Early access now
Reading
Letter sounds and blending, then short words like map, fin, and cat, then sh, ch, and th, blends, and silent e.
Ages 2 to 8 · At home on iPad
A private tutor for your child, every day.
Elmday starts where your child is, with one short session a day. The youngest play letter and sound games with you. Readers get a ten to fifteen minute lesson that shows every sound before your child tries it. You listen, and tap when a word is read clearly.
Reading is in early access now. Joining the waitlist is free.
1Each letter lights up with its sound
2Your child builds the word from letter tiles
A good tutor sees what your child already knows, teaches the very next step, and doesn’t move on until it sticks. Elmday does that once a day, at home: a few minutes for little ones, and ten to fifteen minutes for readers.
How it works
Three steps, every day.
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I
A quick placement
You answer a few quick questions about your child. Older children then read a few little words while you listen, and one tap from you tells Elmday how each went. Placement starts easy and adjusts.
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II
A short lesson
Each letter lights up with its sound, then the sounds blend into a word. Your child builds it from letter tiles and reads it aloud. You listen and tap when it’s read clearly. Then the lesson simply ends.
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III
Levels, and a note for you
Your child moves up a level once a skill is solid. You get a short note on what they practiced, why, and what comes next. No coins or prizes to chase.
Where your child starts
Four starter levels, then thirteen reading levels.
Little ones start with short letter and sound games you play together. Then reading runs across 13 levels, from first letter sounds to silent e. Each level builds on the one before it.
Starter levelsPlayed together · no test
- Starter 1Big lettersstarting with your child’s own name
- Starter 2Small letters
- Starter 3Clap and rhyme
- Starter 4First sounds
Reading levelsA certificate for each
- Level 1Letter sounds and blending
- Level 2Short a words
- Level 3Short i words
- Level 4Short o words
- Level 5Short u words
- Level 6Short e words
- Level 7Mixed short vowel words
- Level 8sh, ch, th
- Level 9ck, wh
- Level 10Starting blends
- Level 11Ending blends
- Level 12or, ar
- Level 13Silent e
Certificate
Level 3 complete
Short i words
Explored together
Starter 1
Big letters
For 2- and 3-year-olds
A game you play together.
For the youngest children, Elmday is pre-reading play with a grown-up, not a lesson to do alone. You sit together, your child taps, and you both say the letters, the claps and the rhymes out loud.
A few minutes, then off to play.
For children under 3, a session is a few minutes, always with a grown-up, and ends with an idea to try away from the screen. There’s no timer, no score and no “one more”.
You’re the co-player.
If your child isn’t sure, say it for them and move on. There are no wrong answers in the Starter levels. Stop while it’s still fun.
Explored, not tested.
Starter levels have no test. Once your child has tried every activity in a level with you, you’ll see an “explored together” card, like “Starter 1: Big letters, explored together”. You choose whether to play more or try the next one.
What your child learns
Reading, and spelling the words your child knows.
The foundations a child needs before everything else, taught one step at a time.
Part of the lesson
Spelling
Your child also spells words they have already learned to read, so reading and spelling grow together.
Why parents trust it
Research-based, calm, and private.
Built on the science of reading
Elmday teaches the way reading research says children learn best: sounds first, then blending, then whole words, in a clear order with plenty of practice. No guessing from pictures.
A note for you after every lesson
A short parent guide gets you started. After that, the parent view shows what your child practiced, how it went, and why the lesson was chosen, with every level certificate kept in one place.
Private by design
No ads. No trackers. No microphone. Children never make accounts; a parent owns the account, and a PIN keeps settings away from little hands. We collect as little as we can and never sell data. Built with children’s privacy law (COPPA) in mind. Questions? founder@elmday.app
The founding circle
For the first 50 families.
Founding families use Elmday’s reading lessons first and help shape what we build next, with a direct line to the team.
Founding pricing
$19 a month or $149 a year
Locked in while your membership stays active. If it isn’t right for your family, email us within 14 days of your first charge for a full refund.
You’re on the list.
We’ll email you when your spot opens.
Questions in the meantime? founder@elmday.app
Questions
What parents ask.
What ages is Elmday for?
About 2 to 8. Two- and three-year-olds play short letter and sound games with a grown-up, a few minutes at a time. Starter levels come before reading lessons, and placement finds where your child starts.
Who does the teaching?
Elmday is the tutor, and a grown-up joins in briefly. Each letter lights up with its sound, the lesson shows how the sounds blend into a word, and then your child tries. You listen and tap when a word is read clearly. Elmday never rushes, and a miss is simply another try.
How do levels work?
Reading is organized into 13 levels, from letter sounds and blending to silent e. When your child finishes a level, you’ll see something like “Level 3 complete: Short i words”, and a certificate is saved to your parent view. Before Level 1 there are four Starter levels. They have no test and no certificate. Once your child has tried every activity in one with you, you’ll see an “explored together” card, like “Starter 1: Big letters, explored together”. If your child already says letter sounds, placement starts them later.
Which devices does it work on?
Elmday is designed for iPad. Founding families get early access to the iPad app first.
How much screen time is it?
For readers, one session a day of ten to fifteen minutes. Every lesson has a clear end: there’s no “one more,” no autoplay, and nothing to scroll. For children under 3, a session is a few minutes, always with a grown-up, and ends with an idea to try away from the screen.
Do I need to sit with my child?
Yes, for part of it. The Starter levels are always played with a grown-up. For readers, you join in briefly: when your child reads a word aloud, you listen and tap whether you heard it clearly or they needed help. Elmday doesn’t use the microphone. The short parent guide shows you how to help without turning it into a quiz.
What does a 2- or 3-year-old actually do?
Short letter and sound games: finding big letters, starting with the ones in their own name, clapping the parts of words like ba-na-na, and hearing which words rhyme. Your child explores letters and sounds with you. It’s play, with no test and no score.
Is Elmday a preschool?
No. Elmday is a short extra at home, not a preschool or a school. Time with you, books, talk and play come first.
What happens to my child’s data?
Very little is collected, and none of it is sold or used for ads. There are no trackers in the app or on this site. Your child doesn’t make an account. Elmday doesn’t use the microphone and never records your child’s voice. You can email founder@elmday.app any time to ask what we hold or to delete it.