YMCA Reads!
Alphabet Skills
Ideal for: Pre-reading
What is it? A set of interactive flashcards that teach children the alphabet. The letters – which can be displayed in upper- or lower-case form – come with animations that play when the child taps the screen. The app reads aloud the letter name and the phonetic sound used in a word.
How much is it? $0.99
Platforms: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad. Requires iOS 3.1.3 or later. A separate version just for the iPad is also available; it requires iOS 3.2 or later.
Reviews: The reviews for Letters A to Z are positive. The father of a toddler with cerebral palsy says that it helps his daughter’s visual, oral and reading skills. Other parents say that the app is worth the price, and that their children enjoy using it.
Letter Tracer Preschool Letter Writing Practice
Ideal for: Pre-reading
What is it? This app, which targets pre-readers, teaches students how to drawand identify letters and numbers, so that they can develop the skills for reading and writing. There are three modes in this app: “Flashcard,” in which students learn to identify the letters and numbers shown; “Tracing,” in which children trace the letter on the screen; and “Freeform,” in which children are shown a letter and must draw it on their own. The voice, which reads out the letters as they are shown, comes in three versions – adult male, adult female and child.
How much is it? $0.99
Platforms: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad. Requires iOS 2.2.1 or later.
Reviews: Overall, reviewers finds this app a useful tool for teaching children handwriting skills and it is “an excellent idea.” Some reviewers would like to see feedback for their children’s input, and several note that the numbers taught in this app are not generally the style taught in American public schools.
Ideal for: Pre-reading
What is it? An app for teaching the alphabet. Children learn letters from the“Alphabet Zoo,” animals whose names begin with each letter of the alphabet.
How much is it? $1.99