Phonics are now a standard part of early-years education in British schools, with millions of children learning to read through letter sounds. Inevitably, there are apps for that too.
Two have been released this week based on familiar phonics brands in the UK: Jolly Phonics and Teach Your Monster to Read.
The former is a program used by schools in more than 100 countries, while the latter is a website with a series of free phonics games, backed by charitable fund the Usborne Foundation.
Both apps are launching initially for Apple's iOS platform, charging parents upfront rather than using the currently-controversial system of in-app purchases.
Teach Your Monster to Read: First Steps is a £2.99 app for iPad, while Jolly Phonics Letter Sounds also costs £2.99, but is available for the iPhone as well as Apple's tablet.
Neither app tries to replace the phonics materials being used by children in schools. Instead, they use letter-sound based mini-games to complement that learning: revision that feels like play rather than homework for the 3-6 year-olds they're aimed at.
The fact that their release coincides with the first week of the summer holidays for schools in England may be a coincidence, but may nevertheless appeal to many parents as a better use of children's screen time over summer than pure games or television.
Each app has its own selling points: a choice of British or American audio for Jolly Phonics Letter Sounds, for example, and narration from Horrible Histories star Simon Farnaby for Teach Your Monster to Read: First Steps.
British parents are increasingly spoiled for choice when it comes to homegrown phonics apps. UK-based teacher Christopher Thorne has built an online educational brand – Mr Thorne Does Phonics – using YouTube and mobile apps, while startup Hip Hop Hen has released a series of fun "abc learning games".
Children's TV star Justin Fletcher fronted the Justin's World Lettersounds phonics app; book publisher Penguin has its Ladybird: I'm Ready for Phonics app; and the Oxford Reading Tree books – their Biff, Chip and Kipper characters are a familiar sight in British schools – have also been turned into apps.
Where some developers may be missing a trick is in releasing their phonics apps only for Apple devices, rather than those running Google's Android software, including Tesco's Hudl, which has been a popular family purchase in the UK.
While some of the apps listed above are available for Android – Justin's World Lettersounds and Ladybird: I'm Ready for Phonics for example – most remain exclusive to Apple's iOS.
• It's time more parents started paying for children's apps
