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APPS FOR LEARNING LANGUAGE & LITERACYPreschool – Kindergarten

NOTE: “Lite” versions of apps are free (this is a great way to “try it out”); the full version is available at a cost Many apps are customizable; often you will see an icon of a “gear” in the top right hand corner of the home

screen; click on this to customize the program (grasshopper apps & alligator apps can usually modified to suit individual students learning needs)

REMEMBER: to get the most language learning out of these apps, games should be played with an adult who can make it a fully interactive language experience!

VOCABULARY:

Name of App Description

My First Words Flashcards(www.alligatorapps.com)

Photo flashcards organized by category 6 different learning modes (with variations of images, words or images and

words combined) Fully customizable (can make own cards and add your voice too) If you purchase “My First 1000 Words – Flashcards…” the cost is $1.99

ABA Receptive Identification (www.kindergarten.com)

4 pictures are presented and a question is asked (find the /where is) can choose vocabulary presented can choose reinforcement (music, sticker, rolling marble, off) can track number and % of correct answers they do have ABA Flash Cards – Emotions (Vehicles, Actions) available for free

Learning Games for Kids-Photo Touch (Zoo, Food…)(www.grasshopperapps.com)

you can choose to display 1 – 10 items “touch the…” with a reinforcer given Fully customizable (picture categories, sounds, number of displayed items,

display hints)Bitsboard(www.grasshopperapps.com)

*very powerful program that is constantly being expanded Currently uses photos with 5 game activities that are all customizable:

o Flashcards (choose your vocabulary, photos, words/no words to accompany photo)

o Photo Touch (hear the name of the item and touch the correct photo; you

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can adjust how many images are available to choose from)o Reader (read a word and choose the appropriate photo)o Match Up (match a photo to a word)o Word Builder (look at photo; letter tiles that make up the word are

available for building the word) Download photo boards already created or make your own Share or edit boards

Little Matchups: The Matching Game(www.grasshopperapps.com)

Game for matching similar photos Customizable (vocabulary, sounds, number of items presented, hints)

Baby First Puzzle Farm Lite 3 images per screen Drag the image into the matching hole Words and sounds accompany images to aid vocabulary learning

Animal Wheel Learn animal vocabulary Touch on a photo of an animal, then the wheel spins. You will hear the sound

that animal makes, and when the wheel stops you hear the name of the animal and see it’s photo.

EXPANDING VOCABULARY:

Name of App Description

ABA Receptive Identification by Class (www.kindergarten.com)

Categorization activity (customizable) 4 photos shown and child is asked to locate an object by it’s category name;

after selection the child is asked to name other objects within the categoryI Can Do Categories Categorization activity

5 levels of increasing difficulty (from “identify the picture that fits in the category – choice of 2” to “identify the one which does NOT belong”)

ABA Problem Solving Which Go Together (www.kindergarten.com)

Association activity 4 photos are presented and child is asked “which go together”; after child

chooses correct 2 items the child is asked “why do X and X go together” customizable

Things That Go Together(www.grasshopperapps.com)

Association activity Photos are presented and the child is asked which items go together

I Can Do Associations Association activity

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5 levels of increasing difficulty (from “identify an association from 2 choices” to “identify the one which does NOT belong”)

LANGUAGE COMPREHENSION:

Name of App Description

Little Stars – Toddler Games(www.alligatorapps.com)

Student finds either a number, a letter that corresponds to the sound given, or a vocabulary item from a choice of 4

Sticker rewards are given There can be 1 or 2 players Can be customized to use flashcards with any combination of:

o Number & Letter nameso Letter soundso Shapeso Colors o numbers

Kids Learning – Photo Touch Concepts(www.grasshopperapps.com)

customizable; over 50 concepts taught find and touch the correct item

iSequences sequencing 3 or 4 simple pictures (total of 100 sequences and 6 characters used in the sequences; the “lite” version has 10 sequences)

you can customize the order of sequences, audio playback, if you want text…; clues are provided to assist the student when a mistake is made

Speech with Milo: Sequencing 36 basic routines or common activities are divided into 3 steps; students must put the 3 pictures into sequence

after successfully sequencing the pictures a student can press “PLAY” and watch Milo perform the sequence (example: tying his shoes)

ABA – Problem Solving: What does not Belong?(www.alligatorapps.com)

student chooses which item does not belong customizable; level of difficulty can be adjusted manually or automatically you can add your own images or concepts

Guess What? Four clues are provided (one at a time) in written form only (you can read and

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(I Can Do Apps) say them out loud) Press “answer” and a picture of the answer appears Use for developing listening skills, auditory attention, determining main idea

(each clue is a detail)

Guess Who?(I Can Do Apps)

Four clues are provided (one at a time) in written form only Press “answer” and a picture of the answer appears

