KEY POINTS

  • Duolingo is releasing a new app for kids
  • The new app is designed to help kids learn to read and write
  • The app is free and doesn't have in-app purchases or ads

Now that everyone is advised to stay at home to keep safe against the 2019 novel coronavirus, people have a lot of time to spend doing things that will either entertain them, help them pass the time, or help them become better people. One of the things that people can do during this time is to learn new things, or to help others learn new things.

Thankfully, language-learning app Duolingo saw that and has decided to release an all-new app designed for kids. No, the app won't teach children how to speak in different languages yet like Duolingo does teens and adults. It will do something more foundational and basic than that: it will teach kids how to read and write.

The Duolingo ABC app, now available for the iPhone and iPad, provides parents with a fun and entertaining way to let their children learn how to read and write. The app features “delightfully engaging stories,” “bite-sized, gamified lessons” and is “kid-safe and ad-free.” It's practically safe for kids and parents won't have to worry about in-app purchases and advertisements.

The new app has been designed by literacy and early-education experts so that it will be as effective as possible. It offers helpful activities that will help kids learn how to write letters and distinguish them from one another, and also features interactive stories that will appeal to “even the youngest learners.”

The app is designed to help develop children's basic literacy skills in phonics, sight words, reading comprehension, and more. The app has an offline function, meaning kids can continue learning using the app wherever they may be – be it inside the car, on a plane, or at the family's favorite restaurant. But since everyone is advised to stay home, it will work inside the bedroom and living roomas well.

The Verge reported that according to Duolingo, the new child-oriented app has more than 300 lessons, with more coming in the near future. The app will be made available in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, and the US for all iOS users. Duolingo will also work on a version for Android.

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a person holding a smartphone Daria Shevtsova/pexels.com