Smart Steps Reading is a family of five apps that take a child from their very first letters all the way to strong, fluent reading. Each app teaches one skill at a time — mastered before moving on, then practiced until it’s automatic. Your child works through short daily lessons on their own: listening, reading out loud, recording themselves, and building real confidence.
One subscription unlocks all five apps for every child in your family. Start each child wherever they fit, and move between levels any time — it’s one tap, never another purchase.
Letters
For little ones just starting out. Your child learns every letter’s name and sound through short games and activities — the foundation everything else builds on. Most children spend three months to a year here, depending on where they start. Available on its own for $10/month, or included in the full subscription.
Foundational — Putting Sounds Together
The bridge between knowing sounds and actually reading. Your child learns to blend sounds into words — the moment reading truly begins. Short, playful lessons with games like Word Builder and Memory Match. Most children complete it in two to three months.
Beginner
First real reading. Daily lessons build from simple words to sentences and stories your child can genuinely decode — no guessing, no memorizing. Includes your child’s first ongoing storybook adventures, told a piece at a time as their skills grow.
Intermediate
For developing readers. Longer words, trickier patterns, and the famous “tricky words” of English — taught systematically so nothing is left to guesswork. Includes built-in spelling practice after every lesson and a full library of decodable stories.
Advanced
Built for older kids (roughly 7 or 8 and up) who are still struggling — with harder words, denser practice, and stories written for their age, never for kindergartners. The same one-sound-at-a-time method, with the dignity an older reader deserves. Includes spelling and age-appropriate story serials.
Not sure where your child fits? Start with your best guess — you truly can't pick wrong. The whole suite is included, so if a level is too easy or too hard, moving is instant and free. And on our Daily Listening plans, a real teacher hears your child read from day one and will tell you if a different level would serve them better.
Daily Listening
Your child records their reading in the app every day — and a real teacher listens, circles missed words, and the app makes sure they’re fixed before moving on. A teacher’s ear on your child’s reading, every single day.
Live Tutoring
Add live online lessons with a tutor, one or more times per week. Live sessions focus on teaching new material — because the daily review already happened through Daily Listening. For kids who need momentum fast.