Tag Archives: educational apps for kids

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ABCmouse.com – A-Z Music Videos

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a to z

FREE – A to Z Music Videos. This educational 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 26 A-Z Music Videos - Age of Learning, Inc.

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Hands-On Equations 1 – The Fun Way to Learn Algebra

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hands-on

FREE for a limited time – Hands-On Equations 1 – The Fun Way to Learn Algebra. This educational app introduces algebra to elementary and middle school students. Dr. Henry Borenson developed and received a patent for Hand-On Equations after teaching math to both low-achieving & Math Olympiad students in New York City. His Hands-On Equations program uses physical game pieces on a balance to represent algebraic equations. Hands-On Equations, Level 1 consists of 6 lessons and a review lesson. Each lesson begins with a video introduction that is followed by two examples and ten exercises. In the first lesson, students use a guess-and-check strategy to figure out the value of pawn that makes the sides balance. In lesson 2, students place the game pieces on the balance scale to represent both sides of the equation. Each lesson becomes more challenging. This method is fantastic for young students who are learning algebra as well as older students who have struggled with algebra. The visual representation of the equations will help all students understand key concepts of algebra. Check it out while it’s FREE. If you like what you see, Hands-On Equations 2 and Hands-On Equations 3 are available for $3.99 each. 🙂

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hands-on-equations-1-fun-way/id505948222?mt=8&uo=4

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MathLands – Kids Logic Game & Brain Builder for Math and Critical Thinking

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MathLands

All I can say is WOW! MathLands is a completely FREE educational math app that makes kids THINK! Kids have to use logic, problem solving skills, and critical thinking to solve multiple levels of 6 different puzzles. Each puzzle is timed, has hints available, and has a section that tells the history of the puzzle. Kids can choose to start over. They can try again to get a better score or they can try again to get the BEST score. The app reveals the best possible score for each puzzle and challenges kids to achieve at that level. There is also a Math Comics section – problems are written in comic strip form. Kids solve the word problems by using the interactive manipulatives on the page. In a word full of math apps that stress practice and drill, this app is like a breath of fresh air. LOVE it!!!!

MathLands - Kids Logic Game & Brain Builder for Math and Critical Thinking - Mamanijo

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BuzzMath Middle School

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Buzz Math

FREE with an option to upgrade to premium features – BuzzMath Middle School, a math practice app for 6 – 8th graders based on the Common Core State Standards. All you need to use this educational app is an iPad 2 or higher and an internet connection. The app has 2800+ problems arranged by topic – number sense & operations, fractions & decimals, geometry, measurement, data & probability, patterns, algebraic equations, and more. Parents can register their kids individually or teachers can register their classes. Teachers who register are given a class code to distribute to their students. Once students register with the teacher’s code, the teacher can make a class assignments. The teacher also has the ability to make assignments specific to individual needs. And, as the students work, their data is being tracked and reported! Wow, individualized practice across all of the math strands, all of the work graded and reported – what’s not to love? 🙂

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/buzzmath-middle-school/id593186620?mt=8&uo=4

 

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The Really Groovy Story of the Tortoise and the Hare

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The Really Groovy Story of the Tortoise and the Hare

FREE again – The Really Groovy Story of the Tortoise and the Hare, an updated version of the classic fable. This fun rendition of the Tortoise and the Hare is set in modern times and told in rhyme. The app has two modes – Read to Me and Read by Myself. The Read to Me mode is professionally narrated. In either mode, kids will enjoy Christina Forshay’s colorful illustrations which fill the pages of this groovy tale. The story also features animations, sound effects, and background music – very nicely put together!

