Literacy - Fonetti

The Importance of a Balanced Diet of Screen Time

18 August 2023

Each parent has pondered the impact of screen time on their children, contemplating both duration and potential benefits. It can be challenging to navigate something that was absent during our childhood and beyond our parents’ experience. Without a frame of reference, comparisons are elusive, making it difficult to grasp and comprehend fully. Following a captivating interview with Amanda Gummer on the BBC, this blog delves into the ways in which screen time can effectively aid children’s development.

A Balanced Diet
Just like anything in life, a well-balanced diet is crucial. The same goes for a child’s play. While it is crucial to promote engaging and imaginative child-led play, known as the ‘broccoli’ of play, we should not completely deny them other play experiences and screen time can have a place in that diet. It is important to strike a balance and offer a variety of play opportunities to enrich their development and enjoyment.

Amanda Gummer recently shared an incredibly insightful image illustrating the components of a well-rounded play diet. It provides valuable guidance on how to foster a healthy and balanced approach to play. During her recent interview, she expressed that parents shouldn’t feel guilty for letting their children have screen time. She also emphasised the value of incorporating high-quality screen time judiciously, acknowledging its rightful place. Fonetti not only provides purposeful screen time to aid reading development, it also incorporates gamification to make reading fun and interactive.

Guidance is Key
Regardless of our personal preferences, technology has become an integral part of our daily lives. We therefore need to embrace it and teach our children how to use it responsibly and safely. Without clear guidance, children may struggle to distinguish between what is appropriate and what is not. It is crucial that as adults, we empower our children to harness the potential of technology in a beneficial manner by making them aware of what is suitable and what isn’t.

Fonetti and other educational apps provide an immersive screen time experience for children, seamlessly blending learning with enjoyment. By guiding children to choose the right apps, adults can ensure that screen time is not only enjoyable but also beneficial for their development.

Active & Passive
Screen time has often been negatively portrayed, and I do agree, there are certain aspects that may not be beneficial for our children. Nonetheless, there exist incredible opportunities for children to utilise their screen time in productive and meaningful ways. Screen time can be split into two parts:

Active Screen Time

This is a time when screen time is utilised to enrich children’s learning and foster cognitive development. Fonetti exemplifies how children can utilise technology to boost their reading abilities and accelerate their progress. Through platforms like Fonetti, children not only acquire knowledge but also derive pleasure from embracing technology’s marvels.

Passive Screen Time

This is when children are not having to think at all and are passively looking at a screen. This can include watching TV or looking at social media. There is no critical thinking taking place and children are just simply absorbing what is on the screen.

In Summary…
When it comes to children and screen time, it is important to approach the topic with consideration rather than demonization. Screen time can be beneficial for educational purposes and can have a place in child play, if used appropriately. Fonetti strongly supports productive screen time as an opportunity for children to enhance their learning through technology. Today’s children are tech-savvy, and we should embrace this by exploring alternative methods of learning that incorporate technology.

The Importance of Reading Aloud and How it Helps with Oracy and Fluency

7 August 2023

As a parent or an educator, you know how crucial it is to improve your child’s reading skills. Reading is the foundation of a child’s learning and can make a significant difference in their academic and personal success. However, not all children find reading easy, and it can be challenging to encourage a love of reading in some children. That’s where Fonetti comes into play. Fonetti is a new digital reading app that helps improve a child’s performance by providing an interactive experience. In this blog post, I will outline the importance of reading aloud on Fonetti and how it works.

Regular reading aloud helps improve oracy and fluency

Reading aloud on Fonetti
Fonetti works by encouraging children to read aloud. When the child reads a word correctly, the word turns green, and when they make a mistake, it turns grey. This interactive experience motivates the child to continue reading and helps them to recognise their mistakes. In fact, research shows that children who read aloud improve their reading skills faster than children who do not. Fonetti takes this to the next level and provides visual feedback to make the learning experience even more engaging.

Reading aloud can be intimidating for some children, especially those who struggle with reading. However, Fonetti enables the child to use the power of their own voice. This helps to boost their confidence and encourages them to keep reading. It also helps children to develop fluency and increase their understanding of what they are reading. The visual feedback reinforces these benefits and creates a more dynamic and interactive learning environment.

Fonetti works a lot like subtitles do. The words appear on the screen as the child reads them, with a subtle change in colour to indicate the child’s accuracy. This movement helps to keep the child engaged and enables them to follow along without feeling overwhelmed. Like subtitles, the words move on, and the child is unaware of the progress they are making. This form of learning is particularly effective because the child is actively engaged, and it doesn’t feel like learning.

We are huge supporters of the Turn on the Subtitles movement initiated by co-founders Oli Barrett MBE and Henry Warren whose mission is simple.

“Turning on the subtitles while children are watching television can double the chances of a child becoming good at reading. It’s so brilliantly simple and can help children’s literacy so much that we want to shout it from the rooftops!”

Fonetti’s interactive experience can also be beneficial for parents and educators. It provides an easy way to identify areas where the child is struggling and allows for individualised learning to ensure every child’s unique need is met. It also enables parents and educators to track the child’s progress and monitor their performance. This information can be invaluable when it comes to identifying the child’s strengths and weaknesses and developing a plan to enhance their reading skills.

In Summary…
Fonetti provides an interactive learning experience that can significantly improve a child’s reading skills. Reading aloud is crucial for children’s development, and Fonetti provides a fun and engaging way to do this. The visual feedback reinforces the child’s performance and motivates them to continue reading, boosting their confidence and understanding. Fonetti is an excellent tool for parents and educators who want to help their child improve their reading skills. It is an innovative way to encourage a love of reading and sets the foundation for success in school and beyond.