the foundational skills they need to decode new words and become confident readers.Although phonics instruction is really important, the traditional methods for teaching it can be a little… well, dry. That's where our expertise in game-based learning comes in. Research shows us that children learn best when they're engaged, motivated, and having fun. With this in mind, we set out to transform the Science of Reading into an interactive, playful experience that kids would love. 

Readiculous: Mini-Games, Maximum Impact

Readiculous isn't just one game; it's a collection of mini-games, each designed to build on the other to address crucial literacy skills:

• Phonemic Awareness: Games like "Ready, Set, Alphabet" and "ABC Dinner" help children develop an understanding of the sounds that make up words.
• Phonics: In "Pop!" children interact with letters and groups of letters and the sounds they make.
• Fluency: "Sight and Seek" and "Word Party" focus on a small number of common tricky words, which are essential for smooth, effortless reading.
• Vocabulary and Comprehension: "Build a Word" uses funny character animations to bring the meaning of the short word to life followed by a sentence that puts the word in context. "What's Yap!", on the other hand, tests reading comprehension with fun quizzes on the meaning of phrases and sentences.

Each mini-game is carefully crafted to reinforce specific skills in an engaging way. What’s more, we're in the process of incorporating speech recognition technology in "Hear it! Say it!" to help children master letter-sound correspondences through pronunciation. Watch (or rather, listen to) this space! 

A Structured Curriculum, Disguised as Fun

Readiculous follows a linear curriculum, introducing letter-sound correspondences in a logical order, starting with the most common and gradually progressing to the least common. The curriculum is divided into daily missions consisting of different levels of the mini-games, meaning that Readiculous is designed to be digestible.  To keep kids motivated, each mission is based around a narrative that features our adorable cast of characters, designed by Craig Kellman (the award-winning artist behind movies like Madagascar and Hotel Transylvania). As children progress, they unlock new parts of the story, as well as coins they can use to decorate the characters' rooms.

Repetition and Reinforcement

We know that repetition is key to mastering new skills. That's why Readiculous repeats letter-sound correspondences. Children encounter each letter-sound multiple times across different mini-games, ensuring they have ample opportunity to learn and practice.

More Than Just a Game

The content shown within Readiculous can be matched to each player’s capabilities, depending on whether they are beginner, intermediate, or advanced readers. The game also generates progress reports for parents and teachers, highlighting areas of strength and areas where children may need more support.

The Future of Readiculous

We're constantly working to improve and expand Readiculous. Future additions include handwriting practice, games to teach consonant blends and syllable types, and more engaging ways to develop phonemic awareness and reading fluency.

Want to Learn More?

This is just a glimpse under the supremely shiny bonnet of Readiculous. If you're interested in learning more about how we combined the Science of Reading and game-based learning to create a truly effective and engaging literacy tool, download the full report below!