Why we built our own reading comprehension app

These days, there are plenty of apps that help children learn to read. But when we started searching for a good reading comprehension app ourselves, we noticed something surprising: very few apps truly focused on understanding what children read.

Most apps focused mainly on recognizing letters, reading single words, or practicing phonics. Of course, those skills are important — but reading comprehension is so much more than that. Understanding what a story is about. Making connections. Retelling information. Thinking along with the story. Laughing at funny moments. Becoming curious about what happens next.

And that was exactly what we felt was missing.

Two children, two completely different reading stages

Our oldest daughter is 9 years old and absolutely devours books.

Series like The Mummy Mysteries, Dolfje Weerwolfje, Matilda, The BFG, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factorydisappear in just a few days. Sometimes she’s already opening a new book before the previous one is even finished. She completely loses herself in story worlds.

Our youngest daughter, who is 6, is in a completely different stage.

She’s a beginning reader. Curious and enthusiastic, but her attention span still works very differently. Reading an entire book independently is often just a little too much right now. She loves when we read to her, but sitting down to read a long story by herself from beginning to end? That’s still difficult.

And honestly, that’s completely normal.

But it did make us wonder:

What is the right way for children in this stage to practice reading comprehension?

We searched for the best reading comprehension app… but couldn’t find it

We tried everything.

Books. Exercises. Apps. Online reading activities.

But we kept running into the same problems:

• Stories were too long
• The content didn’t connect to children’s interests
• The exercises felt too “school-like”
• Or there was no clear learning progression

And most importantly: the fun was missing.

We strongly believe children learn best when they’re engaged. When they laugh. When they get curious. When they genuinely want to know what happens next in a story.

We wanted to create an educational reading comprehension app that helps children practice reading comprehension at home in a fun and playful way.

Then we thought: why not build it ourselves?

We both come from an educational background and have been building online learning products for children for years.

So in many ways, this felt like a very natural next step.

We wanted to create a reading comprehension app that:

• feels short and engaging for young children
• uses stories kids genuinely enjoy
• adapts to different reading levels
• helps children practice without feeling like homework
• improves reading comprehension and reading motivation
• is built by educators who truly understand how children learn to read

And that became Read Lab.

What makes Read Lab different from other reading comprehension apps?

Many children practice decoding and phonics, but still struggle to truly understand what they read. That’s why we created Read Lab: an app where children actively think along with stories.

Children don’t just practice reading — they also practice:

• predicting what happens next
• making connections
• understanding story structure
• thinking about characters
• remembering information
• enjoying reading

We carefully thought about every detail.

Which sounds and words should be introduced first?
What vocabulary fits each reading level?
How do you create a safe and motivating progression?
How do you keep stories exciting while still accessible?

Because we work with children every day, we understand how important that structure is.

That’s why Read Lab includes:

• short stories
• smart comprehension questions
• lots of variety
• humor and relatable situations
• levels that build naturally
• texts children actually want to finish

An educational reading app children actually want to use

With many educational exercises, children immediately feel:

“This feels like schoolwork.”

And then they lose interest.

With Read Lab, we wanted children to want to continue reading. To become curious about the next story. To feel that practicing reading comprehension online can actually be fun.

The first reactions motivated us enormously.

We first tested the app with friends, family, and children around us.

And the feedback was incredible.

Children who didn’t want to stop playing.

Parents saying:

“My child finished levels 20 through 25 in one sitting.”

Or:

“We actually had to tell them it was bedtime.”

Those are exactly the reactions we hoped for.

Because when children voluntarily want to read another story, we know we built something valuable.

We’re now in the final stage

Right now, we’re in the very last phase of developing Read Lab.

We’re making the final improvements and hope to submit the app to Apple by the end of this week.

It feels incredibly special that something which started from our own experience as parents is now almost ready to be shared with other families around the world.

And honestly? We can’t wait.