Starfall Learn to Read vs Brainy Phonics

Starfall® Learn to Read is the second step of Starfall’s Learn to Read phonics sequence, which teaches the foundational skills for learning to read. Step 1: ABCs Step 2: Learn to Read Step 3: It’s Fun to Read Step 4: I’m Reading! In Starfall Learn to Read, children explore early phonics in a sequential, stress-free environment. Each step of the learning journey comes to life with help from the Vowel Pals—delightful characters that add depth and personality to each vowel sound. Children develop their phonics skills through the use of CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words, sight words, and vowel teams. Mastering the skills taught in Starfall Learn to Read helps children become confident, independent readers. Travel-ready. No internet connection required. Find Starfall Learn to Read, along with 700+ additional activities and counting across reading, math, music, and more in the Starfall app. The Starfall website and applications are program services of Starfall Education Foundation, a 501(c)(3) publicly supported nonprofit organization. Starfall® and Starfall.com® are registered trademarks in the US, the European Union, and various other countries. Copyright © 2002–2026 by Starfall Education. All rights reserved. Starfall apps are inclusively designed to support all children, including English Language Learners (ELLs). Starfall also provides an Enhanced Accessible Index for children with visual, hearing, or mobility impairments. For more information, please contact Customer Service at (+1) 303-417-6414.

Alphabet Letters introduces the 26 basic letters, with three picture/audio/text examples demonstrating each letter. One quiz feature allows children to repeatedly identify the same letter from among four options; a second feature quizze random letters among four options. Both award a gold coin for each successful first answer, a silver coin for success on a second try. A piggy bank cues a screen displaying total coins won. The table of contents will show, beside each letter, from one to five gold stars for correct first answers in a row without any mistakes. Phonics demonstrates 94 of the most common American-English letter/sound combinations, each with three sample words and quizzes in which children can focus on individual phonemes or on random phonemes. In addition to winning coins and stars, a child can win 12 puzzle pieces (two for a correct first answer, one for a correct second answer) to create 94 puzzles, each based on a nursery rhyme featuring the target phoneme. This literacy game complements our sister apps Brainy Words 2000, Brainy Sight Words, and Rhyme A Zoo. We will soon add Brainy Stories 1 and Brainy Rhymes 1. Visit us at hearatale.org.