Hand the device to your child

What your child does on their first sign-in, what Today shows, and how you get back to your own pages.

Updated November 3, 2026 · 2 min read · For families

When your child's sign-in is set and the device is trusted, the setup page "Hand the device to" your child's name shows Start the 10-minute check. Press it and hand the device over. Your child picks their picture on "Who is reading today?" and signs in with the method you chose.

What your child does

1. They see "Who is reading today?" with the children in your family. 2. They tap their picture. 3. They sign in: - Pictures. "Tap your three pictures": they tap their 3 pictures in order. - Three words (grades 3 to 8). "Type your three words": they type the words you wrote down and press Go. - Tap their picture (Pre-K and K). "Ready to read?": they press Start reading. 4. They land on Today.

If a picture is wrong, they see "Not quite. Try again!" Details are in Picture passwords.

What Today shows

Today is a short plan for the day: a lesson, a book and a quick check, with what's in it set by your child's band. When every item is done, it says so and offers books to read again. New books come with the next day's shelf. See What your child sees today.

The other tabs hold your child's books, their writing (drawing for Pre-K and K), and a page that shows what they've done: a garden, a tree, a journal or a progress page, by band.

Getting back to your pages

Press the lock button (Grown-ups) at the top of your child's screen.
Press and hold Hold to continue for two seconds.
A number appears in words, such as "forty-two". Type it with digits.
If you are right, your child is signed out on this device and your family page opens.

Each number lasts 5 minutes. A wrong answer gives you a new one. More in The grown-up check.

If it doesn't work

Your child is locked out. Five wrong tries in a row lock their sign-in for 15 minutes. They see "Let's take a little break. Ask a grown-up for help." See Child is locked out.
Your child isn't listed. See Child isn't on "Who is reading?".
The child was signed out on their own. See How long children stay signed in.

Common questions

Can I change how my child signs in? Yes. Signed in as yourself, open Children, then Sign-in and devices on your child's card, and pick a different method under "How" your child's name "signs in".

Anything else, write to support@taletykes.com.

Set up a reading deviceHow to trust a browser for your child, choose how they sign in, and what to do if cookies get cleared.The grown-up checkBefore a grown-up page opens on a device where a child is signed in, you hold a button and type a number. Here is how it works.What your child sees todayToday's plan is a short list: a lesson, a book and a quick check. When it's done, your child can reread books they have, and nothing new appears until tomorrow.Add a childWhat we ask when you add a child, why we ask for so little, and how grade picks the reading band.

Still stuck?

Write to us with what you were trying to do and what you saw on screen.