Category Archives: educational apps for kids

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Chalkboard Math

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This FREE app for iPhone/iPad Helps kids practice their basic facts for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. First kids choose numbers (1-12) to work with, then the math operation/operations. The app generates practice in 2 modes: answer mode (enter the answers & get feedback) or flashcard mode (answer verbally then check). The game has no built-in sounds but there is positive reinforcement written at the top of the page. If a child misses a problem, it shows the correct answer. What I really like about this app is the ability to choose specific numbers to work on. Facts can be practiced in the order they are taught. I also like the ability to choose more than one operation to practice – it makes kids pay attention to the signs of operation and see the relationships between operations. This app is simple but effective – if you loaded this app on your iPhone, kids could easily practice flashcards on their way to after school lessons 🙂

Common Core Standards met:

  • 1.OA.6 – Add and subtract within 20, demonstrating fluency for addition and subtraction within 10.
  • 2.OA.2 – Fluently add and subtract within 20 using mental strategies. By end of Grade 2, know from memory all sums of two one-digit numbers.
  • 3.OA.7 – Fluently multiply and divide within 100, using strategies such as the relationship between multiplication and division or properties of operations. By the end of Grade 3, know from memory all products of two one-digit numbers.

Recommended!

Chalkboard Math - 22nd Century Software LLC

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Princess Piano

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FREE today, this app for the iPhone/iPad usually costs $1.99. Kids help Princess Piano dance her way back to the Cloud Kingdom by playing the songs on the piano as well as they can. The app introduces musical notation one note at a time (starting with c,d,e….) as well as the timing of notes (quarter notes, half notes). Kids are given practice as each new note/concept is taught. There are three modes of difficulty: beginner (keys flash, key/notes are labeled, 60% or better to advance), advanced (keys labeled, 80% or better to advance) and virtuoso (90% or better to advance). As kids advance through the levels they unlock outfits for Princess Piano – which they can use in “Dressing Room.” There is also a “Song Maker” tool for kids to compose their own music. This app is a great introduction to reading music!

Highly Recommended!

Princess Piano - Dented Pixel

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Easy Board

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This iPad app is currently FREE but usually sells for $.99. It turns your iPad into a whiteboard with 8 colored markers. Kids can show their work without the messiness of mini-whiteboards, markers, & erasers. Also included are 35 “magnets” offering visual supports with phrases like: help, question, sit down, thirsty, restroom, list, write, etc.  This app could be very useful in any classroom – especially with special needs kids who could benefit from the structure and visual supports. It would be even better if kids could save their work to share with others AND if teachers/students could create/customize their own magnets.

Recommended!

Easy Board - Red Ape Mobile

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Jake’s Never Land Pirate School

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Ahoy Matey! This app for the iPhone/iPad is FREE from Disney. Kids 3+  join Jake and his crew (from Never Land Pirates TV) for pirate classes which include sailing, pirate band, map & spyglass, and pixie dust. In pirate school, kids practice listening & following directions, counting, tracing shapes, and more. You can import your child’s picture and create a pirate – very cute!  Kids can keep track of the levels they have completed and the badges they have earned in the Captain’s Log. This is a fun app  – especially for young fans of the show!

Recommended!

Jake's Never Land Pirate School - Disney

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Love to Count by Pirate Trio

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This iPhone/iPad app is FREE today. Designed for 4 – 7 years olds, it introduces math concepts (such as counting, ordering, addition, subtraction, shapes) using a pirate theme. Kids earn and collect rewards for their treasure chest as they progress through the 700 math tasks included in this app. More than one child can be added to the program and parents or teachers can monitor their children’s progress. The statistics section shows what tasks have been completed and which were completely correctly on the first attempt. Nicely done app!

Common Core Standards met:

  • K.CC.2 – Correctly name shapes regardless of their orientations or overall size.
  • K.CC.4 – Understand the relationship between numbers and quantities; connect counting to cardinality.
  • K.OA.1 – Represent addition and subtraction with objects, fingers, mental images, drawings, sounds (e.g., claps), acting out situations, verbal explanations, expressions, or equations.
  • K.G.2.  – Correctly name shapes regardless of their orientations or overall size.

Recommended!

Love to Count by Pirate Trio - Next is Great

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Millie and the Lost Key

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Since this is my 100th review, I wanted to write about an app that I love. Millie and the Lost Key is the second book in the Millie Was Here series for the iPhone/iPad. I was able to download it on a FREE day but it normally sells for $1.99. Millie, the adorable adventure-seeking dog, travels (by cab) to a dark and mysterious island (Central Park) in a quest to find the ultimate treasure – the key to endless bacon. The story was not adapted from an already existing book. The interactivity on every page was built into the story as it was written. There are also hidden stickers throughout the story for kids to collect. The Millie series is now available in 11 languages. Languages can be changed in the setting of your device. This is a great app for preschool and primary-aged kids.

