The countdown to summer vacation has started for my daughter and almost every kid I know. The parents and educators of many of these kids have been asking for Kindle and iPad app recommendations to help their kids get through the educational lull of summer.
The writers at GeekMom have compiled a list of educational apps for you to try this summer on your phone or tablet. Since it seems like preschool apps are a dime-a-dozen, we have come up with a list that will be more appropriate for first through fourth grade. I have not included prices in the descriptions below because some apps have a free and paid version. Also, depending on what tablet you own, the price of the app can vary. It is a safe bet that most of the apps will be in the range of free to $3.
Math
Motion Math Zoom: (iTunes) Number lines can be repetitive. Number lines with animals are more game than learning–if you are a kid.
Mystery Math Town: (iTunes) Kids solve math problems to unlock doors and help a ghost find things.
Bugsy’s Math Quest: (iTunes) Animals, adventure, and arithmetic in one action-packed game.
Dragon Box: (iTunes, Windows, Chrome, and Amazon) This is a really nifty app! It has been reviewed by GeekDad. If you are looking for a game that will teach your five-year-old algebra concepts, this is the app for you and well worth the $6 price
Math Runner
Reading
The Opposites: (iTunes) Match vocabulary words by finding their opposites in these cute and vibrant puzzles.
Scholastic Reading Timer: (Google Play and iTunes) This timer is for use during the summer reading program and communicates directly with the website to record times for the summer.
Storia: (Google Play, iTunes, Windows, and Amazon) This reading app from Scholastic offers free books and paid books in the app. There are also quite a few interactive books–including ones for older kids.
Other
BrainPOP: (iTunes, Amazon, Chrome, and Windows) BrainPOP
Thud! Presidents: (iTunes) A fun way to learn our Unites States presidents and a few facts about them.
National Wildlife Federation: (iTunes, Amazon, Google Play) Various animal and Ranger Rick applications can be downloaded for almost any platform. Ranger Rick’s Tree House, Ranger Rick Jr. Appventures, Click the Birdie, What Did Snakey Eat?, and Raiders of the Lost Aardvark are apps available for all ages combining animal facts, science, shapes, math, reading, and more!
National Geographic: (iTunes, Nook, Google Play, and Amazon) Various geography apps from National Geographic foster reading reading skills and make learning geography fun. Check out Weird But True, GeoDash, Look & Learn: Animals Vol. 1, Kids Magazine, GeoBee Challenge, Ultimate Dinopedia, and GeoBee Challenge to see which apps work on your device.
Learning Games Series
What educational apps do you play with your kids? Is there an app we have left off the list that is a must-have? Let us know in the comments below.
This is a treat. Thankyou.
Any one going to do a similar article on middle school links? Really needy on that front here.
Sure! Also, several from this list will work with middle school kids. Storia accesses a library of Scholastic ebooks of all reading levels, Thud! Presidents is a good choice (heck, even I don’t remember all of the presidents anymore), and BrainPOP videos cover a lot of science related topics that some middle schoolers might enjoy. I will try and come up with some more!
Numbers League is another great math app! What kid doesn’t like creating a superhero to catch the bad guy!?
We really like the Numbers League card game. It looks like the app of the card game is available in the iTunes store for $4. (There are some days I wish we had iDevices in this house seeing apps like this makes it one of those days). Thanks for sharing.
Wee Alphas is another great one for early literacy. Our preschooler loves it for practicing letters.
I love the apps that encourage kids to be creative, and recently wrote about some on my blog: http://www.thebookchook.com/2013/04/three-ipad-apps-that-encourage.html Another great one for creativity and self-expression is Haiku Deck.
Splash Math is very good. It is matched to the Common Core standards, but the kids still find it a lot of fun. There is one for 1st through 5th grades. It is pricey, but worth it. There is a free limited version to try before you buy, though. We love DragonBox, too, but if you’re going to spring for DragonBox, just go ahead and get DragonBox+ instead (more levels).
Dragon Box looks amazing, my daughter is 4 and really precocious in mathematics but it isn’t available in the UK app store!
Any idea when it will be available further afield than just the US?
Ok ignore my previous remark, never trust a man to do a woman’s work. Husband informed me he couldn’t find the app in iTunes, funny because I just did find it…