Computers are often seen as something that children should be encouraged away from, yet the range of apps on the market today allows our children to learn in easier, faster and more productive ways than ever before while having fun at the same time. Of course there should be a balance of computer time with outdoor or physical activity, but in the age we live it has come to the time where we must accept and embrace new technologies and allow our children to do the same.
Funimal Phonics
For pre-school children you can’t do much better than this funky flashcard based app. Teaching children to read early on gives them an amazing head start to learning. Funimal phonics breaks the letter sounds down into what are called phonemes – the smallest sound the letter makes. For example, the letter B is pronounced ‘buh’ rather than ‘bee’, helping children to be able to sound out words they have not encountered before. This app has received rave reviews from both parents and nursery and primary school teachers.
Get Funimal Phonics via App Store
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/funimal-phonics/id507885007?mt=8
Touch Physics Lite
This free app teaches children the basic principles of physics through the medium of puzzles. The idea is very simple – players are asked to move certain objects to particular locations by dragging with their finger. The key to this is that all the objects perfectly obey the laws of physics and the background is part of the puzzle. So, if a child is dragging an object and they encounter a hill they must apply more force. Critics have said that this is a game only for those with plenty of patience however, so if your child is easily frustrated this is perhaps not for them.
Get Touch Physics Lite via App Store
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/touch-physics-lite/id303475501?mt=8
Bookworm
On screen is a grid of tiles, each of which has a single letter. Children are encouraged by the bookworm character at the top of the screen to use their finger to make words from these letters. Once a word is made those tiles disappear and more drop in from the top to fill the gaps. Make too many short words or not enough words in total and a tile may set on fire. If this burning tile reaches the bottom it’s game over. A great, fun game that gets kids thinking about long words.
Get Bookworm via App Store
https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/bookworm/id307176281?mt=8
Model Me Going Places
This is an app which helps children work through various potentially frightening social scenarios in a completely safe environment. Things such as going to a restaurant or having a haircut can seem overwhelming to a child, but studies have shown that familiarity helps to curb the fear. It uses positive children’s voices to narrate the stories and includes cheerful music and images designed to make these situations seem less frightening. Best of all, it’s completely free to download so trying doesn’t cost a penny.
Get Model Me Going Places via App Store
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/model-me-going-places-2/id375669988?mt=8
