We are delighted to introduce our guest blogger this week – Ellyn Shepherd (mummalifelovebaby), who has wrote a fabulous blog on the best educational apps for your kids!
There is no denying it, or escaping it. We live in a technological age.
We live in a world where our two year olds know more than we do, and thats kinda scary.
It wouldn’t even surprise me if I saw my little one posting selfies on Instagram. I mean, he isn’t posting any… He cant even walk yet, or talk properly for that matter. But he probably could if he put his mind to it.
Yes, its a completely different world for our kids who have the whole world at their fingertips.
So, how do we harness this technology for our little ones? How do we use it for good instead of evil? Well, I am glad you ask!
We download EDUCATIONAL apps so they can harness the technology that is already surrounding them. Apps that make learning FUN.
What could be better than that?
And just to make things easier for you dear readers, I consulted with Melanie – a Primary School teacher with over fifteen years experience, to put together an easy go-to list of ten great apps for kids, apps that will actually educate as well as entertain our children.
So, without further ado, here they are.
1) Mathletics
Ages: Primary to Year 10
Mathletics is exactly what it sounds like – maths “athletics” for the brain.
Yessssss! Fist pump!
This handy little program is used by over 4.6 million students, in across 20,000 schools across the globe. It is a very interactive and intuitive program. Children access activities and answer questions within the app based on their school age and skill level.
According to the Mathletics website; “Each activity adapts automatically, evolving as students progress in understanding”, thus ensuring the child is being challenged and continuously learning.
To make it even more fun and personal, kids can create their own avatar to use the game, and they can also compete against other kids around the world.
It is a pricier option at $99 per year, but it is absolutely worth it.
You can download Mathletics via the app store.
2) Reading Eggs
Ages: 3 – 13 years
This app is another excellent one. It provides kids with access to a variety of fiction and non fiction books, based on their age and level of reading ability.
It is self paced and includes quizzes, activities, colourful animations, songs and rewards to make reading fun for your child, and to also keep them engaged and highly motivated.
This app also leans towards the pricier end, but is well worth spending $79.95 a year for unlimited access.
You can download Reading Eggs via the app store.
3) Barefoot World Atlas
Ages: 9-11 years **however my little nephew plays this at 17 months and loves clicking on things to see the colours and sounds from each country.
This app is super cool, even I enjoy using it!
Now, I have a terrible memory when it comes to geography, but this app really helps, by making learning about the world super interesting and fun.
It’s also really easy to use. A vibrant 3D globe is your “playground” and you can scroll over each country that you want to know more about. You can click on any of the animated famous items or capital cities which appear within those countries, to learn even more about them.
The kids love it (**cough cough** I love it *cough**).
You can download Barefoot World Atlas from the app store for $7.99
4) Miximal
Ages: 5 and under
This is a fun one for little learners.
The Miximal app was inspired by babies flipbooks. It divides a cute cartoonish image of an animal into 3 sections and the children can scroll through the images, creating (if they wish) a brand new animal.
Once they have finished their new animal, the app creates a name for it, based on the parts that are making up the head, the body and the legs. For example if the child chooses the head of an elephant, the body of a penguin and the legs of a kangaroo, the name of the animal might be an e-pen-roo. Cute right?!
Its an aesthetically pleasing app and truly created to suit young children, as they can learn about how bodies are put together whilst engaging in creative and imaginative play.
You can download Miximal from the app store for $1.99
5) Jungle Time
Age: 6-8 years
This app is gorgeously animated and helps kids tell the time easily.
It takes the child through a number of time related problems, like asking them to set the clock to a certain time, asking them to work out what the time difference is between two different clocks and so on.
Your child can switch between a 12 hour and 24 hour clock interface, even changing to Roman Numerals if desired.
Like the previous apps, Jungle Time has multiple levels depending on the child’s age and ability level so is suitable for any child.
You can download Jungle Time via the app store for $2.99
6) Spelling Monster
Age: 6 – 8 years
This is such a good one, and again highly interactive.
Parents can assist by personalising the program that their kids can work through by entering in additional names/words that are familiar to the child, like family or friends names. This familiarisation increases the child’s interest and enjoyment levels as they can relate their learnings back to their every day life.
And if they are enjoying what they are doing, then they will learn it quicker.
You can download Spelling Monster from the app store for $1.99
7) World’s Book World of Animals
Age: 9 – 11 years
If your child has a fascination with the animal kingdom, then this is the perfect app for them!
Children can search the app for just about any animal they want. They will be provided an array of stunning visuals, videos, and fact sheets on that particular animal. Children can also see how that animal stacks up against other animals in the kingdom, for example, who is the fastest.
The app is also highly interactive through the use of games like “Guess Who”. Here your child can put their new animal knowledge to good use, and guess the animal from a list of clues provided.
You can download the World’s Book World of Animals app via the app store.
Note: If you want to trial the app first, you can download the Lite version for free: http://bit.ly/MC8l2k , otherwise the full app is $7.99
8) Dinosaur Park Maths
Age: Not listed, however this app is aimed at younger children.
It is a cute app based around the user mastering addition or subtraction questions using the numbers 0 – 20. Every time the child answers correctly, they chip away at a dinosaur fossil.
Once all the fossils are found, the Palaeontologist can finish his dinosaur display, and open Dino Park. Huzzah! Excitement abounds!
There are fifteen levels to work through and heaps and HEAPS of games to stimulate your child, and to supplement their learning.
Dinosaur Park Maths is available to download via the app store for approximately $1.49
9) Quick Maths Jr
Ages: 5 and under
This is a good starting point for your child to learn maths, before moving on to a paid program like Mathletics, which we covered at the start of the list.
Here your little ones will learn numbers, up to 100.
According to the Quick Maths Junior website- by using the app, children will learn exactly “what numbers mean, the way they relate to each other, the relationship between number and quantity”, and “informal number operations, such as adding to numbers or taking numbers away”.
A great feature of this app is that your child can trace numbers directly onto the screen of the phone/tablet, so that they are practising their handwriting skills whilst expanding their maths knowledge.
And the most exciting thing about it? This app is absolutely FREE! Yep, you heard me! Free from your app store.
10) Alien Buddies
Ages: Five and under
This is such a cute game for little ones of pre-school to Kindergarten ages.
They will be engaged from the get-go, with bucket loads of matching games, puzzles, and dot to dot drawing to do.
They will learn to recognise colours, shapes, letters and numbers, as well as developing their problem solving skills, sequential counting skills, and practising their fine motor skills.
It is an incredibly engaging app, and rewards kids as they progress correctly through the levels, reinforcing their desire to learn.
You can download Alien Buddies via the app store for $4.49
Disclaimer: All prices are based on iTunes store pricing at time of post creation. Prices for Android users may vary.
Written by Ellyn Shepherd * wife * mother of one * chocolate addict * as well as creator and head writer of parenting and lifestyle blog – mummlifelovebaby.
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