As the name implies, BeKids Reading app is all about reading fluency for kids. The same developers behind one of my all time favourite Chinese educational app iHuman Chinese App created this, so I thought I’ll give it a go and see how it measured up to the already saturated English educational language app.
Mandarin Homeschool is reader supported. I received a complimentary trial of the BeKids Reading App to review and this review is a reflection of my own opinion and experience.
Please note that when you click on the links in this post, we may earn commissions for purchases made, at no cost to you.Thank you.
About the BeKids Reading App
As a bilingual household, we do actively use both English and Chinese at home. Previously, we had used Reading Eggs as part of my children’s school subscription for their English and literacy development, so I am not unfamiliar with English educational apps.
The BeKids Reading app was developed in partnership with Oxford University Press, primarily with the author of the Oxford Reading Tree series Paul Shipton.
Awards for the BeKids Reading App
The BeKids Reading App has won the following accolades and awards:
- 2023 National Parenting Product Award
- Mom’s Choice Award
- Academics Choice Smart Media Award Winner
- Parents and Teacher Choice Award
- Parents’ Pick Award
- Educational App Store Certified
Design of the BeKids Reading App:
Children will learn English in a fun, interactive and engaging format. The read-play-sing approach in BeKids is very similar to the iHuman Chinese App which we have been using for the past 3 years to learn Chinese.
The BeKids Reading App revolves around science, so the main characters are a family of 4 and their robot Edwin. Children can earn “energy” completing tasks and exchange these energy for inventions in the toy room.
There are 8 components to each lesson.
Read – Read the levelled reader. There are both fiction and non-fiction books covering a wide variety of themes throughout the 9 levels.
Quiz – After reading the reader, there is a quiz instantly upon completion which asks relevant questions relating to the key vocabulary words targeted in that reader.
Match – Presented as a quiz show game format. Listen to the responses and pick the correct answer (comprehension). It’s super funny when you get the wrong response!
Organise – Like a picture maze, you have to find the correct items that were taught in the reader.
Sing – Key vocabulary are included in a simple catchy song
Find – Find the key vocabulary words in the sentence.
Spell – listen to the sound and pick the correct letter to spell the key vocabulary words.
Order – Put the words in the correct order in the sentence.
Readers within the BeKids Reading App
There are 9 levels of readers which includes 1500+ essential English vocabulary words, with a grand total of 100 readers within the app.
Does the BeKids Reading App app allow for multiple users?
No. You can only set the app up for one user.
Is there a free trial for the BeKids Reading App?
Yes, you can download the app and try the first lesson for free.
Our personal experience with the BeKids Reading App
My youngest who is 5 years old was the ideal candidate for the role of chief app tester, so I gave her the app to try out during the July school holidays. She completed one lesson daily. Her favourite part of the BeKids Reading app was the books. She literally went through the books in succession without using the game play components. Earning the energy bars were highly enticing for her and she liked that she had “inventions” in the toy room to play with.
I have also used this app professionally, with children with learning difficulties. One of my student is a 6 year old Chinese boy who has autism and global developmental delay. He is not proficient in English at all, and during our home sessions, I used the BeKids Reading app with him. He picked up how to use the app within the first session, and his favourite game was the Spell Game where he got to feed the monsters. Crunch! Crunch!!
Recommendations for the BeKids Reading App
I recommend this for preschoolers and early primary school children (grade 1 and 2). The readers and lessons are graded and progressively which makes it great for early readers.
Where to download the BeKids Reading App
The app is available to download on the Apple App store and on Google Play.
Pricing for the BeKids Reading App
Usual pricing on the BeKids Reading app is as follow:
- AUD $9.99/month
- AUD $49.98/lifetime for level 1 to 3
- AUD $99.99/lifetime for level 1 to 9
If you use this special promotional link, you can purchase the BeKids Reading App for HKD $448 (~AUD$89) – 10% OFF!
This link is best viewed on a tablet or phone, not on your laptop.
With the same link, you can also purchase the BeKids Reading App the BeKids Academy App/BeKids ABC App for a special promotional price of HKD$699 (~AUD$132).
BONUS available only in the bundle
- BeKids Reading e-workbooks. Nice additional exercises to correspond with the key words within each reader. Please scroll down for examples.
Usual pricing for the BeKids Academy/BeKids ABC App is as follow:
- AUD $12.99/monthly subscription
- AUD $ 65.99/ annual subscription
That’s $30 off both amazing apps for full lifetime access!
BeKids Academy/BeKids ABC is an award winning app for preschoolers to learn the basics in letters and spelling, numbers and colour, socio-emotional skills, rhythm and melody, fine motor skills and dexterity and creative thinking and problem solving… basically 1000+ games that target the essential skills your child should know before school. You can read more about the BeKids Academy/BeKids ABC app on the BeKids website.
BeKids Reading App Bundle Bonus Workbooks
With every purchase of the BeKids Reading App and the BeKids Academy/ABC App, you will receive workbooks for all the readers within the BeKids Reading app.
You can print them off to practice at home, or use them digitally on your devices.
All 9 levels will be send to the email account you use to purchase.
Official BeKids Reading Website
I encourage you to find out more from the official BeKids Reading website.
Additional Reviews of the BeKids Reading App
The following blogs have also tested and tried out the BeKids Reading App, and they only have good things to say about it!
