Best of the Best Lists

Are you looking for learning apps, tools, and resources that you can use with 3-year olds? If so, we have you covered. Check out our list below. Let us know if there are any that we missed.

Toddler Toy Factory– With a focus on spelling, reading, and memory skills, children build and match toys in this app designed for children aged 1-7. Toddler Toy Factory comes with 10 free toys, with the option to purchase an additional 70 toys. There are three rooms in the app: Make, Find, and Ship. In the Make room, children select and drag letters into a machine to build words. When correct words are built, toys come out of the machine. In the Find room, children search through crates to find matching toys. When toys are matched, children can play with them or clean them up by putting them into another machine. In the Ship room, children put toys into barrels to practice counting. When full, the barrels can be shipped.

Super Why! ABC Adventures – This game encourages children to identify letters by the sounds they make. They also see words that start with or contain those letters. The game covers uppercase letters, lowercase letters, or a mix of both. Completing stages earns children stickers that they can use to decorate international scenes on a world map. The game generates in-depth reports for parents and teachers to monitor the children’s in letter identification.

Homer– If you’re looking for an interactive and interesting way to spark your child’s passion for reading, HOMER Reading is the answer. The app comes with thousands of lessons on sight words, ABCs, phonics, and many more to help your child build essential skills with a customized learn-to-read plan. Children love learning to read when they read what they live. It’s designed for 2- to 8-year-old kids. 

Sesame Street Alphabet Kitchen – This is a word-formation game that focuses on three- and four-letter words. In the app, children help Cookie Monster bake by selecting vowels to form complete words, which come out either as either colorful words or images depicting the meaning of the word. The game starts with CVC combos and moves to more complex words such as those with “st” and “sh” starting or ending them.

Osmo Words – This is a letter recognition game. Children can play alone, in groups with children, or against one another. Difficulty levels adjust automatically based on performance; they can also be manually adjusted. Osmo Words setup requires the knowledge and experience of a grownup.

The Counting Kingdom – This game puts children into the role of castle defender. They find the sums of the number of monsters that are trying to invade the castle. If they give the correct answer, a magic spell is cast that destroys the beast. The monsters get closer with each failed attempt to provide a solution. The game gets progressively harder, encouraging children to continue to develop their counting skills.

LetterSchool – LetterSchool is a fresh perspective on teaching letter identification. The game guides children to start writing by merely tapping on the starting point, while the game completes the letter for them and ends with the child learning to write the letter. The game uses magic ink and writing instead of traditional ink to engage the children; initially, the game is set up with uppercase letters, but the teacher can change to numbers or lowercase letters.

Interactive Alphabet – This app teaches the alphabet and phonics by connecting images with objects. It has a lot of customizable features; for example, the explore mode lets children choose which letters to learn or when to progress. The tracing mode can be modified for right- or left-dominant children. Teachers and students can also add their pictures and voices to create unique flashcards.

Learn to Read Nok-Syllables– Learn to Read Nok-Syllables is geared for three- to seven-year-old children who are learning how to read. Learning to develop words syllable by syllable, your child will be rewarded through mini-games and positive reinforcement. There are lots of opportunities for children to progress to higher levels and play more difficult games. The app even includes a tournament mode after your child has mastered all the levels.

Little Matchups ABC Alphabet Letters and Phonics– Little Matchups ABC Alphabet Letters and Phonics is a matching game to help reinforce your little one’s alphabet skills. Children are impressionable and fun loving, and they need cute ways to learn. Loved by parents, kids, and teachers alike, this app will help your infant to four-year-old have fun and learn uppercase and lowercase letters. They will develop a firm basis for future learning in English, grammar, and reading that to carry them through life.

Monkey Preschool Lunchbox– Preschoolers love games and are the best at learning, so Monkey Preschool Lunchbox combines both these elements. Designed for two- to five-year-olds, this app has six games to teach colors, letters, counting, shapes, sizes, matching, and spotting the differences. Fun monkeys assist the child, and cute sounds and designs make it appealing to young eyes and ears. Children will also learn fruits and numbers. Virtual stickers provide positive reinforcement for a job well done. 

