These days so many people have iphones and or ipads and let’s face it, we all love them! They can be used for so many different things. You can email, tweet, take photos and videos, edit photos and videos, find a recipe, play games, write notes, watch TV, keep in touch with family and friends, and even learn how to do a DIY project. The list goes on and on.
One great way to use these devices is to help educate your wee ones. There are so many educational apps out there for all different ages and stages of learning. Whether your child has recently headed back to school, just started school or you want to help prepare them for the classroom, there is an app for that!
While these devices are great to use as an educational tool, it is recommended that you limit and monitor your child’s usage. It is wonderful that they are educating themselves but it is also important for children to learn through interaction with others, playing outside and playing with a variety of toys.
Here is a list of educational apps to check out:
Wee Explorers (Ages 18 months-3 years)
- Scout’s ABC Garden by LeapFrog – An interactive green dog (he calls your child by name and mentions their favorite food, color, etc.) guides your child through a series of letter and number activities. ($1.99; iPad, iPhone)
- Peek-a-Zoo by Duck Duck Moose – A game that asks children to look at different groups of cartoon animal characters and distinguish which ones are exhibiting a specific trait or behaviour (“Who is crying?” “Who is surprised?” “Who is angry?”). It’s simple to use, making it a nice tool for toddlers to use in terms of learning social cues. ($0.99; iPhone, iPad)
Wee Builders (Ages 3-4 years)
- Monkey Preschool Lunchbox – Introduce your preschooler to letters, colours, shapes, counting, and pattern recognition. The goal of the game, through six different activities, is to fill a monkey’s lunch box with fruit. Your child will have fun helping the monkey count fruit, match cards with fruit on them, and solve puzzles. ($0.99, iPhone, iPad; $1.99, Android)
- Preschool Music – Get children interested in creating and making music. There are four fun musical activities that will let them explore rhythm, harmonizing, note making, and singing. Your mini musician can also learn how to create and read musical notes while playing the virtual piano’s keys. ($0.99; iPhone, iPad)
Wee Learners (Ages 4-5 years)
- TeachMe: Kindergarten – introduce your child to some basic math, reading, and spelling concepts. Select subjects (sight words, addition, subtraction, and spelling) and set different difficulty levels. ($0.99; iPhone, iPad)
- Math Easy HD – Ten math-based puzzles, including connect-the-dots and counting games, help your child bridge the gap between basic counting and beginning arithmetic. ($1.99; iPad)
Wee Experts (Ages 5-6 years)
- Monkey Word School Adventure – For children who are ready to start recognizing letters and words. It is well-designed with young learners in mind, challenging children age 4 to 7 ($1.99; iPad and iPhone).
- Motion Math: Hungry Guppy – This is a good introduction for children who have difficulty understanding numbers as concepts and/or trouble understanding math language. Number hints spoken aloud help children practice addition up to the number 5. Motion Math: Hungry Guppy’s touch-and-drag functions are simplified for smaller, less-precise fingers. ($3.99; iPad and iPhone)
Wee Mentors (Ages 6+ years)
- Balloony Word – Allow children to play by giving this hangman-like game a try: They’ll learn new vocabulary and practice spelling skills while trying to keep a gorilla afloat with a handful of balloons. ($1.99; iPad and iPhone)
- Barefoot World Atlas – An educational app that gives children an interactive look at animals, indigenous people, and other topics of interest around the world. By spinning, pinching, and zooming, kids can find something that interests them and learn more about it through descriptions and photos.
For more suggestions and details on other apps visit these links.
https://www.parents.com/fun/entertainment/gadgets/best-apps-for-preschoolers/#page=2
https://www.parents.com/fun/entertainment/gadgets/best-educational-apps-for-kids/#page=12
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/guide/best-first-kids-apps