GitHub - melvinmt/early-reader-app: A mobile app implementing the DISTAR phonics methodology pioneered by Siegfried Engelmann, combined with spaced repetition learning algorithms and a touch of AI.

A mobile app implementing the DISTAR phonics methodology pioneered by Siegfried Engelmann, combined with spaced repetition learning algorithms and a touch of AI.

📲 Download

Early Reader is available for free on the App Store:

No account required. No data collection. Works completely offline.

👨‍👧 Who Is This For?

I built this app for my 4-year-old daughter to help her learn to read before starting first grade. As a parent, I wanted something based on proven research rather than gamified edutainment—and I'm sharing it with other parents who feel the same way.

Early Reader is designed for:

💒 Pre-schoolers (ages 3-6) learning to read
👪 Parents who want a research-backed approach
🏠 Homeschooling families
👩‍🏫 Tutors and educators using phonics-based instruction

✨ What Makes This Special

This isn't just another flashcard app. Early Reader is built on decades of research:

DISTAR Phonics: A systematic, phonics-first approach developed by Siegfried Engelmann that has been proven effective for teaching children to read
Spaced Repetition (SM-2): The same algorithm used by Anki and SuperMemo, optimized for long-term retention
AI-Powered Cards: Contextual word generation and imagery that adapts to your child's learning journey

📊 Content Stats

The app includes a comprehensive curriculum with pre-generated assets:

Category	Cards	Description
Letters (Phonemes)	31	Individual letter sounds (a, m, s, etc.)
Digraphs	12	Two-letter combinations (sh, th, ch, etc.)
Words	590	Decodable words built from learned phonemes
Sentences	88	Simple sentences for reading practice
Total Cards	721	Complete DISTAR-based curriculum

Asset Breakdown

🖼️ 721 images — AI-generated illustrations for each card
🔊 4,195 audio files — Professional voice recordings including:
- Word/phoneme pronunciations
- Prompts ("What sound does this make?")
- Encouragement ("Great job!")
- Hints and retry prompts

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

Node.js 18+
Git LFS (for large assets like images and audio files)
Expo CLI (npm install -g expo-cli)
iOS Simulator (macOS) or Android Emulator

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/melvinmt/early-reader-app.git
cd early-reader-app

# Install Git LFS (if not already installed)
# macOS
brew install git-lfs

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install git-lfs

# Initialize Git LFS
git lfs install
git lfs pull

# Install dependencies
npm install

Running the App

Development Mode (Expo Go)

Note: Speech recognition features require a native build and cannot run in Expo Go. For full functionality, use native development mode (see below).

# Start the development server
npm start

# Or use the init script
./init.sh

Then:

Press i for iOS Simulator
Press a for Android Emulator
Scan QR code with Expo Go app on physical device

Native Development (Required for Speech Recognition)

Speech recognition features require a native build. Follow these steps:

Install dependencies and prebuild native code:

# Install npm dependencies
npm install

# Generate native iOS/Android projects
# Use WITHOUT --clean to preserve existing Xcode project settings
# Only use --clean if you need a completely fresh start
npx expo prebuild

# For iOS, install CocoaPods dependencies
cd ios && pod install && cd ..

Important:

Use npx expo prebuild (without --clean) to preserve your existing Xcode project settings
Only use npx expo prebuild --clean when you need a completely fresh native project (this will overwrite all custom settings)
If you have custom Xcode settings, consider using Expo config plugins to apply them programmatically

Run on a physical device (speech recognition requires a physical device):

# For iOS - requires physical device connected
npx expo run:ios --device

# For Android - can use emulator or physical device
npx expo run:android

Important Notes:

iOS Simulator does NOT support speech recognition - you must use a physical iOS device
After prebuild, always use npx expo run:ios or npx expo run:android rather than opening Xcode/Android Studio directly
The app will gracefully degrade if microphone/speech permissions are denied - it will work normally without pronunciation checks

Permissions

The app requests the following permissions:

Microphone: Required for speech recognition to help children practice pronunciation
Speech Recognition: Required to validate pronunciation accuracy

Both permissions are optional - the app functions normally if permissions are denied, just without pronunciation validation features.

📁 Project Structure

early-reader-app/
├── app/                    # Expo Router screens
│   ├── auth/              # Authentication screens
│   ├── onboarding/        # Onboarding flow
│   └── ...
├── src/
│   ├── components/        # Reusable UI components
│   ├── services/          # API and storage services
│   │   └── storage/      # SQLite database
│   ├── stores/           # Zustand state stores
│   └── types/            # TypeScript types
├── scripts/              # Build and generation scripts
├── features.json         # Feature tracking
└── claude-progress.txt   # Development progress log

🛠 Tech Stack

Framework: React Native + Expo
Navigation: Expo Router
State Management: Zustand
Database: SQLite (local-first)
Animations: React Native Reanimated + Lottie

📚 The DISTAR Method

DISTAR (Direct Instruction System for Teaching Arithmetic and Reading) was developed by Siegfried Engelmann in the 1960s. Key principles include:

Explicit phonics instruction - Teaching letter-sound relationships directly
Carefully sequenced lessons - Building skills progressively
Immediate feedback - Correcting errors right away
High engagement - Keeping children actively involved

Combined with spaced repetition, this approach maximizes retention while minimizing study time.

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Here's how to get involved:

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
Open a Pull Request

Contributor License Agreement

Because this project has a commercial release on the App Store and Google Play, all contributors must sign a Contributor License Agreement (CLA). This grants Instalabs, LLC the right to include your code in our app store releases while keeping your contribution open source for the community.

📄 License

This project is dual-licensed to support both open research and sustainable development:

Community Use: The source code is available under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (AGPLv3). This ensures that the research and educational methodology remain open for everyone to learn from and improve.
Commercial Use: The official builds on the Apple App Store and Google Play are published by Instalabs, LLC under a standard commercial license.