Montessori Letter Sounds– Phonics is a critical skill and can be hard for teachers or parents to teach. Montessori Letter Sounds is an award-winning app that starts children on the path to reading in no time. Three-year-olds begin by playing I Spy, and five-year-olds finish with combining letter sounds and shapes. In between, children learn the alphabet. As children progress, they will earn small prizes and marbles that let them know they are doing a great job. 

Montessori Numbers–Coupled with the Montessori Letter Sounds app, Montessori Numbers helps teach children the foundations of math. Three- to seven-year-old children can use this app to begin understanding numerology, numerals, numbers 0 through 100, quantifying, counting, and more. Children can play lots of activities and games that have multiple difficulty levels. 

Moose Math– Designed for any three- to eight-year-old, Moose Math takes your child on a math adventure where they will have fun and learn. There are five activities in various locations around town. Hit up the Moose Juice Store to practice addition and subtraction, Puck’s Pet Shop to learn sorting, or the Lost & Found to get a better hang of geometry. The Dust Funnies and Duck Duck Moose characters in this app will help your child master math and crush Common Core Standards. There is even an option for parents or educators to receive a report card to track children’s progress. 

My PlayHome– My PlayHome is the phone version of the classic toy, the dollhouse. Real life dollhouses are very limited with activities for the dolls (i.e., they can sit, walk around, sleep). However, My PlayHome allows children to have the dolls cook, drink, eat, travel, move things around, and even edit rooms with whatever they want. This app is simple enough that a baby can understand it but complex enough that an eight-year-old will enjoy it. This is the perfect application for any young child who loves to make believe and doesn’t want the limitations and restrictions of real-life toys when there is an entire world of fun and endless imagination.

Drive About: Number Neighborhood– Children explore this imaginary world that contains fun activities to help them develop their math skills. Activities include number identification and writing, counting, matching, and ordering. Suitable for children aged 5 and below.

Tic Toc Time– Using Tic Toc Time, students learn how to read a clock face by relating it to things they are already familiar with, such as the sun, shadows, night, and day. Developed for children aged 3-8, Tic Toc Time meets the Common Core State Standards for mathematics, including time telling for grades 1-3.

Are you looking for messaging apps, tools, and resources that you can use with your school community? If so, we have you covered. Check out our list below. Let us know if there are any that we missed.

Chatzy– This social messaging analog provides a safe, instant messaging platform for students. It does not require any sign-up process; it is simply “plug and play.” It works on all browsers and does not require any plug-ins to function. You simply create a virtual chatroom for your students to interact and develop together. Available in multiple languages.

ChildWatch – ChildWatch provides monthly cloud-based childcare management services for PC, Mac, or mobile devices. It offers solutions for businesses of all sizes; services include QuickBooks compatibility, employee time clock, messaging and events calendar, electronic payments, portable meal capture, and more.

Class Messenger Communication Utilities– This is an interactive app for back-and-forth communication between parents and teachers. It contains seven features that help to foster the communication process. Messages can be scheduled to be resent to parents at specific times to enforce your message. Intelligent Messaging feature sorts parents who need to be reminded of activities such as volunteering and making donations while omitting parents who have already responded.

Classting– Classting is an interactive social media app that allows direct communication between teachers, students, and parents. Pictures, documents, and videos can be shared in the common classroom virtual environment. Private messaging is also supported for communication between students or from parents to teachers. You can also send push notifications and text messages to parents and students.

EdOptim – This system helps to increase parent engagement for schools, after-school, and preschool programs. Supports school management, integrations, and scheduling; features include text messaging and parental involvement. You can schedule online classes, ask for a review, and share feedback.

Edureck – This is a cloud-based solution for school management. Features include accounting, student enrollment, and messaging systems.

eShiksa Service Management Portal – This portal allows for the smooth running of the administrative duties of an institution. It features an easy user-interface and an in-app messaging system. It also allows you to have your own branded portal and mobile app.

Join Our Class – This app offers a free school directory, packed with smart features that help parents and teachers to engage students. It has three main elements: Free Directory, Sign-Ups and Messaging, and Parent Portal. The parent portal has an intuitive dashboard that allows parents to go through photo galleries to find specific pictures.