This book would be great to use in a classroom. You could compare and contrast this modern version to the classic tale. The story is also rich with rhyming words. You could use the book full group and identify rhyming twins (look-alike & sound-alike) and rhyming cousins (sound-alike only). Rich in vocabulary, it also makes a great choice for story time! Download it today. 🙂

The Really Groovy Story of the Tortoise and the Hare - BelugaBloo

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Pillowcapers: A Sleepy Adventure

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pillowcapers

FREE for a limited time – Pillowcapers: A Sleepy Adventure, a super-cute book about a super hero. Sam receives a seemingly ordinary, striped pillow case for his birthday. That night his pillow transforms him into a masked, caped hero with special powers. He becomes part of S.H.H.H. (Society of Heroes, Heroines, and Haberdasher) and uses special powers to battle an army of robotic clowns in his town. The action-packed story features fun animations on every page. Additional actions can be triggered by tapping on the screen when the narration for that page is finished. Check out this beautifully illustrated & animated adventure for the little super hero in your life. It is the first in a planned series for kids 3 – 8 years old.
Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pillowcapers-sleepy-adventure/id739660071?mt=8&uo=4

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Fractions – by Brainingcamp

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fractions

FREE until January 17  – Fractions by Brainingcamp, an excellent educational app for teaching fractions. The app covers 7 topics: introduction to fractions, equivalent fractions, common denominators, comparing/ordering fractions, adding/subtracting fractions, multiplying fractions, and dividing fractions. Each topic includes: a narrated lesson (with visual models), virtual manipulatives for kids to explore, practice questions to check understanding, and a challenging game for additional practice. Kids earn badges as they work through the components of each topic.

WOW – I love everything about this app. The lessons are wonderful. The manipulatives are designed to promote understanding of the concepts presented. The practice questions give students and their teachers a check of their understanding. And, the challenging games helps kids further master the topic. It would be a fabulous for grades 3 and beyond!

Common Core State Standards met:

  • 3.NF.1. Understand a fraction 1/b as the quantity formed by 1 part when a whole is partitioned into b equal parts; understand a fraction a/b as the quantity formed by a parts of size 1/b.
  • 3.NF.3 – Explain equivalence of fractions and compare fractions by reasoning about their size. Understand two fractions as equivalent (equal) if they are the same size. Recognize and generate simple equivalent fractions, e.g., 1/2 = 2/4, 4/6 = 2/3).
  • 4.NF.3 – a. Understand addition and subtraction of fractions as joining and separating parts referring to the same whole.
  • 5.NF.3 – Interpret a fraction as division of the numerator by the denominator (a/b = a ÷ b).

Highly Recommended!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fractions-by-brainingcamp/id471353363?mt=8&uo=4

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Counting Dots

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Counting Dots

FREE again – Counting Dots, an educational app for young iPad users. Kids learn to recognize/count numbers by popping colorful dots in this simple but visually appealing game. The app has three settings – counting by one, fives, or tens. There are also settings for sound, hinting, and enabling vibrations (iPhone only). The app is advertised as helping kids count from one to a million. I counted by ones to 20 and by tens to 100  – didn’t quite make it to a million. 🙂 This app is by the same developer that did Rain Dots (see my March 1 review). Recommended!

Counting Dots - Helping kids count from one to one million! - Ellie's Games, LLC

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Fiete

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Fiete

FREE today – Fiete, an interactive picture book for 1 – 3 year olds. Kids help Fiete with his everyday tasks as they put tires on a car, pop a balloon with a pin, plant a seed, load a ship, etc. There are 17 interactive scenes and 3 memory games in this educational app. There are no written instructions which makes it suitable for a wide range of kids. The app is very intuitive – little ones can easily figure out how they are supposed to help Fiete. The cute, hand-drawn illustrations & animations are accompanied by relevant sound effects. The developers of this app created it for their own children so the app is ad-free and does not contain any in-app purchases or external links. It’s a perfect choice for the youngest iPhone/iPad users!!

Fiete - Wolfgang Schmitz

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Bill Nye The Science Guy

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Bill Nye The Science Guy

Great FREE educational app – Bill Nye The Science Guy. 2013 was Bill Nye’s 20th Anniversary and Disney celebrated with the release of this educational app. Kids scan their thumbs to gain entrance to Nye Labs – a scientifically fascinating place. There they can play games, watch clips from their favorite shows, try some experiments, and more. When I was still teaching, I frequently used Bill Nye’s materials. My students loved his energetic, fun videos and often begged to watch them again! It’s no wonder he is the winner of 38 Emmys. This app takes kids to a place where science rules!!

Bill Nye The Science Guy - Disney