Secret Stories Phonics Reading App Reviews

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Frustrating. Kid uses this in school and loves it. I bought it and then put it on the kids iPad using family sharing. App loads but there is no images on the tiles, making app useless. App support is non existent in app nor the App Store link. No documentation on set up or requirements. Maybe schools get additional support avenues.

Disappointed. For the cost of this app there should be some kind of games or activities. I purchased this app as a teacher to see if I could recommend it for parents. Unfortunately I can not. I understand wanting to protect your work but something needs to be added to make this app worth the cost.

Disappointed. Purchased to use to reinforce letter sounds for phonics instruction. While the stories give multiple sounds for the letters they do not appear to cover all the letter sounds. The stories do not give any indication when the different sounds are used. I do not find this more helpful than the magnets we have on our fridge that sing and give these letter sounds. The magnets were cheaper and also tactile so more engaging. Disappointed.

Great tool but not the app I wanted. I wanted to be able to share the screen with my tutoring students and have the songs at hand. Too bad they all disappeared when I was in sharing mode. This would have made for a powerful tool. I’m not sure why that s so when I paid just as much for the PowerPoint that also didn’t look the way it’s presented. Dissatisfied in this app. But not the stories.

Not worth the money. Definitely NOT worth 30$. I bought to support my child at home with the Secret Story curriculum being taught in school. But literally all it is is the same basic stories and alphabet that they learn in class. No additional games, activities or extension of learning. Very disappointed.

Excellent app. This app is perfect for my kindergartner. She has thrived on learning the stories and the sounds. The app is very user friendly, the game component is engaging. I have really seen huge gains in my child’s ability to sound out words. It has been a game changer for my child.

Can’t see the icons. The icons on my phone are so small that I cannot read them. I have updated a few times without a fix.

Entering the brain through the back door!. I teach special education students. This app is worth all the money in the world!!! It’s so helpful in telling the stories consistently!!! Amazing resource! I am unable to find the blends story.

The Secret Stories at your fingertips!. I love this app! I have the Secret Stories at my fingertips whenever the students I’m working with are ready for a new story or need to review a story. My students love these story and apply what they are learning!

Cannot share with learners or mirror on Apple TV. I use this curriculum at my school. I was hoping to use this app to help my virtual learners. The pictures do not show up when I share my screen or when I mirror my phone to my class Apple TV. I feel like I wasted my money. Please provide an update so I can use this app.

Amazing app and program!!!. My older siblings used Secret Stories to teach their children how to read. My wife and I wanted something fun to teach our child, so we gave it a shot. We have only been using the stories for a short time and we already see wonderful progress! It’s actually quite amazing. We highly recommend the program and the app. It is a lifesaver! Thank you Secret Stories...

Helpful for a substitute para educator. When helping at many schools I love teaching kids how much the brain can grow in just one day and this app helps me do that for sure! We can sing along kindergarten through second grade and sometimes even a higher grade they love it! -Valerie Oakley

Parent perspective. I want to preface this review by saying, most (if not all) of the 1 & 2 star reviews are teachers who did not read or were not aware of the copyright restrictions. As a parent this app is a great tool for reinforcing the Secret Stories home kit. I wanted to give this app 4 stars because for $24.99 I expected a bit more, however, I want more people to be exposed to this phonics system so I’m giving it 5 stars. All the free/$2-$5 phonics apps put together didn’t do anything for my 8 year old who has been struggling with reading. I wanted a system that “filled in the gaps” not something that made her feel like she was being treated like a 5 year old (which most of the other apps and systems are made for). The first day we went through the vowels and blended vowels, did the work sheets, SHE went and grabbed one of her books and started testing/trying out her new secrets! Reading has always been a fight, but the in the first session it was like a light bulb so massive went off and she was so eager to try it out. It was so much easier to tell her “what secret do you think is there?” And see her face light up as she figured it out, or consulted her cutouts with a furrowed brow as she figured out the words she has been struggling with. NO MORE huffing, puffing, and even worse whining before asking to quit! Easily the best money I’ve ever spent on anything educational and I will be sitting her 5 year old sister down with her to learn the Secrets together. Thanks Secret Stories!

Terrific!. I sang the better alphabet song for my students on Friday during our sharing circle on google meet. This will help me to have stamina to make it through the live distance learning portions of my day. Thanks Katie! I think this is a winner!

App not working. The song continues to close after Letter G. Don’t waste your money. Update needed to fix the glitches. Ver disappointed.

