Dubai teen creates bilingual reading app to help children develop a love for books
Dubai: Like many children his age, Rakan would rather spend time on his tablet than pick up a book. His parents tried encouraging him to read, but it often took repeated reminders, and reading was never something he chose to do on his own. Watching her younger brother struggle to develop a reading habit gave 17-year-old Maya Lofty an idea. What if she could make reading just as engaging and…
Dubai teenager Maya Lofty developed a bilingual Arabic-English reading app called IKRAA to help children develop a love for reading. Struggling to motivate her brother to read, Maya saw an opportunity to use technology to make the process more engaging and rewarding. IKRAA allows parents to set reading goals and children log their reading progress, earning credits toward rewards.
By making reading feel like an activity children voluntarily choose, Maya hopes the app will help children associate reading with achievement. The app is available on the website and aims to reach more families and schools. Maya believes reading offers benefits like imagination, confidence, comprehension, and understanding different perspectives.
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