I also loved Millie Was Here (review posted on June 24, 2012) – can’t wait for more adventures of Millie.

Highly Recommended!

Millie & The Lost Key - Millie Was Here, Book 2 - Megapops LLC

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Giggle Ghosts

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This counting iPad app for toddlers costs $.99 but I was able to download it on a day that it was FREE. The giggle ghosts are very cute – kids will love to hear them laugh. Kids help 20 ghosts get the party by bouncing them across rooftops. In the first level the sky is clear and they have to bounce 5 ghosts. The app counts to 5 and shows the written numbers. The second level is the same but there are leaves blowing in the sky. The third level is the same but  there are clouds in the sky. And in the fourth level it is raining, but the counting task remains the same. At the end the app counts all 20 ghosts at the party. I was hoping that the 4 levels would count:1 – 5, then 6 – 10, then 11 – 15, and 16 – 20 rather than all be the same. Cute and simply done – it might be fun for Halloween!

Keep reading my blog to find out when apps are offered for FREE!

Giggle Ghosts - by Busy Bee Studios - Busy Bee Studios

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Tap A Tune

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This adorable app for the iPhone/iPad is FREE for a limited time. Kids 2+ can play their own nursery rhymes (7 included) & holiday tunes (9 included) by tapping the animals as they pop out of holes in the ground. The app has 3 modes: baby mode (plays the tune correctly no matter which animal is tapped), play mode (tap the animals in the order that they pop up), and freestyle mode (tap the animals in any order to create your own tune). There is an option of changing to a keyboard when you feel your child is ready to make that transition. There are also 9 instrument options – piano, accordion, clarinet, acoustic guitar, xylophone, drum, harmonica, harp, and animal noises! When a tune is completed, all of the animals pop out of their holes to dance as the tune replays. The result is sheer happiness!

Recommended!

Tap A Tune - Mindshapes Limited

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JibJab Junior

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From the folks at JibJab comes a FREE app for your iPad that puts your child as the star of his/her own books. JibJab has been around since 1999. During the 2004 presidential election their Flash movie, This Land, featured George Bush and John Kerry singing a parody of the Woodie Guthrie song, This Land is Your Land. It became a huge success, received millions of hits, and was featured on several major news channels. The company has continued to make videos but added a commercial site several years ago where you can find 1000+ Make & Share eCards and 500+ Starring You videos. Their videos are made for adults so you will want to use the app for your kids rather than explore the website.

The kids’ app was updated in January of 2012 and it is very easy to use. Just choose a picture of your child from the photo library, Facebook, or take one with your camera. Place your child’s face in the opening, adjust it to fit the space, and then add his/her name. Make sure you choose the correct gender so that the pronouns are correct. If you have more than one child, you can create books starring each of them. The book has animations on each page. There is not a read along option because your child’s name is inserted in the text. The first book, The Biggest Pizza Ever, is free. After that you may purchase individual books ($7.99) or join the book of the month club ($3.99, but be aware that it automatically renews until you cancel). I have been a fan of JibJab for years so was excited to see them come out with products for kids – fun stuff!!

Learn more here: http://www.jibjab.com/kids

Highly Recommended!

JibJab Jr. Books - JibJab Media Inc.

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Wonder Kids

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This app is designed for the iPhone/iPad for toddlers and preschoolers. I downloaded it for FREE – it usually costs $1.99. It is supported in 5 languages (English, Korean, Chinese, Japanese & Spanish) and can be easily changed from one language to another by clicking on the flags. The version I have included about 40 animal flashcards. Additional in-app purchases are available. The animals are presented in abc order (for the English version of the word). For each animal you can opt to hear the word pronounced or an entire sentence using the word. I really like this feature – it makes this app stand out. There are 5 activities available for each animal – coloring, jigsaw puzzles (3 levels of difficulty), matching (3 levels of difficulty), bingo, and drawing. Each of these activities repeats the word or sentence containing the word and the colorful illustrations become animated when the activity is completed. This app is very appealing and nicely done!

Although this app is designed for young kids, it could be used to teach foreign language vocabulary to older students! However since I am not a foreign language expert, I cannot speak to how the sentence structure might translate.

Keep reading my blog for app alerts which will let readers know when the apps that I have reviewed are available for FREE  🙂

Recommended!

Wonder Kids - zibann