About RulebookPals

RulebookPals teaches a first- or second-grader to read a procedure — a one-page game rulebook — and then proves the comprehension by asking the child to catch rule-mistakes in play, and finally to write the rule card themselves. Board-game platforms usually teach the rules just enough to automate them; here reading the rules is the whole point. It’s reading that isn’t a story: a sequence of steps you must follow in order (CCSS RI.2.3 / RI.3.3), then informative writing (W.2.2). Ages 6–8 (grades 1–2).

The cast

A small friendly crew, each of whom shows one procedural-reading job (their illustrated storybooks are on the way):

• Reeda — reads first: always reads the whole rulebook before touching a piece.
• Steppo — follows the steps in order, one at a time, never skipping ahead.
• Checkett — catches the mistake: spots when a turn didn’t match the rules.
• Nib — writes the rule card so anyone can learn the game next.

What it does NOT do

• No AI near the comprehension check. Whether a turn broke a rule is a plain, exact calculation from the rulebook — never a guess from a model.
• Gentle, never a fail-state. A missed catch gets a warm “let’s re-read the rule,” not a buzzer. No timer, no streak-guilt, no pressure.
• No drag needed. The rule card is ordered with big up/down buttons — works with one finger and with a keyboard.
• No accounts, nothing leaves the device. The only thing stored locally is how many rulebooks you’ve learned.
• Big buttons + read-aloud. Built for little hands and early readers.

Honest yield

RulebookPals is authentic practice with procedural-text comprehension (following a sequence of steps) and informative writing (CCSS RI.2.3 / RI.3.3 · W.2.2). It is not a claim that using it raises test scores or makes a child “smarter.”

Part of the Spark & Anvil portfolio · Program #113 (Board-Game Platform & Together). Web-pioneered — the iOS app is a separate, founder-gated build.