Apps for Literacy and Learning

SUPER WHY ABC Adventures focuses on capital and lowercase letters, letter sounds, and letter writing. Each character leads a cute mini-game; kids earn a sticker to play with in the sticker activity when they finish a game. A couple of new additions are some ABC sing-along videos and a progress tracker for parents to see which letters their kids worked on. 

Starfall Learn to Read is an app version of the popular learn-to-read website, Starfall. The app has the same content as the “Learn to Read” section of the site. There are 15 mini-books, each focusing on a specific vowel, along with videos and activities to enhance literacy learning. As with other Starfall apps, the thorough and careful design keeps kids focused on learning.

PocketPhonics Stories is a comprehensive phonics program to teach kids to read. It’s designed for multiple kids, so it’s great for a classroom or family with more than one emerging reader. Kids master a set of letter sounds, a mix of vowels and consonants, and then read books built around those sounds. Parents can view reports of achild’s progress, and when kids complete a lesson, and you can print a certificate. 

Noodle Words HD - Action Set 1 is the first in a series of “word toy” apps. This app helps emerging readers recognize 18 action words in a playful, unique way. This app is helpful for kids who have difficulty comprehending words and spoken words. The animation and verbal reinforcement can benefit kids who have difficulty understanding visual information and holding images in their memory.

Monkey Word School Adventure is an early-reading app for preschoolers and young elementary-school-age kids, designed for kids who are ready to start recognizing letters and words. 

Avokiddo ABC Ride continues the adventures of the sibling team Beck and Bo, this time discovering letters. Parents can customize kids’ experience in the “for parents” section, choosing uppercase or lowercase letters, letter name or phonics sound, including word spelling or not, presenting letters in random order or alphabet order, and turning off narration and background music. Kids can also choose a specific letter to discover. With minimal instructions, kids discover the fun and learning on their own.

AlphaTots Alphabet introduces the alphabet through 26 action verb … ‘b’ is for building robots, ‘d’ is for digging for treasure, and ‘z’ is for zapping alien spaceships!  Each letter of the alphabet features a fun preschool puzzle or mini-game that will teach children the letter as well as an action verb that begins with that particular letter.