Launched this week
UpDraft Phonics
Build CVC words by sound
5 followers
Build CVC words by sound
5 followers
UpDraft Phonics is an iPad phonics app for early readers. Kids build CVC words by dragging letters, hear each letter sound, and blend the sounds into the full word. The app includes 11 themed lessons and 44 short practice rounds focused on CVC word families, letter sounds, and sound-symbol practice. I built it as a more active alternative to worksheets and guessing-based reading games.
Love the dragging-letters idea, it feels way more hands-on than the flashcard apps my students usually get stuck on. One thing that would help a lot: a simple "record and compare" feature where kids can record themselves sounding out the word, then hear it played back next to the correct pronunciation. Self-monitoring like that tends to really boost their blending confidence.
@hediye7ryp Thanks! That’s a really good suggestion.
I’ve been thinking about how to add more active read-back practice without making the interaction feel too complicated for young kids. A simple "hear it, say it, compare it" step could fit either before or after the current blended pronunciation when a word is correctly built.
Right now the core loop is: build the word, hear each sound, then blend into the full word. Self-monitoring would be a strong next layer.
Appreciate the thoughtful feedback.
A drag and drop approach for early readers sounds way more engaging than a worksheet, love that idea. One thing that could really help though is adding a simple progress tracker for parents so they can see which word families a child has mastered and which ones need more practice. Would make it easier to know where to focus.
@ilan1096635 Thank you! I agree. A parent progress view is probably one of the most useful next features.
The app already has the structure for it because each lesson is built around a specific CVC word family, so tracking which word families have been completed or need more practice would make sense.
I’m trying to keep the first version focused on the core learning loop, but parent progress tracking is high on the list.
These early suggestions are really helpful, and both fit well with the structure of the app.
I’m especially interested in which would matter more first for parents, tutors, or teachers using this with early readers: read-back practice, parent progress tracking, or something else entirely.
Any feedback on useful next features would be really helpful.