Trace ABC vs Sound It First

Trace ABC helps your little one learn to recognize, write, and sound out all 26 letters — the warm, screen-safe way. Built for ages 2–6, every activity is designed with early educators to turn practice into play. ▸ GUIDED TRACING ENGINE Little fingers follow friendly dots along each letter, with gentle magnetic snapping and instant feedback. Kids build real muscle memory and correct stroke order — not random scribbles. ▸ REAL, HUMAN-QUALITY VOICE Crystal-clear, child-friendly narration reads every letter name, letter sound (accurate phonics-level pronunciation), and example word aloud. ▸ PHONICS THAT CLICKS From single letter sounds to blending c-a-t, kids move through the proven SATPIN teaching order and reach that magic "I can read a word!" moment. ▸ JOURNEY MAP & STAR REWARDS A colorful adventure map, collectible stars, and a cheerful mascot keep kids motivated and proud of every step forward. ▸ MADE FOR FAMILIES • Parental gate protects settings and links • Screen-time limits you control • Simple parent progress reports ▸ SAFE BY DESIGN No ads. No third-party tracking. No pop-up purchase traps. Just focused, joyful learning your family can trust. Start your child's reading journey today — one letter, one sound, one proud smile at a time. Questions or ideas? We'd love to hear from you.

A bare letter appears on screen. Then, slowly, a picture of something that starts with that letter's sound grows in behind it: a becomes an apple, s becomes a snake, t becomes a tree. Players race to call out the sound and the word. The earlier you call it, the more points you score. So children come to want to read the naked letter, and the picture arrives as the reward rather than the crutch. SOUND FIRST, NOT LETTER NAMES What children race to call is the phoneme, "sss", not the letter name, "ess", and the pure sound is what the screen shows. That is the part that actually unlocks reading. The spoken line is a full sentence, "S is for Sun", because synthesised speech cannot voice an isolated sound cleanly. RACE ON ONE DEVICE One to five players, each with a coloured buzzer along the edge of the screen. Pass the tablet round the table, or let a grown-up referee. SPEED IS THE DIFFICULTY DIAL Start on Slow, fifteen seconds, for an absolute beginner. Work up to Zoom, three seconds, once they are confident. Optional auto speed-up nudges them faster as they get it right. MORE THAN LETTERS Blends and digraphs, magic e, word families, sight words, and little books to read together. Plus numbers, counting, adding and times tables, and picture packs for animals, food, clothes, transport, weather and more. BUILT FOR SMALL CHILDREN Big targets. No menus to wander into mid-game, exit is press and hold. No ads. No links out. No sign-up, no account, no data collected. WORKS OFFLINE Every letter and picture is bundled inside the app, so it plays on a plane, in the car, and anywhere with no signal. No sign-up, no account, and no personal data is collected. FROM CHALKBEE Made by the team behind ChalkBee, free printable phonics, reading and maths worksheets for parents and primary teachers at chalkbee.com.