Read aloud

Read aloud lets LuLinDingo say each math question out loud, using the voice already built into your phone, tablet, or computer. The child taps a small speaker button to hear the problem, and if the question has answer choices, those get read out too.

It works without an internet connection, just like the rest of the app.

Who it helps

This is for any child who finds the reading part of a math question slower than the math itself. An early reader might know "7 plus 4" by ear but still have to sound out the words on screen. A child with dyslexia may stall on the text long before the sum. And on a tired evening, some kids would rather listen than read.

If your child reads fine and prefers quiet, leave it off. It does nothing until you turn it on.

Turning it on

Read aloud starts off. To switch it on:

Open Settings (the gear icon).
Find the "Read Aloud" section.
Tick "Speak questions aloud".

A speed choice appears once it's on: Normal or Slow. Normal reads at a regular talking pace. Slow gives a younger child more time to catch each number. Try both and see which your child follows more easily.

Using it in a lesson

With read aloud on, each new question is spoken automatically as it appears. The child doesn't have to do anything to hear it the first time.

Every question also shows a speaker button. Tapping it replays the question from the start. Tap it again and the audio restarts rather than stacking up, so a child can tap as many times as they like without a pile of voices talking over each other.

For multiple-choice questions, the app reads the problem and then the options, so a child who can't read the choices can still pick one. Pattern questions are read row by row.

What to expect

The voice comes from the device, so it sounds like whatever voice your phone or tablet normally uses. The first automatic reading in a session is sometimes silent until the child taps the screen once, because some browsers wait for a tap before they play any sound. Tapping the speaker button always works.

On a few older devices that have no built-in speech, the speaker button simply won't show up, and the rest of the app carries on as normal.