YMCA Reads!
Word Skills
Ideal for: Pre-reading, beginning reading
What is it? This app helps early learners understand hard-to-explain words. The child touches a word and is presented with activities and pictures explaining its meaning. The app comes with three free words and their activities; additional word packs can be purchased on iTunes for $1.99 each (there are 15 total).
How much is it? Free
Platforms: iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later.
Reviews: The app comes with activities that teach definitions “in a fun and interactive way,” according to one reviewer. A mother writes that it does a good job of defining words “in a way that kids easily understand.” The major complaint among reviewers is that this app only comes with 3 word sets; the rest must be purchased.
Ideal for: Beginning reading, catch-up reading
What is it? Children learn how to spell, build words and work on their reading and phonics skills through games based on the character Clifford the Big Red Dog. The app works with more than 115 3-letter words and uses images and sounds to teach and reinforce the words and their meanings.
How much is it? $0.99
Platforms: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
Reviews: Parents say that this game engages both younger and older children –though one parent noted that it is difficult for very beginners. One parent in particular likes how the order in which letters appear in a word is stressed.
Ideal for: Beginning reading
What is it? This app offers four interactive games to teach sight words. In “WordIt Up,” “Word Fling” and “Word Bingo,” children eliminate words that the app calls out. In “Spelling Practice,” they drag and tap letters to spell out the words. The games teach over 300 sight words and track the child’s progress. A “report card” shows which words the child has mastered.
How much is it? $0.99
Platforms: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
Reviews: Parents say that the app is fun and effective. A mother writes that Word Bingo has helped her dyslexic daughter who cannot get the support she needs in school: “The variety of word games beyond just bingo allow her growing skills to be tested and challenged.”
Ideal for: Beginning reading
What is it? This app is a word game that uses pictures and positive reinforcement to teach spelling skills. Players are shown a picture and an incomplete word, and they must select the correct letter to fill in the blank.
How much is it? $0.99 on iTunes; the Android version costs $1.50.
Platforms: Android, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
Reviews: Parents write that their children enjoy Word Magic. The positive reinforcement (in the form of virtual “stickers” and “ribbons”) help to boost confidence. An Android user noted that the app takes up a lot of memory on his device.
Ideal for: Catch-up reading
What is it? A word scramble game, featuring words from Scrabble lists. Users are given four words, which they must unscramble in a fixed amount of time. The goal is to unscramble as quickly as possible!
How much is it? $0.99
Platforms: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad. Requires iOS 2.0 or later.
Reviews: This app is “decent,” but tends to freeze up. It is also best-suited for older children.
Ideal for: Beginning reading, catch-up reading
What is it? This app teaches word meanings and types by letting users fill in the blanks of 30 different stories. The app instructs the player to fill in the blank with a particular type of word (e.g., noun, verb) until all of the blanks are completed. For help, users can select a help box which explains the word type and shows an example. Finished stories can then be “spreeted” (shared on Twitter).
How much is it? $0.99
Platforms: Android; iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad. Requires iOS 3.1.3 or later.
Reviews: Reviewers comment that Word Spree is especially useful for elementary-aged students. A parent notes that if your children enjoy “Mad Libs,” they will probably enjoy this app as well.
Ideal for: Pre-reading
What is it? An app to drill basic words with sounds and animations. There are eight categories – ABCs, animals, beach, numbers, sports, fruit, colors and shapes. The child touches a picture and then sees and hears the word.
How much is it? $1.99
Platforms: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
Reviews: Although one user remarked that the app is only interesting for “a toddler learning first words,” other parents said that their children loved it and learned words with it.
Ideal for: Pre-reading
What is it? Ideal for children in kindergarten through 2nd grade, this app has 220 flash cards of commonly-taught sight words. These include “service words” (adverbs, adjectives, pronouns, etc.) that can only be learned through repetition. Voice recordings play each word as it is shown to the child.
How much is it? $1.99
Platforms: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
Reviews: One reviewer says that the app is really best suited for kindergarteners, even though it is targeted to first and second graders as well. Even though it “only offers the interactive value of a normal set of flashcards,” the app at least keeps the cards all together for easy transport!
Montessori Crosswords – Teach and Learn Spelling with Fun Puzzles for Children
Ideal for: Pre-reading, beginning reading
What is it? This app, based on Montessori teaching methods, has 300 word-picture-audio sets. There are three different levels. Level 1, for absolute beginners, shows simple words; Levels 2 and 3 put these words into crossword puzzles to reinforce reading and phonics skills. There is also a “Moveable Alphabet” feature which allows children open-ended activities to play with the words (for example, they can resize words, or rotate them).
How much is it? $1.99
Platforms: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad. Requires iOS 3.1 or later.
Reviews: This app has received very good reviews. Parents say that it is a helpful spelling tool, and the games keep children interested. Other parents like how it emphasizes the letter sound, instead of the letter name. A few users complained about the visual quality, and one teacher noted that a few pronunciations were incorrect.
Ideal for: Beginning reading, catch-up reading
What is it? This app teaches children all 220 Dolch words (sight words) that makeup 50-75% of student reading material. Words are sorted by frequency and grade level and are spoken aloud. A tracking feature allows the user to measure his or her progress. Up to four different users can use and store their progress on the app at one time.
How much is it? $1.99
Platforms: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
Reviews: Parents reviewing the app say that it is useful for their elementary-aged children. A father noted that his daughter, who typically does not like flash cards or sounding-out, enjoys the app a lot. However, a couple of users feel that the app is not worth the price; a mother was disappointed that it does not let users recite the words out loud for themselves.
Ideal for: Pre-reading, beginning reading
What is it? Word Cub offers three games that teach children basic phonics skills.Children match letters and sounds, and see how words are formed. The app can be customized to match the child’s skill level or learning goal.
How much is it? $1.99
Platforms: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
Reviews: Parents say that Word Cub “does an effective job teaching these early reader skills.” It keeps children’s attention and develops their reading skills.
Ideal for: Early reading
What is it? Word Wagon helps children with letters, spelling and phonics. Theapp features over 100 words in 7 categories, in games that have four levels.
How much is it? $1.99
Platforms: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad. Requires iOS 3.1.2 or later.
Reviews: Parents have given very positive reviews of this app, calling it“brilliantly designed” and lots of fun for the kids. One user even calls it “unique” because it teaches phonics at the same time it teaches letters.
Ideal for: Catch-up reading
What is it? Similar to the game Boggle, Wurdle is a game in which users have tomake as many words as possible with the given tiles before the time runs out. The features are customizable for the user’s preference and skill level – he or she can set a minimum word length, choose the size of the grad, and even play without a timer.
How much is it? $1.99
Platforms: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad. Requires iOS 2.2 or later.
Reviews: Several users say that this app is slow and freezes often, but is otherwise a good game.
Ideal for: Beginning reading, catch-up reading
What is it? The app teaches sight words and word families through interactive activities. Children can tap words and letters to hear their pronunciation, drag letters to make words and even create their own word lists. They “fight” zombies as they work on their reading skills, making their “brain” too big for the monsters to eat!
How much is it? $1.99
Platforms: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad. Requires iOS 4.0 or later.
Reviews: No reviews are available at this time.
Ideal for: Catch-up reading
What is it? This app contains words used in the Scripps Howard National SpellingBee. The words are played for the user, complete with a definition, origin and sentence.
How much is it? $2.99
Platforms: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad. Requires iOS 2.0 or later.
Reviews: The app gives a “great mind-workout” although the voice quality could be clearer. Another user says that there is only one level available, so it is not helpful for learning a lot of new words.