Needs improvements. The app is useful but needs to improve in a few areas. 1. When the alphabet song is playing it’s very hard to see the letter it is singing. It’s outlined in another color, but not made any larger. We should not be seeing the entire alphabet the whole song. They should be flashing up whatever letter they are singing. There is no way to get the “eye glue” to stick if the kids can’t see the letter. 2. On the secret story telling section the yellow back ground is very distracting. It’s going to take most kid’s focus off of the story card in the center of the screen, especially if the kid has ADD. I’m disappointed with this high price when there are major flaws.

Great for my toddlers. We sing the better alphabet song everyday and my toddlers love it. They can even recognize some of the secrets on the app! Highly recommend! Two thumbs up!

Great teaching resource!. This will be my second year using the Secret Stories in my 1st grade classroom! I love the program and would recommend it to any teacher or parent with young readers! I stumbled upon the app and decided to purchase it in case I want to introduce one of the stories and can’t remember it or don’t have my book near by. I am glad I did! It also includes the Better Alphabet Song, and I have been playing it while my students have to wait in the hall throughout the day. I was hesitant to purchase due to the negative reviews left by teachers but realized they must not have read the app description. The app is super helpful even if you cannot project it for your class to see. I am telling my district to buy it for our new teachers who are still learning the secrets.

Best reading app ever. I use the secret stories at home with my struggling autistic son who also has dyslexia. We have been working on phonics for years with slow progress using OG reading programs while in public school as part of his IEP. And while I respect and understand the reasoning for a systematic approach it just wasn’t getting through to long term memory in a usable way for him. Generalization outside the OG printed materials and remembering the sound long enough to blend and smooth out the sounds into a word was a challenge. After 2 weeks of using secret stories (yes you need the book too it’s worth every penny) he is easily able to access the stories when recognizing the letters. It’s like the information gets stored in a totally different more efficient part of his brain. We haven’t moved through the blends or implemented the songs yet but after the results in such a short time paired with the new WILLINGNESS to practice reading I’m a firm believer in the secret!!! Bonus I have a 4 year old typically developing child that was not working on phonics yet and just by participating in the fun he started sounding words out on his own 😱 My advice buy all the things Katie Garner makes it’s soooo worth it!

Fun!. This app was highly recommended by our amazing Kindergarten teacher, Ms. Kristen Cassidy @ SCS. My son asks to play on it everyday and loves telling us what he has learned!

AMAZING RESOURCE. I bought the app when I was teaching 1st grade virtually last year. It was such a game changer! I used my document camera to display the app and we would go over the different sounds and spellings. The students loved the songs and were constantly singing them. This year I am in person and have the whole kit. I posted the cards up on the wall, use the flash cards in small group, and also use the app in small group or under my document camera. The students love when it is time for a new secret and take it very seriously. All windows are covered and our door is closed. I love seeing the connections that students make throughout the day based on the secrets we have learned. The app is also great if you tutor because you have everything you need right on your iPad and don’t need to worry about grabbing lots of materials. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

My kindergartner loves it!. I’m so glad that my daughters kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Cassidy, is using this program in her class. My daughter would come home and talk about secret stories and what she learned. She had been begging me to get the app on her iPad and I did. I’m so amazed at all the knowledge she is gaining from this program.

For the price, I wish there was more. If you have purchased the book and flashcards, then this is not worth the price and without the book, it's not helpful.

Disappointed. I love Secret Stories and purchased this app to air play on my Apple TV in the classroom. I was so excited to be able to play the song and stories with ease for my students but unfortunately the graphics disappear. This was the most expensive app I have ever purchased so I am really disappointed.

Secret stories. I like the app but then my screen freezes and ICan’t get out of the screen. Not sure what is up with that A.S.2

Great phonics tool!. This is a great phonics tool! Our teacher gets great results from using Secret Stories!

Huge disappointment. Expensive. Song won’t play. Uninstalled and reinstalled. I keep reading how clear not being able to project was made. I missed it well as the others that posted it. Maybe you should take a real look at how clear you really are on that one. Can I get a refund?

Glitches. The song is glitching at the letter Jj. Please fix it!

Question!!. Everytime I play the better alphabet song, it ends at E. Help needed!

Highly Recommend. I am a school principal and our reading fluency scores have have improved using this program. This program encourages tips and tricks for using back brain learning. This will turn your non reader into a fluent reader.

😫. Wish I had Realized that the iPad three mini does not support this app! I had planned to use these with students. I guess I’ll have to find another way.

Functionality issues. I LOVE the secret stories. My only issue with the current app is that the screen can time out and stop playing mid-story and the only way to get back is to start it over AND the fact that there’s no way to download an old version to an older device (I intended to put this on a school ipad but it won’t work)

Good for review. My son loves to use the app to tell me about the secret stories. Mrs. Cassidy has used this program to help my kindergarten become a reader!

Icons too small. I need to open every icon to find what I’m looking for because they are too small to tell what you’re opening. Kids lose interest as they wait for me to open a story they’re interested in. Any advice to remedy???