Kannu – Kannu is a cloud-based learning management system, which uses tools such as media libraries, direct messaging, and user portfolios to achieve digital learning. With the use of active learning tools and management tools, Kannu allows users to have customized courses, which are essential for a creation and reiteration system. The platform makes use of responsive media on desktop and mobile devices to enhance the user’s experience. The platform also includes Kannu’s analytics, which gives actionable insight into how users interact with the platform and reports that help the user measure success.

Kaymbu–  Kaymbu is a family engagement and classroom documentation tool built specifically for early education programs. The platform allows educators to engage parents in their children’s learning experience by sharing photos, videos, and anecdotes from the classroom. The messaging system used is secure and private.

Masterstudy LMS – The primary use of this software is as an online education system built for WordPress. The software comes with nine unique demos that are fully customizable by the user to provide the type of services that suits their need. The platform has a powerful admin panel, messaging system, teacher announcement system, quizzes, and results; it can manage learners’ progress and award badges and certificates. It has a user-friendly interface and options that allow customization.

ParentSquare– ParentSquare is a tool that increases parent involvement in school management and planning by providing a safe and secure platform for parent-educator correspondence. It helps to maintain a tightly knit, proactive group of educational stakeholders by offering two-way group messaging, private chats, area-wide alerts and announcements, and a simple user interface. ParentSquare brings parents from silent spectators in their children’s education to more active participants by establishing an open, two-way communication channel between them and their children’s educators.

Signal Vine – This is an intelligent two-way text messaging platform that allows users to personalize communication with students. Signal Vine’s Blended Messaging® approach enables you to connect CRM or SIS data to segment and personalize student communication. With Signal Vine, you can automate your messages and responses to save time while quickly identifying those responses that require an individual approach.

Slack – Slack provides a single place for messaging, file sharing, and one-on-one and group conversations. Paired with a powerful search feature that allows anyone with permission to access past conversations and files, Slack allows schools to save time and communicate more effectively. It can sync across all your devices and integrates seamlessly with over 1,500 apps.

Smart KG: Kindergarten/Preschool Management System – This is a kindergarten management tool that enables nursery administration through teacher login, flexible reports, and more. The tool is web-based, so it can be accessed anywhere using a secure user id and password; the integrated mobile application runs on iPhone and Android. Other features include a separate login for teachers, principals, and administrators, student registration and fee collection.

Are you looking for media resource resources, apps, and tools that you can use with your students? If so, we have you covered. Check out our list below. Let us know if there are any that we missed.

Class Hook– This app helps teachers find pop-culture references from movies and popular TV shows that are relevant to the educational process. Class Hook makes it easy to find media references to create teachable moments that help you grab and hold students’ attention.

Kannu – Kannu is a cloud-based learning management system, which uses tools such as media libraries, direct messaging, and user portfolios to achieve digital learning. With the use of active learning tools and management tools, Kannu allows users to have customized courses, which are essential for a creation and reiteration system. The platform makes use of responsive media on desktop and mobile devices to enhance the user’s experience. The platform also includes Kannu’s analytics, which gives actionable insight into how users interact with the platform and reports that help the user measure success.

SnagFilms – Watch over 5,000 free, full-length documentaries, TV shows, and independent movies with SnagFilms. Available titles cover subjects such as kid’s films, nature documentaries, biographies from notable people including historical figures, and international films from all over the world. SnagFilms allows teachers to stream lesson relevant content directly to their students’ iPads or iPhones and even assign content for viewing at home. New content is added all the time, so you’ll never run out of content and videos for classroom use.

Are you looking for measurement utility apps, tools, and resources that you can use with your students? If so, we have you covered. Check out our list below. Let us know if there are any that we missed.

Engineering Unit Converter App. This is an app for converting engineering and physical quantities from one unit of measurement to another. The app is free, works offline, and has no ads. To use the app, select a category such as length, energy, or entropy from the list of choices. Spin the interface wheel to select “from unit” and “to unit.” From the Help key, you can find extra information about the units you are working with.

Metric World– Although metric measurements are used by people across the world, Americans often struggle with metric units, conversions, and general understanding. Metric World is essential for students to learn metrics in a simple, logical way. This website will guide students and teachers through lessons that make metrics easy to understand.

