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 rewarding as the screen time children looked forward to?

Rather than simply reminding him to read, the Grade 12 student at the American School of Dubai decided to build a solution herself.

The result is IKRAA, a bilingual Arabic-English reading platform that allows children to track their reading, work towards goals and earn rewards for their progress.

“It made me wonder why reading had to feel like a chore when it could be something children looked forward to. That's where the idea for IKRAA came from. I wanted to find a way to make reading feel rewarding and exciting instead of like another task,” Maya told Gulf News.

From a family challenge to a bigger idea

Born and raised in Dubai, Maya, who is of Egyptian and Palestinian heritage, noticed that her brother's reluctance to read was not necessarily because he struggled with books or disliked stories.

The real challenge was motivating him to pick one up, particularly when tablets, games and other activities offered more immediate entertainment.

“I realised that a lot of children probably experience the same thing, especially when there are so many other things competing for their attention,” she said.

For Maya, the issue went beyond getting children to read more. She wanted them to understand why reading mattered, particularly as they progressed through school. Reading, she believes, helps develop imagination, confidence, comprehension and the ability to understand different perspectives.

Her involvement with Room to Read, a global non-profit organisation focused on improving childhood literacy and gender equality in education, also strengthened that belief.

“That showed me how easily we can take access to books and education for granted. Knowing that some children don't have the same opportunities has made me appreciate reading even more. To me, it's not just about finishing a book, it's about everything that reading can open up for someone.”

Turning screen time into reading time

Although Maya had little experience developing apps, she saw an opportunity to use children's familiarity with technology to encourage a different kind of habit.

“I knew I could keep reminding my brother to read, but I wanted to create something that would motivate him without needing someone constantly telling him what to do.”

Instead of treating technology solely as a distraction, she wanted to make it part of the solution. “I liked the idea of turning a small problem I noticed at home into something that could potentially help other families too,” she said.

Her aim was simple - make reading feel less like homework and more like an activity children willingly choose.

“Reading also takes patience, and the benefits aren't always immediately obvious. I'm trying to make that progress more visible. By allowing children to track their reading, work towards goals, and earn rewards, I hope they begin to associate reading with a sense of achievement rather than something they have to do.”

How IKRAA turns reading into rewards

IKRAA allows parents to set reading targets for their children, such as reading for 30 minutes a day, five days a week.

Children then log their reading minutes on the platform and earn credits as they achieve their goals. The credits accumulate over time, giving them the option to save towards bigger rewards or redeem smaller ones.

Parents or teachers can agree on rewards with children, whether that means extra screen time or another incentive they would enjoy.

“I chose this approach because I think children respond well to having something to work towards. Eventually, my hope is that the reward becomes less important because they've started to genuinely enjoy reading itself. The rewards are really just a starting point to help build that habit.”

Learning to build an app from scratch

Maya used Glide, a no-code, AI-powered app development platform, to build IKRAA despite having limited experience creating applications. “Since I didn't have much experience creating apps, I had to learn a lot along the way, from designing the layout to figuring out how to make the different features work.”

The development process involved plenty of trial and error, but the biggest hurdle has been getting the app onto Apple's App Store. While that process is still under way, IKRAA is available to explore through its website, ikraa.ae.

Why Arabic was just as important as English

For Maya, making IKRAA bilingual was an important part of ensuring that the platform could reach more families.

“Growing up in Dubai, I've always been surrounded by people who speak different languages, and I know how important it is for children to feel comfortable reading in the language they connect with. Arabic is also a big part of my own background, so I didn't want IKRAA to be limited to English.”

By offering both Arabic and English, she hopes to encourage children to strengthen their reading skills in whichever language they feel most comfortable using.

Success is more than downloads

Although IKRAA began as a way to motivate her younger brother, Maya now hopes it can reach other households and eventually schools.

“What means the most to me is knowing that IKRAA has the potential to make a difference beyond my own home. I'd love to see more families and schools using it, and eventually expand its features to make reading even more engaging.”

But for the 17-year-old, the real measure of success has little to do with downloads or the number of people using the platform.

“For me, success wouldn't just be about how many people download the app. It would be knowing that even one child who previously disliked reading has started picking up books because they genuinely want to.”