News-O-Matic: Reading for Kids
Fun, interactive way for kids to learn about current events.
News-O-Matic: Reading for Kids
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this app.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that News-O-Matic: Reading for Kids is an interactive, subscription-based news reader for kids ages 7–13. Stories are written by experts, and a child psychologist reviews the articles. Parents can select an appropriate age range for their child to adjust the reading level of the content, but kids may also opt to have the stories read aloud. Kids can submit questions and drawings that may be included in the News Room section of the site along with their username. Read the developer's privacy policy for details on how your (or your kids') information is collected, used, and shared and any choices you may have in the matter, and note that privacy policies and terms of service frequently change.
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Thanks News-O-Matic!!!
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What’s It About?
The front page of NEWS-O-MATIC: READING FOR KIDS displays colorful pictures representing the five top stories of the day and a news ticker with additional tidbits related to current events. The news includes a range of topics, including politics, sports, history, animals, weather, social media, movie reviews, and science. Kids can also scroll to access previous news cycles. When they click through on an article, they'll find a long-format piece or a collection of longer pieces around the theme, a video, a slideshow, a poll, a map, and some games. There's also a place to submit questions and comments and an art board to draw images inspired by the content. Kids can submit these for inclusion in the News Room, where the editor responds to questions and comments.
Kids can assemble a jigsaw puzzle with a picture from the story or try to guess the mystery word (in a game similar to hangman, but assembling a robot instead). The third game, a timeline activity, wasn't working at the time of review. Kids can save articles in their profile to read later. They can also search for news stories around a specific topic.
Is It Any Good?
This kid-friendly news reader is a great way to engage kids with current events and media literacy. News-O-Matic: Reading for Kids is colorful and fun, and includes a great range of topics to appeal to a wide variety of interests. The additional activities help kids connect with what they've read, and the options to write letters to the editor or to take a poll give them an opportunity to voice their own opinions. There are the occasional rough patches -- a game not working or an awkwardly worded quiz question -- but overall this is a fantastic experience for kids. Parents should take advantage of the generous free trials (ranging from a week to a month, depending on subscription level) to determine if this is a good fit for their family in terms of content and interests.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the importance of reading the news and staying aware of current events using apps like News-O-Matic: Reading for Kids. What are some examples of things that you might want to know about?
Talk about what to do if the news is scary or upsetting. What are things you can do to feel better?
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
- Subjects: Language & Reading: reading, reading comprehension, vocabulary, Science: animals, weather, Social Studies: events, geography, government, history
- Skills: Thinking & Reasoning: thinking critically, Creativity: imagination, making new creations, Emotional Development: perspective taking
- Pricing structure: Free to try (Each new subscription includes a free trial rangin from 1 week to 1 month, depending on the subscription level.)
- Release date: August 17, 2020
- Category: Education
- Topics: Activism, STEM, History, Holidays, Science and Nature
- Publisher: Press4Kids
- Version: 6.0.0
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 11.0 or later
- Last updated: March 29, 2021
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