FREE today, Art ABC for the iPhone/iPad. Like all alphabet books, this app teaches kids the names & sounds of each letter. What makes it unique is that it also incorporates famous works of art. Each letter of the alphabet is presented on a fine art background. There is also a hidden object (with the featured letter) in the background. Kids explore the page by tapping to reveal each object – each in a different way! The app also contains a list of all the famous art included in the app – titles, artists, nationality, medium used, year, and location of the painting. This app could also be used with older students in art class. Nicely done!!
Tag Archives: educational apps for kids
The Electric Company Party Game: Lost on Prankster Planet
Just released and FREE!! The Electric Company Party Game: Lost on Prankster Planet for the iPad was just released on January 31. Marcus and Jessica are stuck on Prankster Planet. Kids help them to escape by completing physical challenges, silly brainstorms, and math questions. Based on the PBS KIDS series, The Electric Company, this digital board game puts kids in teams to add, draw, discuss, think, act, problem solve, and dance their way back to Earth. Some of the academic areas covered include: geometry, addition/subtraction, data analysis/graphing, telling time, and coin recognition/value. Love the idea of a virtual board game – all of the fun without any lost pieces, broken boxes, etc.
Sort and Stack Toys 3D
Sort and Stack Toys 3D was FREE for a very limited time this past week. It is currently $1.99. This educational app for the iPhone/iPad offers a variety of virtual stacking games for kids 3+. Kids build interactive skills, problem solve and think creatively as they identify, sort & stack pieces of the puzzles. This app would be great for the budding builders/engineers in your life!
Keep reading my blog to find out when developers offer their apps for FREE!
Jack and the Beanstalk by Mindshapes
FREE again – Jack and the Beanstalk, an app for the iPhone/iPad – this interactive read-along is a humorous, modern version of a classic tale. The app has 2 options: Read by Myself or Read to Me. The words are highlighted as they are read to help the emerging reader. The animations & illustrations are delightful with interactivity on every page. Teachers could use this app to compare and contrast this modern version to the classic version! This app is really cute and definitely worth downloading!!
The National Parenting Publication Awards: Honors winner in the Children’s Media/Virtual category
ABCmouse.com 26 A-Z Music Videos
FREE – A to Z Music Videos. This app has 26 animated videos – one for each letter of the alphabet. As kids watch the videos, they earn tickets to unlock other videos. There is also an option to purchase tickets to unlock videos more quickly. The videos are top-notch! They help children learn letter names and sounds AND develop vocabulary. Every video is produced in a different musical style, so kids are also introduced to a wide variety of musical genres. This app is a must-have for preschool, kindergarten, and first grade teachers – a perfect introduction to the letters of the alphabet!
Common Core Standards met:
- K. RF.3 – Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. Demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary sound or many of the most frequent sounds for each consonant. Associate the short sounds with common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels.
ABCmouse.com – Ham with Jam, Dan & Jan, Hen in the Pen, Big Pig & Little Pig, To Run is Fun, Big Bug & Little Bug
FREE for a limited time – 6 beginning reading apps!! These apps for the iPhone/iPad are from the ABC Mouse word family beginning reader series. I chose to downloaded The Hen in the Pen to review the series. Each story emphasizes words from a particular word family. There are also easy sight words in the stories. There are several ways that the books can be read: Read to Me, Read with Pause, I Can Read It, and Hear the Words. I really like the Hear the Words option. It allows the child to read alone but tap any word that he/she gets stuck on. There are parent tips on the title page that explain word families and sight words for beginning readers. There are also parent tips throughout the books. The illustrations are colorful and support the text so that kids can use picture clues as they read. The story lines are very simple. But, that is not a negative thing because these apps are more about the process of reading than the actual story. When my son was an early reader, he loved books like these because he could read them “all by himself” and that alone makes them worth downloading 🙂 And…. they are currently FREE.
Common Core Standards met:
K.RF.3 – Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. c. Read common high-frequency words by sight (e.g., the, of, to, you, she, my, is, are, do, does). d. Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ.
Recommended!
Scribble My Story – A Fingerprint Network App
Exciting News – the creators of Scribble Press (in my opinion – one of THE best writing apps for kids) have just released Scribble My Story. It is a junior version of Scribble Press which was named by Time as one of the top 25 apps of 2012. Designed for the youngest authors and artists (ages 3 – 8), Scribble My Story provides a friendly, easy-to-use platform for kids to imagine, create, and share. Included are 6 story packs (with audio for non-readers) that can be customized by the child and a recordable blank book for open-ended creations. Created books are saved in the app. Kids can go back and reread their books, edit them, or share them on the Scribble Press website. All great features except for the share button. I wish there was an option to disable it for children. In my opinion, parents/teachers need to decide & control what kids share on the internet. Using the Fingerprint email platform, parents/teachers can view created books through a browser, pdf, or iBooks. Additional story packs are available as in-app purchases. What a wonderful way to encourage kids to become writers from an early age! Highly recommended!
Also, check out my review of Scribble Press – one of my favorites 🙂 When I originally reviewed it, it was FREE. It now costs $2.99 but it is well worth its cost.
Treasure Kai and the Lost Gold of Shark Island
FREE for a limited time for the iPhone/iPad, Treasure Kai and the Lost Gold of Shark Island is an adventure story of a 10-year-old treasure hunter named Kai. Kai is always dreaming about treasure and looking for it in his parents’ store: The Treasure Shop. Kai’s dreams magically transport him to Shark Island where he finds a treasure chest. And so the adventure begins…. Kids help in the hunt for gold by choosing from 8 different treasure chests. Each chest reveals another clue – leading Kai through more adventures. Along the way there are animations to discover, great sound effects, and an original score. This digital story is similar to the “choose your own adventure” books with an “Indiana Jones” feel to it. It is different every time it is read with thousands of ways to find the treasure. This app would be great for kids who are a bit older and becoming independent readers. Very cool 🙂
Visit the website for a preview http://treasurekai.com/. After reading the story, your child can go back to the website for a variety of extras: watch fun fact videos, go behind the scenes, play a video game, work some puzzles, and more.
Highly Recommended!
Monsters Band
The memory game section of the Monsters Band app for the iPhone/iPad is FREE today. Kids can choose their level of difficulty – 12, 20, or 30 cards to match. Points are awarded based on what level is being played. There are also time bonuses. Kids may register to build points and earn stickers but it is not necessary to do so in order to play. Very cute card memory game – love the silly monsters! Also available as in-app purchases are 3 levels of jigsaw puzzles and 3 levels of quizzes.
Pete and the Secret of Flying HD
Pete and the Secret of Flying is an adorable interactive e-book for the iPad about a little bird named Pete who has a dream.The story takes place back in the time when birds went everywhere on foot. Pete dreams of playing in the clouds and decides that perhaps he should try his wings out. And so the story unfolds… The narration & text can be turned on or off. There is also an option to autoplay the book. The graphics are great – simple drawings in blue and white with a bright yellow birds! Kids 2+ will love playing with Pete – he interacts when he’s tapped. Really cute for little ones!