Are you looking for math manipulative apps, tools, and resources that you can use with your students? If so, we have you covered. Check out our list below. Let us know if there are any that we missed.

Adding Eggs– With this app, your children learn to count and solve related math problems by moving eggs around on the screen. The eggs can be moved around to discover numbers that can be summed up to arrive at the answer that was provided. For example, the sum of 6 can be 2 and 4 or 1 and 5, etc. There are 6 levels, and each level determines how high the numbers will go.

Subtracting Sardines – With interactive 3-D graphics, a friendly penguin, and lots of sardines Subtracting Sardines will help your students develop a solid understanding of subtraction with both positive and negative single-digit numbers. The app covers single digit subtraction from 1 to 9 and counting from -8 to 9. Parents and teachers can review accuracy history as well as correct/incorrect answers. Using sardines as manipulatives, students can visually see the subtraction occurring, which helps develop conceptual understanding and build confidence.

The Math Tree – The Math Tree is an app designed to assist early learners with addition, subtraction, and numerical equation skills using numbers from zero to ten. It encourages hands-on counting with fun virtual manipulatives such as pears, plums, and bluebirds. Children must tap and move items to and from trees, which encourages counting, to solve problems. As each equation is completed, the app highlights it piece-by-piece to show the relationship between the counting the child just completed and the parts of the equation. To encourage engagement, The Math Tree has a built-in reward system. As children complete equations, they earn gold coins. For every ten gold coins earned, a trophy is awarded.

Hands-On Math Base Ten Blocks– The Base Ten Blocks app is a virtual math manipulative playground that allows students to experience and create math concepts via interaction and discovery. Students discover and explore concepts of place value as well as addition and subtraction with regrouping. Topics include reading and writing numbers, decimals, addition, subtraction, and regrouping and whole numbers.

Are you looking for map creation apps, tools, and resources that you can use with your students? If so, we have you covered. Check out our list below. Let us know if there are any that we missed.

Xnote– Xnote is a virtual geocaching app that lets parents, teachers, or students virtually hide notes, pictures, and scavenger hunt assignments anywhere. The app lets users virtually hide their message anywhere with just a few clicks. Simply create a message (text or photo), virtually hide it by choosing a spot on the map and send it to your intended recipient. Recipients can’t view the message until they have physically moved to the selected map location. Multiple messages can be combined to create scavenger hunts, tours, or quiz walks. Great for getting children outside and moving, Xnote can also be combined with classroom content to create outdoor learning activities.

Co-ordinates– This app incorporates practical tasks with the teacher’s participation and can be used for children between ages 5 and 14. It introduces five key areas that are needed to read maps; these skills are intended to acquaint students with the prerequisites for map reading.

Map My Run– Map My Run is designed to get you started or help you continue your fitness journey. It will record and follow in real time as you run. It will sync with your mobile device’s Global Positioning System (GPS) and record where you go. With activities to log, such as running, cycling, walking, workouts, yoga, and more, Map My Run will also provide you with pace, route, traveled distance, calories burned, and more. If you need motivation or just a way to keep track of your activity, this app can be helpful.

Are you looking for M-learning apps, tools, and resources that you can use with your students? If so, we have you covered. Check out our list below. Let us know if there are any that we missed.

Brainmint – This is a mobile learning management system that aligns the learning and development of teams with an agile model of learning on the go. The app works both online and offline and is available on Android and iOS platforms. It uses gamified learning experiences to teach and assess students; for example, its leaderboard shows the top performers, which motivates children to perform better.

CellCast Mobile Learning – CellCast is a mobile platform that provides mobile learning, content creation, delivery, and management. CellCast is available on iOS (iPhone and iPad), Android, Windows, and web browsers. It has a customizable user interface and supports a wide variety of content formats.

Kedzoh mLearn – Kedzoh mLearn is a mobile learning app that allows users to take, create, and share simple, three- to five-minutes lessons on their Android devices. Lessons can be created and shared anytime with or without an Internet connection. The app is aimed at enterprises that require close interaction and feedback. Users can access the app on Android or iOS devices while being part of an existing team or creating their team. The app also offers the use of multiple languages for flexibility.

