Starfall.com is a wonderful website for kids. It provides free and subscription-based learning games and resources for young children. It focuses on early literacy, math, and foundational skills. Initially created to teach reading through phonics, Starfall has since expanded to include interactive content in math, social studies, and more. Go to: https://www.starfall.com/h/accessibility.php which is on the first page so your child can access the site also.
Key Features of Starfall.com Website for kids:
- Phonics and Reading: The website offers various phonics-based reading games and activities, helping children build vocabulary and comprehension skills.
- Math: Starfall includes interactive games and exercises that teach basic math concepts such as counting, addition, subtraction, and geometry.
- Language Arts: Activities to help kids understand grammar, sentence building, and other language concepts.
- Science and Social Studies: Limited resources are available for early science and social studies learning.
Accessibility and Screen Reader Compatibility for young children:
While Starfall.com website for kids aim to be accessible (most of it is) BUT, you must use: https://www.starfall.com/h/accessibility.php for accessible play for interactive games and animations, which are a major component of Starfall’s appeal.
- VoiceOver (iOS): Some parts of Starfall are accessible when using VoiceOver on iOS devices. However, many interactive elements may not be read or described in full by the screen reader, making navigation difficult.
- JAWS and NVDA (Windows): Starfall’s web-based activities have mixed results with JAWS and NVDA. Some of the educational content is accessible, but much of the visual and interactive games may not be fully usable. The site does not appear to have been fully optimized for these tools.
- Keyboard Navigation: For users who rely on keyboard navigation, Starfall might be challenging since many games require dragging and dropping or clicking on specific items that are visually represented.
- Text Descriptions and Audio Narration: Starfall includes a lot of audio instructions and narrated text, which can be helpful for users with low vision or reading difficulties, but this is often tied to specific animations or games that may not be fully accessible to blind children.