Sick of begging your kids to read? This Aussie-made game fixes that

Two mums have created a game that secretly teaches your kids to read and we’re obsessed!

Two Aussie mums, Anna O’Connor and Lucy Campbell, have invented a game that gets kids excited about reading.

Sound Slam is a viral card game tackling Australia’s $40 billion reading crisis and kids love it.

Since launching late last year, thousands of Aussie families have played it. Teachers, kids’ book influencers, parenting podcasters and speech pathologists are all raving about it.

All about Sound Slam

Parents are ditching apps for old-school connection

Aussie parents are turning away from another “educational” app. They want screen-free fun that actually works and Sound Slam delivers. It builds connection and teaches essential literacy skills right when we need it most.

The 2025 NAPLAN results show one in three students aren’t meeting literacy standards, with 10 per cent needing extra help and 20 per cent still “developing”. Add rising developmental vulnerability, 90% of businesses feeling the pinch of low literacy and a $40 billion price tag, and it’s clear something has to change.

These two Aussie mums are proving it can start at home.

How Sound Slam works

Evidence shows phonological awareness (a child’s ability to recognise and work with sounds in spoken language) at school entry is the single biggest predictor of reading success.

That’s exactly what Sound Slam targets. It gets kids rhyming, isolating single sounds and playing with language in a way that feels like a game, not a lesson.

Co-founder Anna O’Connor, a primary school teacher, says she’s seen first-hand how many kids start school already behind the eight ball. “I saw so many kids starting school behind when it came to reading. I knew if parents realised how easy and fun it is to build this skill that can have a huge impact on their child’s reading trajectory, then they would jump at the opportunity. They just needed help to get started!”

Learning to read can be easy and fun

Anna and Lucy designed Sound Slam to be as easy for parents as it is fun for kids.

“That’s why we created Sound Slam,” Anna says. “We designed it to be as easy for parents as it is fun for kids, all while they’re learning the essentials for reading. It’s like hiding veggies in spaghetti bolognese!

“Just like learning to swim, learning to read should be a birthright for all Aussie kids. Mastering phonological awareness is a key predictor of future reading success, higher education success, and ultimately life success. All Aussie kids should be given their best shot at this.”

Sound Slam is available now at SoundSlam.com.au.