Android Community
June 30, 2021
It’s ideal of course that parents be the ones to read with their young kids when they’re still trying to get the hang of reading and developing a love for books. But in cases when kids want to learn independently, technology is there to help them out. Amazon is adding a new Alexa feature called Reading Sidekick for kids aged 6 to 9 that will help them not just develop a love for reading but also to help them practice reading on their own and become stronger readers.
All you need is an Echo device that has enabled Amazon Kids and an Amazon Kids+ subscription. There are currently hundreds of books in the Reading Sidekick library and they can use supported physical books and ebooks as they read along with Alexa. They first have to say “Alexa, let’s read” and then say the title of the book they want to read. Alexa will then ask how much they want to read, a little, a lot, or taking turns.
Amazon launches new Reading Sidekick skill for Alexa Jun 29, 2021, 8:23 PM Amazon is adding new skills to Alexa all the time, but it s not always what you d expect. This time around, the US giant is targeting children with a brand new Alexa skill called Reading Sidekick. It s supposed to make the reading experience more fun for kids ages 6 to 9, as well as help them become better readers.
The new skill requires an Amazon Kids+ subscription, a physical or digital-supported book, and a nearby Amazon Kids-enabled Echo device. But it s not just kids that can use the new skill, as families can also take advantage of the Amazon Kids+ app on any tablet to read one of the many books in the Reading Sidekick library.
Amazon has introduced a new Alexa feature it describes as a “learning experience,” and it’s called Reading Sidekick. The functionality is targeted at kids ages 6 to 9, helping them learn to read independently for enjoyment. The feature works with Echo devices that have the Kids feature enabled, though you’ll also need an Amazon Kids+ subscription to use Reading Sidekick.
Amazon revealed the new functionality today, explaining that the tool leverages the Alexa voice assistant and the Amazon Kids+ app on tablets to read any of the books found in the Reading Sidekick library. There are hundreds of books for young readers supported by Sidekick, according to Amazon, including titles like
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Alexa Can Now Read Stories With Your Kids By Tyler Lee, on 06/29/2021 19:23 PDT
Amazon’s Alexa is a great digital assistant that can help you do things like set reminders, alarms, and all that jazz, but now it seems that it can even take over some of your parental duties by reading with your kids and helping them with things like their accuracy or pronunciation of certain words.
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This new feature is called Reading Sidekick where through an Echo Kids device, it will actively listen to your kids when they are reading out loud. Then together with your kids, Alexa and they will take turns reading through supported books. This means that if this was an activity that you used to do with your kids but you don’t have the time, don’t worry because Alexa will take your place.