Cambugs: Letter Sounds Schools app for iPhone and iPad

Cambugs: Letter Sounds Schools teaches children the initial phonemes (letter sounds) which are the first step on their journey to become fluent, confident readers. This version allows unlimited users and is ideal if there will be numerous children using the app.

Cambugs has been developed by educational psychologists and parents, working in partnership with the University of Cambridge. We know the importance of parents taking an active role in their children’s learning, so we developed an app where parents/teachers and children work together.

Cambugs: Letter Sounds Schools is targeted at pre-readers, as well as struggling older readers. It uses evidence-based techniques that research has shown helps children develop their reading skills. You will notice in this app that children engage in lots of repetition — this is because this is a very effective strategy for ensuring that children remember and retain the sounds that they learn. There is also a test for ensuring that your child is able to remember their letter sounds quickly and fluently — this is because fluency is a key skill needed for becoming a confident reader.

◆ Developed by educational psychologists using teaching techniques that we know work.

◆ Teaches your child their letter sounds to a level where they can demonstrate confidence and fluency — key skills needed for later word reading and comprehension of text.

◆ Uniquely designed as a joint activity so that you are guiding your child through their learning. Think of it as being a bit like sitting down and reading a story with your child.

◆ When children learn a new sound they are rewarded with a ‘Cambug’. These bugs have been designed by children for children.

◆ Statistics screen shows you how many letter sounds your child knows and which sounds they need to learn. This is very useful if being used in a school setting.

Cambugs: Letter Sounds Schools includes four activities :

‣ Sorting: Sort letter sounds into two piles (sounds your child knows and sounds that have yet to be learned ). This initial activity ensures the app is personalised to meet the specific learning needs of your child.

‣ Learning: Children learn a new letter sound alongside letter sounds that they know already. This is called ‘incremental learning’ and ensures your child remembers their sounds.

‣ Fluency Test: Children are timed to see how quickly they can say each sound. The app automatically puts letters that your child has not yet learned fluently back in the unknown pile to be re-learned at a later date. If your child likes the competitive element of the test, switch on the Time Challenge.

‣ Bug Collection: Your child will find a new bug in their collection whenever they learn a new sound and they can visit this at any time!