My seven year old struggles significantly with reading. I’m a former elementary school teacher and I’ve taught hundreds of kids to read. Trying to teach my own child resulted in lots of pushback, tears and frustration. I’ve tried apps to help with learning to read games but they always missed the mark. Either my child lost interest quickly or the educational aspect wasn’t adequate for my child. I stumbled upon Ello and thought it sounded good. I’ll admit I was skeptical. It’s safe to say, Ello has changed my child’s attitude toward reading. He was so nervous to start because he knew Ello would correct him when he struggled with a word. He cried to me, “I’m worried it will hurt my feelings.” This is always an issue for him. He doesn’t like to get things wrong. He’s aware he struggles more than most kids in his class. His self esteem has sadly taken a hit. I told him we had to give it a try. Ello is the kindest, most encouraging teacher a child could ever have. Ello gives the exact cues I would give a child struggling with a word. One of the greatest aspects is that Ello helps the child sound out the word and then moves on. They don’t belabor on the word making the child frustrated because Ello knows they’ll be seeing this word again throughout the rereading of the books during the month. That subtle repetition is key for my child. The encouragement my child receives from Ello and the motivation he receives through earning stars, earning an informational video to watch at the end of his book, and earning a prize that he gets to pick out each month is exactly what keeps his interest in opening up the Ello app to read each day. It finally feels like we’re having success supporting my child’s reading at home.