Autism iHelp – WH questions Teach responses to “who, what, where, why, how” questions 3 levels of play A question is read out loud and the student chooses the appropriate picture

response

Kids iHelp: Analogy 1.0(there is also a more difficult version available)

Assists students with learning comparison (“A is to B as C is to what?”) Uses a variety of images and words to build vocabulary, develop analytical skills

and visual awareness

Picture the Sentence Simple sentences (subject + verb + object) are spoken in the lite version (more complicated sentences in the purchased version; student needs to listen to the sentence and choose it’s corresponding picture

Level of difficulty, wait time, visual cues, subjects (pronouns or nouns) etc. can be adjusted; progress can be tracked

Student practices critical listening skills and language concepts such as pronouns and sentence types

LANGUAGE LEARNING GAMES / ACTIVITIES:All of these activities are great to develop LANGUAGE COMPREHENSION (ask questions, learn new vocabulary, follow directions) and EXPRESSIVE LANGUAGE (answer questions, use new vocabulary, give directions to others)

Name of App Description

Toca Hair Salon 2(by Toca Boca)

Choose a character (from a choice of 4) and become creative with styling! Hair can be grown, cut, trimmed, washed, blown dry, curled, coloured, and

accessories can be added Really engages children and adults alike! Also available are “Toca Tea Party”, “Toca Doctor”, and many more….

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Donut Maker This version was the “simplest” I could find Create your own donut by adding ingredients, mixing, deep frying, and

decorating! Then you get to “munch” it!Toddler’s Seek & Find Picture Book – “My Little Town”(by Wonderkind)

Touch on the picture scene and watch what happens

My Play Home A fully interactive doll house with many rooms and outside to explore The scenes are simple enough for very young children but detailed enough to

entertain children up to 8 years of age

BOOKS:

Name of App Description

Itsy Bitsy Spider(by Duck Duck Moose)

Interactive Book Use to work on “following directions” and “verbal expression” Touch the spider to switch from screen to screen; the “story” is sung when the

spider is touched Touch other items on the screen and talk about what happens

Wheels on the Bus(by Duck Duck Moose)

Interactive Book Use to work on “following directions” and “verbal expression” Touch and explore the fun surprises! Fun app to help early learners learn what happens when you “touch” or “drag”

your finger on the screenI Like Books(www.grasshopperapps.com)

Simple Photo Books about people, places, objects, and experiences that are important in the young learners environment

3 options for use: “Read to Me”, “Read by Myself”, “Autoplay” You may customize fully customize the story (change the core story, record your

own voice, customize and add new highlights to the story) You have the option to playback the story in “original” or “customized” mode

Little Story Maker(www.grasshopperapps.com)

Create & Read a Story Add photos, text, and record to create a personal story Follows the same template as the app “I Like Books” (above)

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Super Duper Story Maker Create a Story (make your story, edit, and change it) Tell a Story ( read, tell, and talk about your stories) You can use photos, pictures or drawings You can record your own voice and other sounds that everyone can listen to in

your story With StoryMaker free you are unable to save, print, or email your stories. The

full version costs $4.99 Great for practicing learning skills such as reading, sequencing, vocabulary and

sentence building, following directions, grammar, storytelling & retelling…..

PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS & EARLY LITERACY (including sound-letter correspondence and grapho-motor skills):

Name of App Description

Trace & Share Grapho-motor Trace straight lines, diagonals, or curves Visuals are used to indicate starting position and which direction to go

Little Writer(www. Alligatorapps.com)

Grapho-motor Trace letters, numbers, shapes, or words Visuals are used to indicate where to start tracing and which direction to go Encourages proper letter formation

Touch FREE Grapho-motor Trace the letter or shape and fill the lines with colour Does NOT provide visual supports to ensure tracing occurs in proper direction

Syllable Awareness: Animals Syllable Segmentation 25 photo items; student sees a photo and “taps out” the number of syllables in

the item name Several apps, each focusing on a different category, are available for purchase

ABC Magic Phonics(Preschool University)

Sound-letter correspondence Flashcards with accurate sound production

ABC Magic 2(Preschool University)

Sound-letter correspondence Letter is provided and 4 pictures (that begin with that sound) are labeled

emphasizing the first sound of the word

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ABC Magic 3(Preschool University)

Sound Matching (first sound in a word) 2 ways to play:

o Match 2 pictures that start with the same sound by drawing a line between them

o Match a letter to the picture that starts with that letter’s sound ABC Magic 4(Preschool University)

Sound Matching (first sound in a word) Tap on the letter to hear the sound; move pictures that start with that sound

into a box beside the letter 3 Levels:

o Choose pictures that begin with one soundo Two different sounds/letters are provided: choose 3 pictures that begin

with each letter soundo Three different sounds/letters are provided: choose 3 pictures that begin

with each letter soundABC Magic 5(Preschool University)

