FREE today – Alphabet Animals iMix for toddlers and preschoolers. In this flip game, kids mix & match 3 character parts to create a silly looking character with a funny new name. Kids can touch the syllables to hear them pronounced individually or they can touch the speaker to hear the entire new name pronounced. With over 2000 possible combinations, this app provides a fun way to practice making new words. Older children could also use this app to create a new creature then write about it – a fun subject for descriptive writing!

FREE for a limited time – The Flying Alphabetinis Deluxe. Alphabetinis are tiny acrobats with letters on their bellies. Kids (and parents) use them to create as many words as they can, as quickly as they can in this fast-paced, circus-themed word game. As a player is creating words, picture flashcards appear. If the player can spell the word that goes with the picture on the card, he/she earns more points. The game also includes stunts – Super Chill, Cannonball, Super Crystal Ball, or Mind Reader. These stunts power up the play – adding to the fun! Players can earn stunts through playing or they can buy them with in-app purchases. The deluxe edition (currently FREE) includes a 5000 coin bonus. There is also a completely FREE edition of the game available.

The game is designed to be played by 2 people. The app supports child-safe, multi-player gaming or a single family account that shares one device. The app also delivers learning reports to parents which detail minutes played & what was learned. Great word building practice for kids!!

FREE for a limited time – PlaySquare is billed as Touchable Television. Children (ages 3 – 6) play and learn words and letters as the play in Word World. In the first episode, “Happy Birthday Dog”, Dog thinks that everyone has forgotten his birthday. Kids are engaged in the story as they help gather things for a birthday party to surprise Dog.

There are so many wonderful things about this app. It is colorful and engaging. Early literacy skills (letter recognition, letter sound, word building, word recognition) are developed throughout the story. The characters are funny and lovable. But the best part is of the app is how the developers (media experts from Nickelodeon, Sesame Workshop, LeapFrog, and MIT) have used the letters of the word to form the object being spelled – very clever! I LOVE this app!!

Watch the video from the developers @ http://playsquare.tv/

Highly recommended

FREE again – Find the Synonym is an app designed for the iPhone/iPad. It is listed as a game app rather than an educational app but it would be great for kids in upper elementary school/junior high. A word is shown with its part of speech and definition. You are directed to create a 4 – 7 letter synonym of that word using the letters provided. Points are awarded based on the length of the word, the time involved, whether clues are used, and/or if any mistakes are made. Badges are earned as the game is played. It’s simply designed  – not a lot of bell & whistles but it is heavy on content. There are a total of 1600 synonyms in the app. After you find 250 of them, the antonyms are unlocked. There are 700 antonyms in the app.

I realize that this app was not designed for kids per se but it is educational. More flexibility in the settings would make it more suitable for classroom use. I could not find a way to restart the game. The game picks up where it left off & points are cumulative, so only one person can play. Also, having access to both synonyms and antonyms would be a plus. I am sure that teachers will come up with creative ways to use this resource 🙂

Recommended!