Images missing , only can see the square outline. To the developer, the content is great. I’m not able to project the images or mirror on a smart tv. Only squares are available with no images. I can play the song and sound quality is good. But images are not present only square outline. Please advise. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Tutor. I used the app when tutoring. Children enjoyed it! Please check ou and oy sound.

Game Changer!. This app has been a game changer and life saver! I love that I can play the secret stories with the tap of a button! I started off my holding the book in my lap and worrying if I was saying things just right. This app totally helped me remember them faster myself!! I am teaching virtually now and I love to play the Secret Stories when my kids point them out in a text we are reading under my hover cam. I can also think of a million ways I can use this app when we return to school! Bathroom breaks, brain breaks, in reading, math, waiting for the hearing screeners to be done... you get my point! This will be a game changer for the precious minutes that are sometimes wasted in our school day! 10/10 recommend!

Too pricey for what it offers. I wouldn’t recommend this app at this price point. It is simply Katie telling the stories/letter sounds. If you have the book/posters you are all set, not need to waste money on this. If you want a cheat, then it might be for you (but you really need the posters to help the stories stick).

Not sure it’s needed.. I spent 27.99 for something I already know and use daily in my routines. I thought this was a better way to teach sounds. At least 4 sounds are not even the correct way to teach them. l,m, n, r, qu. I am disappointed. Love the better alphabet song with Jack Hartmann best and it’s free! Please redo the audio for the amount you are charging.

10/10 Would Recommend. Yes! Yes! This app is amazing, as are the Secrets!! I’ve been looking for something very simple to use to teach my school kiddos how to read.l, and read FAST. I loop with my kiddos year after year, and I’ve got kiddos who have been struggling for two full school years. DAY ONE of using Secrets, one of my strugglers told me he never knew “g” could make TWO sounds! He is begging for more Secrets. Because you can’t screen share or mirror to devices while teaching (it is intentionally designed this way), the app will read the stories for you, so you don’t have to flip through a bunch of flash cards or posters on your desk. If I could ask for one future update, it would be to have the option for the teacher to maybe touch the digital flash card and have it spin around / have the story in print on the back, so we could read it in our own voices. That suggestion in no way detracts from my 10/10 though 😀 If you are a parent, guardian, teacher, support staff, anyone working with a child learning to read ... you cannot go wrong with this app & program.

Yes, yes, yes. This app is so helpful when you are out of the classroom and a student asks about a word. I can just pull out my phone and play a story. It is so perfect if you don’t have your book on your desk. Just pull up the app and play the story!

App will not work with screen sharing. I purchased this app with the hopes of using it with my kids on Zoom. I have the full curriculum but since I am teaching from my home I am not able to display all the posters. When I went to share my iPad screen on Zoom the pictures do not show up. I know there are measures in place to keep your IP safe (like not being able to screen shot the pictures) but now I am unable to use the app for teaching and have wasted my money. Please make the pictures shareable on screen share.

Better Alphabet Song stops abruptly at “r”. Needs a bug fix! Not playing all the way through the Better Alphabet song. For the price paid, this needs to be fixed!

The Secret Stories app. I am currently teaching virtually from home. I found The Secret Stories 3 years ago when I was on a quest to find the best way to meet the needs of my most at-risk young learners. The Secret Stories ignites the minds of these very young learners! It uses the backdoor to enter their brains accessing their social-emotional and muscle motor memory. This has been an amazing phonetic learning tool!

Absolutely love!. I use the Secrets to teach reading to 1st Graders. They love finding the Stories in words. The app makes it easier to learn them. I highly recommend it for younger children or struggling readers.

AWESOME!. Thanks to my daughter’s amazing teacher, Kristen Cassidy, my daughter has been hooked on Secret Stories! She loves sharing with the family each time she learns a new story. Now with the app she can show us what she is learning and we are all learning so much! I wish this was around when I was a child.

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Disappointed. For $35, I thought there would be a LOT more to this app. It’s also not the Secret Stories Better Alphabet Song that my son learned and loved on YouTube.

Excellent resource. This app is handy in that you have the stories at your fingertips. Children can use the app to help decode words right away if they can’t remember the stories yet. The better alphabet song is a must before learning any of the stories and the key is to keep one’s eyes “GLUED” or staring at each letter while following along with the song. It solidifies the learning A LOT faster by knowing letter/sound recognition. As a teacher I am sold on Secret Stories to help those student learn phonics patterns in such a fun way!

1:1 and small group teaching. This app is handy for in-person teaching as well as small group instruction. The stories are at your fingertips and save finding the posters for the student(s) you are helping-great for those spontaneous moments and questions especially during writing time!

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