As more and more Latino families turn to smartphones and tablets to access the Internet, it’s important to know which apps are available, safe, and beneficial for your child. So we’re doing the legwork for you, and we’re finding apps that are actually fun and educational.
We’ve started by focusing on elementary school and have listed below five apps that can help your children understand key concepts and skills necessary for their academic success.
LANGUAGE ARTS
Grammar Wonderland (FREE)
Created by McGraw-Hill, this app is an adventurous game that teaches children how to recognize and use nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Kids can advance to more difficult levels, thereby helping them to master their grammar skills. The app just launched a few months ago and only a LITE version is currently available; however, the full version is coming soon. Children will love the interactive games and beautiful animation. For kids ages 7 and up.
abc PocketPhonics Lite (FREE-$2.99)
Pocket Phonics is actually three apps in one. The full version teaches letter sounds, letter writing, and 170 first words. The letter writing portion of the app allows your child to learn how to form letters by using his finger to trace them on the screen. At the same time, the sound of the letter is pronounced to help your child learn the sound that accompanies the letter. Parents can customize the app to display upper case, lower case, and even cursive letters. You can sample the app’s LITE version for free. For ages 4 to 7.
Read Related: 7 Science Apps for Your Kids
CORE
Brain Quest (FREE-$9.99)
Designed for students in 1st through 5th grade, Brain Quest’s engaging and interactive app helps parents supplement their children’s education. Kids start by selecting their grade level, then hone their skills in math, science, language, and history by joining the animated characters in their adventurous search for knowledge. The fun, curriculum-based questions are challenging without being overwhelming. This version allows your child to play the first 100 questions in each grade for free. Afterward, you can purchase your child’s specific grade for $2.99, or all 5 grades for $9.99. For ages 5 and up.
MATH
Savannah Adventures! (FREE)
If you’re looking for apps to help your preschooler or kindergartner learn math, consider the apps from iLearnWith. Savannah Adventures! specifically teaches a wide range of math concepts including number recognition (1-20), counting, number order, simple addition and subtraction. The app comes with self-adjusting levels of difficulty and parents can even register for the progress tracker so they can monitor their child’s progress. All of the apps are designed by educational and child-development experts and are based on national standards. Best suited for kids ages 3 to 6.
Multiplication & Division Flash Action ($4.99)
School Zone has taken flash cards to the next level, helping your child to learn multiplication and division facts with this fun game that teaches both vertical and horizontal equations. Kids will appreciate the audio responses (which stimulate multi-sensory learning) and the option of multi-player gaming. Children who cannot remember the answers can easily find the solution with the interactive chart. For ages 8 and up.
