So … we live in the Information Age. Doesn’t mean electronics have to dictate our lives, but they’re not such a bad thing, either. Let’s face it, many of these gadgets are pretty handy. We should learn how to use them to our advantage, and teach our children to view them as valuable tools, but not their whole world. It’s easy to get sucked into the allure of constant entertainment, or unending information at the touch of a keystroke. Thankfully, we have pass-codes, parental controls, and “downtime” settings available to help us limit the overuse of such technology.

Today I want to share with you my top ten educational apps. These are apps we have discovered along the way that have been useful, informative, and fun to boot. While I use iOS, most are available on other platforms as well.

1. Tinybop Explorers: These science apps are so much fun! My son’s favorite has always been their Human Body app. Your kids will learn anatomy while getting a view of the body from the inside out. Explore the nervous, skeletal, respiratory, circulatory, digestive, muscular, and immune systems, even explore the largest organ you have, your skin. Completely self-guided, hands-on tour of your body. Includes hilarious sound effects and animation, to encourage your child to dig deeper. Other apps in this series include: Plants, Simple Machines, Weather, Space, and more.
2. A+ Spelling Test: Tired of drilling spelling words with your kids? Fear not, this app takes the drudgery out of studying that pesky spelling list. Tailor it to individual needs by adding new words each week (and speaking each word into the app, so it can audibly ask your child to spell it). Your child will both hear and see their new words. They will practice spelling the words outright, and unscrambling them, as well. When you think they’ve had enough practice, clicking the “test” button lets them double-check their memory.
3. Kids Planet Discovery: This app turns every kid into a geography lover in the making. They’ll learn about different cultures, animals, continents, music, and more. There’s a little bit of everything: educational video clips, interactive puzzles, exciting games, and even pop quizzes. Your child will beg to play this, and they’re guaranteed to learn a lot about the planet they live on in the process.
4. Presidents vs. Aliens: Yep, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Your child is learning all about the U.S. presidents while flinging aliens out of the sky. They will learn to identify each president, their political party, learn who came before and after each presidency, what nicknames the presidents had, famous quotes, and other historical events surrounding each president. When your child answers a question correctly, they earn a president, and they will then launch that president’s image at the aliens on their screen. Get three correct answers in a row to earn a power-up. If an answer is incorrect, the app gives the correct answer to help your child learn more.
5. Letter School: One of the best preschool apps I’ve ever bought! Pricier than some, at $6.99, but worth it. There’s a version for block letters and another one for cursive; we have them both. While it may not be a replacement for an in-depth program like A Reason For Handwriting, it does help your child practice writing letters and numbers, and makes it fun in the process. It reinforces correct letter formation, prompting children to start where they should and leading them through the entire letter. It helps kids recognize letters and their sounds, in addition to how to write them. At the completion of each letter is a fantastic reward: how about fireworks or bombs blasting off, celebrating your child’s accomplishments? This is a fun supplement to your child’s handwriting curriculum … if you have a student in second grade or below, I promise it won’t disappoint. 
6. NoteWorks: Learning to read and play music takes lots and lots of practice. While this app definitely won’t eliminate the need for practicing, it can help with note recognition. Notes float across the screen on the appropriate clef, your child identifies the correct note by selecting from several options, and an animated little character scoots along and devours the note. You can limit the range of notes to what your child should already know, or make it more challenging by assigning notes you want them to work on. Choose to play with hints and time limits, or without. The app is fun and flexible for a variety of ages, and learning to identify music notes has never been so fun!
7. News-O-Matic: This is a fantastic app for kids who like to be informed about what’s going on in the world. What’s better, it’s presented in a kid-friendly environment. While the typical newspaper or current events website may contain a lot of content you may not want your child exposed to, this one is a daily news column designed just for kids. The headline stories change every day to keep it fresh and engaging. A child psychologist consults with the writers to help deal with sensitive or difficult topics in a way that is age-appropriate, and with reading levels from Kindergarten through 8^th grade, the content is even more tailored to the child. The stories are relevant, colorful, and bound to grab a kid’s attention.
8. Khan Academy: Wow. Just … WOW! Talk about an app to learn everything about anything. This app is truly amazing. It has videos explaining how to do those pesky math problems you don’t remember from your own math courses (20+ years ago). Look up information on anything you are currently studying for an informative video clip. It even has tutorials tailored to your child’s needs for studying for their SAT, or even the MCAT. There is such a wealth of information here, and it’s all FREE! Hello … sign me up!
9. Stack the States: This is a fun little app with animated state characters to learn facts about the 50 states of the United States. Answer questions to earn a state, stack them up to reach the checkered line to level up. With this app, your child will be on their way to becoming a little U.S. geography genius in no time.
10. Duolingo: As the name implies, this is an app to teach you a second language … or a third, fourth, or 30^th! Yep, that’s right, this app can teach you 30 languages. From the popular Spanish, to Hebrew, or even Swahili, there is a language to suit your needs. While we use it primarily for Spanish, it’s fun to poke around to see all this app has to offer. The lessons are fun and engaging. Your child will hear the language correctly pronounced and also be prompted to repeat the word or phrase into their device’s microphone. Duolingo tailors the program to each user, as well. It’s like having your own private tutor for FREE! They do offer a paid version, Duolingo Plus, with ads removed and a few extra features, but we’ve not felt the need to upgrade … the free version is pretty amazing as-is.

There you have it, 10 of my all-time favorite apps. Each and every one of these is well worth the time and/or money you may invest in them. Take learning to the next level and have some fun with it!

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