Interactive Apps for the Early Years
LANGUAGE:
Name of
App
Cost
Description
1.
My
PlayHome
$3.99
Free Lite
Version
Virtual doll house – interactive – won “Best Top 10 apps” award. It is wonderful for turn taking, teaching action words, prepositions and
learning to follow directions. E.g. put the baby ON the chair. Have Dad get the milk out of the fridge.
2.
Peek-a Zoo
.99
Great for listening to WH questions e.g. Who is hiding, Who is scared, Who is upside down?
#
Photo
Scribble
Press
3.
$3.99
Create your own stories together using your own photos and pictures that you create and draw. There are many templates already set up
in the app or you can create your own. A great way for your child to use his/her imagination and expand language.
SOUNDS:
Photo
Name of
App
Listen Up
Bear –
Dave
Sindry
Peek-aBoo Barn
Cost
Description
$1.99
3.
Sound
Touch
$4.99
Free Lite
Version
4.
Toca Band
$2.99
Song: “The Bear Went Over the Mountain to Hear what he could hear” Can record parent or child making animal sounds
–help your child to follow directions “Touch the squirrel – let’s see what happens” - “Tell mommy which one to touch
next” - comment about the pictures “What do you think will happen if we touch the alarm clock?” “Who do you think
lives in that cave?”
Listen to the sound of animals behind the barn door –make a guess and then tap door to let animals out. Kids LOVE this
one. Peekaboo Barn was the first app developed for toddlers in 2008. INTERACTING TIPS: help your child tap the barn
then talk about the animal and the sound it makes ( In Options: you can set this into other languages as well – Spanish,
Cantonese, Dutch, French, German,Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin and Swedish) - You can record your voice as the
parent or let your child record their voice for the animal sounds!Other similar apps: Peek-A-Boo Farm, Peek-A-Zoo
This app is WONDERFUL – it has cartoon animals (vehicles/household objects/zoo animals etc) and you touch them and it
shows you a real version with sound – touch again and it shows you a DIFFERENT representation of that animal/item. It is
great for kids to see there is more than one kind of cow or helicopter!
INTERACTIVE TIP: Make sounds with your child, let them pick which animal is next and put it back into reality as you see
animals, vehicles and things in their environment that make sounds – THEN go explore what made that sound and why!
Great app for selective listening – each little character plays a different instrument or sings a different part of the song –
put it all together for full effect. If you put a character in the centre of the stage they rise to the top and you can explore
ONLY that character and sound they make - each level of the stage also varies the rhythm and speed of each instrument.
5.
Zoo
Sounds
Free
#
1.
2.
$1.99
Free Lite
Version
Great app for discriminating animal sounds – choice of 2 pictures – now has dot to dot feature – can take photo of child
and have them record animal sound and their face appears as the animal face! Can email photo from within app.
LITERACY:
Photo
#
1.
2.
3.
Name of
App
Endless
ABC
Cost
Description
.99
I Like
Books
Letter
Quiz
Free
Cute animated letters wiggle into place making their sounds as you match them to the letters – when word is complete the letters
are animated to act out the meaning of the word. INTERACTION: TAKE TURNS dragging the letters – act out the word together –
make the individual sounds together. Great for pre-reading, pre-literacy and phonemic awareness.
A series of stories “I like...... (snow, cats, boats, cars etc.) Can record your own voice or child’s voice in the stories or listen to the
pre-recorded voice. INTERACTIVE TIP: TAKE TURNS reading each page or talking about what you see on each page.
Good for fine motor and starting to trace ABC’s - it does not discourage trying and the lines stop where child leaves off and lets
them continue - places letter on virtual lined school paper and at end you can touch each letter and it will explode in fireworks
display. INTERACTIVE TIP: TAKE TURNS making letters and talking about the sound of the letter.
$1.99
Free
Lite
Version
PRETEND PLAY:
Photo
Name of App
Cost
Description
My PlayHome –
full version
$3.99
Virtual doll house – interactive – won “Best Top 10 apps” award. It is wonderful for turn taking, teaching action words,
prepositions and learning to follow directions. E.g. put the baby ON the chair. The mom is making eggs. The kids are
eating cereal. Dad gets the milk out of the fridge.
2.
Toca Tea Party
$2.99
3.
Cake Doodle
.99
#
1.
Free Lite
Version
Great app for having a pretend tea party – wonderful for turn taking: Reality idea: bring the REAL tea party guests
around the iPad! (dolls and teddy bears!)
One of the best rated creative apps for iPhone, iPad and Android www.bestkidsapps.com - great for young kids up to
age 8 or older. INTERACTION: TAKE TURNS – cracking eggs, stirring, measuring and talking about choices to make your
collaborative cake the best tasting creation ever! Lots of opportunities for talking about actions like ‘stir’, ‘pour’, ‘bake’
‘sift’, ‘measure’ and concepts like ‘more’, ‘less’, ‘bigger’,’smaller’ as well as number/color concepts.
SIGN LANGUAGE:
Photo
#
1.
Name of App
Cost
Description
My Smart Hands
$3.99
Free Lite
Version
Over 200 signs – videos of woman signing basic signs for kids and describing each sign. There is a
quiz so you can test yourself!
ART/DRAWING/FINE MOTOR:
Photo
Name of
App
Glow Draw
#
2.
Cost
Description
Free
Like an etch-a-sketch for iPad. Interactive tip – take turns and create a picture with your child! Talk about and
comment – WAIT for your child’s comments.
THE WORLD AROUND US:
Photo
1.
Name of App
Barefoot Atlas
Cost
Free
Description
Wonderful interactive app for exploring the world for older kids 4+! Lots of conversation and learning for all
ages.