Sound Matching (first sound in a word) Two types of play: match a picture to a choice of 4, 6, or 9 letters OR match a

letter to a choice of 4, 6, or 9 picturesABC Magic 6(Preschool University)

Sound Matching (beginning sound, middle sound, end sound) Choose to match picture with the sound to the correct letter OR match a letter

(sound) to the correct picture Tap on the picture or letter to hear the word or sound You can choose to have 3, 4, or 5 choices presented to the student

Preschool Matching Game: Rhyming Words(www.alligatorapps.com)

Match rhyming words (pictures) Tap on pictures to hear the words; drag the picture to it’s rhyming partner customizable

ABC Reading Magic 1(Preschool University)

Sound Blending, Sound Segmentation & Reading 3 sound words (short vowel sounds)

ABC Reading Magic 2(Preschool University)

Sound Blending, Sound Segmentation & Reading 4 sound words (consonant blends at the beginning or end of a word; short

vowels)

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ABC Reading Magic 4(Preschool University)

Sound Blending, Sound Segmentation & Reading 3 sound words (silent final “e” vowels)

Bob Books #1 – Reading Magic HD

Phonics Based Reading (models sound blending and segmenting) Phonics based interactive game with 4 increasing levels of difficulty available:

o Drag and drop letters to matcho Learn left to right ordero Spell without visual hintso Pick letters to spell words

Provides practice for: making the connection between letters and sounds, sounding out simple words, spelling words they have read

ABC 1 Spelling Magic (Preschool University)

Spelling 3 Letter words (short vowels) Picture support; sound and letter hints can be turned on or off

ABC 2 Spelling Magic(Preschool University)

Spelling 4 Letter words (consonant blends and short vowels)

Little Speller – Three Letter Words(www.grasshopperapps.com)

Spelling 3 Letter words (short vowels) You can customize by choosing the vowel sounds you want to have in the words

and turning visual, word, or letter hints on or offLittle Speller – Sight Words(www.grasshopperapps.com)

Spelling Sight words (Dolch List) customizable

Sentences 1 – Magic Sentences 3 Letter Words

Sentence Building & Sentence Reading 3 letter (3 sound woreds) are used Choose to read / build either 2 word phrases or 3 word sentences

SOCIAL & ATTENTION:

Name of App Description

Between the Lines – Level 1 3 activities: o “Who is talking” (listening and facial expressions)o “What is he/she thinking? “ (body language and perspective-taking)o “What does that mean?” (expressions, idioms, slang)

you can customize the order of activities, encouragement, # of choices for answer, reward game, and track progress

Touch and Learn – Emotions(www.alligatorapps.com)

hear the emotion and tap on the correct photo choice of four photos

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you can choose which concepts to focus onABA Flash Cards & Games - Emotions(www.alligatorapps.com)

flashcards for learning emotions good to use before trying activities that require the student to select from a

choice of pictures

OTHER:

Name of App Description

Wood Puzzle HD(by Tropisounds)

24 different puzzles to develop key logic and fine motor skills 3 different ways to play:

o Baby Mode (the puzzle is animated and puts itself together; children can also touch and move the pieces while they learn to solve the puzzle)

o Rotation off (makes puzzles easier for beginners since the pieces do not rotate)

o Rotation on (pieces rotate and it is more difficult)Transport Jigsaw Puzzles 123(by Giggleup)

You can set the puzzle to have from 2 to 16 pieces A visual template can be placed on the picture frame to assist the player

Real Fireworks Cause-Effect: touch the screen to create fireworksMusical Fireworks 2 Cause-Effect: touch the screen to create fireworks

you can add music (from their selection, from your own, or record) you can change the background scene select from a variety of firework displays

Spark Art Cause-Effect: tap or drag to create sparks (or watch them be created on their own)

Heat Pad Lite Cause-Effect: heat from your hand or finger tips creates images on the screen

Buzzback(www. TouchAutism.com)

Cause-Effect: touch the screen and hear a sound (if you use this app on an iPhone it will use vibration as the reinforce)

3 levels (any touch makes a sound; touch must be held to make a sound; only distinct taps make a sound)

Toddler Jukebox Music Tap on a picture (choice of 6 pictures; each picture indicates a song) and the

song will playTap a Tune Music

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Tap on an animal to make your own tune (easiest) Tap on each animal as it pops up; this will create a tune (more difficult)

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star 2 gameso “Peek a Boo” (tap on the object the star is hiding behind)o “Dot to Dot” (connect the stars by tapping on them in numerical order;

this draws a picture)Time Timer Visual timerAction Timer Visual timer – you can add photos/pictures to indicate a sequence of activitiesSand Timer Visual timer – hourglass type of timer with a “stop watch” countdown; you

may choose to have a sound effect upon completion of time; you may change the colour