Often when people see my kids with an iPod or Android tablet they comment, “they use that thing better than me.” Touch screen devices are so simple to use that there is now a market of apps directed at babies, toddlers and children. Since I allow my kids to use a tablet, and my oldest even has her own Android tablet, I want to make sure she is learning something each minute she’s using it.
There are many great apps to choose from, but today I want to share 5 key apps that my daughter has enjoyed and benefited from. These apps set a good foundation for some basic academic areas that children struggle with in school.
Touch and Learn Alphabet and Numbers
Available on iTunes
This is a very simple and easy-to-use app that helps your child identify numbers, and distinguish between upper case and lower case letters. I like it because parents can adjust what the child sees. For example you can turn off the numbers if you want your child to just practice letters, or you can set it so that they only work on upper or lower case letters.
Once your child can recognize the alphabet, it’s a good idea to have them learn phonics, aka the sound or sounds that each letter makes. Starfall is a favorite in my book when it comes to phonics.
Available on iTunes, Amazon and Google Play
This app is very user friendly for young children and toddlers. The opening screen simply lays out the alphabet and when your child touches a letter it takes them to a screen that gives them the letter sound along with a word and animation for that letter sound. There is a green arrow that sparkles when they should go to the next screen, and sometimes there is a little game, like sorting upper and lower case letters, matching and more. The animations and music in the app are engaging and that is a great first step to learning to read. I love that there are NO ads asking you to purchase more apps, that drives me nuts. Plus this app is available to preview and play online at Starfall.com. (You can actually play on Starfall.com for free from a tablet with apps like Rover for iOS, or Maxthon Kid Browser for Android)
Available on iTunes, Amazon and Google Play
I can’t rave enough about this program. This app is also available via Starfall’s website, but it works great on a tablet and is easier to navigate with a touch screen. It has 15 e-books that sounds each word out phonetically when you tap on it. It will also read entire sentences if you tap on the little ear next to it. Plus each page has an engaging animation. The first five books have stories that highlight short vowel sounds, the middle five books go over long vowel words and the last five cover R controlled vowels, double vowel sounds and Y as a vowel. This app is so rich with content, it also has short videos that cover digraphs like ch, sh, th and wh. Additionally, there are games that assist with spelling words that appear in the stories. I went through this program with my daughter on the website and bought the paper back books to go along with it. If you want to use this as a reading curriculum, there are certificate you can print when your child successfully reads a book from the three sections. You can also print the books and fold the sheets together to create a coloring book for your child.
Now on to Math apps.
Available on iTunes, Amazon and Google Play
This app is laid out just like the ABC app. Only a sample is displayed on their website for free. It has numbers 1-20, then 25, 50 and 100. So, for example, a child will click on the number 5 and five starfishes will appear, then five stars, then five pennies, then five fishes, each time counting up to five, finally they have to put five chicks in numerical order. There are also 4 games that teach counting up to 120 with a train, greater than/less than with fruit, and counting and number recognition with cookies and feeding animals. I like that with the larger numbers (25, 50 and 100) the app teaches skip counting. The app teaches children important skills that are a foundation for learning addition and subtraction.
Available on iTunes, Amazon and Google Play
This app is a gem especially if your child already likes the TV show. It features a counting game where children count the number of toys by touching them, a racing game where kids tilt the tablet to the left or the right to choose the right number, a bubble popping game that teaches number recognition, a toy parade that teaches kids about putting things in order, and a simple addition and subtraction game.
Final Words
When shopping for apps you will find that there are many to choose from, and many of them do the same thing. My daughter did not like every app that I chose for her but the ones that had engaging characters and teach something valuable have been winners.
Does your child use apps for learning? Please share any experiences you have had with children’s educational apps.
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Angele is a wife to a wonderful creative husband, mother to two beautiful intelligent daughters and lover of art, education and laughter. She is the creator and author of ABC remix.
