Children will learn and practice letters, letter sounds, and words with Talking ABC, a colorful and creative claymation multi-language alphabet app. With no in-app purchases and plenty of kid-friendly engaging elements, Talking ABC is sure to be a new preschool favorite. It's artistic, playful, and interactive. Adorable Claymation Alphabet App Download Talking ABC on the App Store or Google … [Read more...]
New! Star Darlings Grant Wishes: What’s Yours?
STAR DARLINGS, the new fantasy middle grade series by Ahmet Zappa and Shana Muldoon Zappa for ages 8-12, follows the lives of twelve very unique, sparkly Starling girls who live on a star called Starland. The girls attend a special school to learn how to make a wish come true for girls from Earth who are called Wishlings. Normally, the girls would have to wait until graduation but for this group … [Read more...]
Robotics for Kids with Cubelets
I'm so jazzed about Cubelets -- they're a playful way to introduce robotics for kids as well as develop computational thinking (programming skills). Each little robotic block or cube is a mini-program. When magnetically snapped together with another cube or cubes, it creates a robot that can perform more complex functions. Think simple machine into complex machine but in this case, a robotic … [Read more...]
Cool New STEM Apps for Brainiacs
I've found tons of cool new STEM apps for your brainiac children ages 2 to 13! STEM means these apps are about science, engineering, technology, and math. STEM normally means that one or more of those subjects are in the content -- but for this post, I'm including all apps that have any STEM skills, even if they're straight science or math. Each app has links to the Apple Store and the Android … [Read more...]
Fanciful Grammar App for Kids
Imagine your kids playing with grammar. And enjoying it. Unless you're a geeky English major like me, that probably isn't something you imagine. But I've discovered a grammar app for kids called Sleep Furiously that is goofy, funny, and 100% grammar geeky -- that my kids love. The name Sleep Furiously comes from the sentence linguist Noam Chomsky coined to demonstrate this concept 60 years ago: … [Read more...]
Beginning Reading Apps for Kids
Beginning readers need practice with strategies, phonics, and books at a just-right reading level. While I wouldn't say all these reading apps for kids will actually teach your child to read, they will provide reading materials and practice. However, some reading apps include active teaching. So, here are a variety of reading apps for your beginning reader with an explanation and reviews. Go … [Read more...]
13 Sight Word Apps + 26 Alphabet and Phonics Apps
I love reading apps for kids because they're not just mindless tech time but either provide practice or learning to read. Learning letters and letter sounds start a child's journey to reading words and these alphabet and phonics apps will help. Learning "sight words," or words to recognize at a glance, is another step. Download these sight word apps when your child is ready to learn these … [Read more...]
40+ Coding Classes, Websites, Games, and Apps for Kids
If you're looking for coding or pre-coding classes, games, toys, and apps, for your kids to learn to code, you'll find everything you need here. But first, let's define terms. Coding is learning a foreign language -- a machine foreign language. Just like any language, the ability to read and write it is a literacy of it's own. The biggest benefit of learning to code is that kids develop … [Read more...]
Build Your Own 3D Toy with Potatoyz App
I didn't think my kids would get to try 3D printing before me but it happened with POTATOYZ, a brand new interactive app and toy created by the animators of The Lorax and Despicable Me. Children create and customize a toy in the app which can be sent to a 3D printer, made for real, and sent to your child. It's totally cool to see your imagination come to life! And, where else can you make your … [Read more...]
30+ Addition and Subtraction Apps
Download these addition apps and subtraction apps for your kids to learn and practice their math facts! I've found over 30 for you to check out -- many of which are free. 30+ Addition Apps and Subtraction Apps More or Less FREE Android Don't miss this app -- it's visually clean and beautiful and provides EXCELLENT visuals to correspond to the numbers! Love it. playMath addition … [Read more...]
The BEST Java Class Online — Programming for Kids
My 10-year old daughter loves Minecraft. Now she's learning how to program her own Minecraft server in Java thanks to Youth Digital's excellent Server Design Java Minecraft programming class online. I'm so so so blown away by how amazing this online class is, you guys!! And I'm not a newbie with this, either. I've taken online classes and taught online classes. Hands down, this is the BEST coding … [Read more...]
UMIGO Free Math Website
UMiGO, short for "You Make It Go," is a free math website for first and second graders, kids ages 6 and 7. It's an inventive combination of video stories with games embedded within the narrative. UMiGO calls this "appisodes." The website provides lessons and practice in problem solving and early math skills such as: measurement, addition, skip counting, 2D shapes,and greater than / less than -- … [Read more...]