Scriyb  – Scriyb is a synchronous, cloud-based, mobile learning engagement platform that allows a teacher to instruct thousands effectively. Scriyb can be used to conduct live real-time training where instructors can train their workforce about new technologies, latest releases, and rapidly evolving practices in cybersecurity. This tool

Are you looking for apps, tools, and resources that you can use to prepare for the LSAT? If so, we have you covered. Check out our list below. Let us know if there are any that we missed.

7 Speed Reading– This app can help you become a proficient reader in the English language while eliminating old habits that hold you back. With 7 Speed Reading, students can learn to recognize large clusters of words and read without first vocalizing in their heads**

Study.com – With over 25,000 video lessons and other resources, Study.com allows students to extend their knowledge of course content from home, or it can be incorporated into classroom lessons to meet student differentiation needs. There are options to take coursework for college credit, to receive homework help or complete study prep, and engage in professional development work. With videos ranging from the history of Sparta to working with fractions, Study.com can be used with students from K-12 and beyond. Any college credit earned is easily transferrable to over 1,500 U.S. colleges and universities. Teachers can enroll their classroom, assign videos and lessons, and even access printable resources such as worksheets designed to pair with video content.

Are you looking for literacy apps, tools, and resources that you can use with your students? If so, we have you covered. Check out our list below. Let us know if there are any that we missed.

Whooo’s Reading – The goal of Whooo’s Reading is accelerated reading comprehension and improved writing skills. By using open-ended questions instead of the standard true/false and multiple-choice style, students are required to think independently about texts. The Whooo’s Reading program automatically reminds students to improve their writing by asking them to cite evidence or answer all the parts of a question. Teachers can monitor student’s reading with automatic quiz results, graded by the Whooo’s Reading app, available in the teacher dashboard. To increase student motivation, students earn Wisdom Coins for reading and writing. These can be spent on accessories and items for their Owlvatars (owl avatars).

BiblioNasium– A website exclusively for children between the ages of 6 and 13. It aims to promote the reading habit among children. Equipped with peer and parental controls, it presents an effective and stimulating program for the user. Using this app, you can adapt reading to fit the child’s needs, monitor his/her reading log, and help the child explore a variety of reading genres. Reading data is saved online and is always accessible.

Curriculet–  This reading platform aims at overhauling and changing the way children study and the way teachers teach. Programmed questions and instructions pop up while a child is reading a text from the class. Using this tool, teachers can personalize the reading experience for their students; it also helps them to create and share the contents of their study digitally.

Kids A-Z– Children can select from a library of eQuizzes, eBooks, and hundreds of developmentally appropriate eResources by using the Kids A-Z mobile app. Students can complete corresponding quizzes to improve their comprehension skills and use interactive annotation tools that aid in the development of close reading skills. Kids A-Z mobile app is a must-have for kids that have access to Raz-Kids, Science A-Z, Headsprout, or Raz-plus.

Teach Your Monster to Read – In Teach Your Monster to Read, children can create a monster and take it on an adventure through a magical world while learning to read. The game starts at the most basic building blocks of reading, such as letter recognition and letter-sound matching, and progresses all the way to reading full sentences. Teach Your Monster to Read was developed to complement in-class synthetic phonics programs and can be used by students in the classroom or independently at home. The website also includes an interactive teacher’s toolkit with additional games, classroom activities, and resources. The web version is free to use through a grant by The Usborne Foundation, but there is also an app version for purchase.

The Joy of Reading – Designed to support early reading, The Joy of Reading includes nine multi-level games with explicit instruction in phonics and phonemic awareness. The Joy of Reading includes these foundational skills, which are all aligned to Kindergarten Common Core State Standards: phonemic awareness, letter tracing, letter recognition, rhyming and blending sounds, differentiation of long and short vowel sounds, spelling, recognition of compound words, recollection of common high-frequency words, and reading emergent-reader texts with fluency. There are three different game modes for teachers or parents to choose from, including a guided learning path, free play, and practice with specific words in the ABC dictionary. This app can be used as an early preparatory tool at home or as a complement to in-class instruction.

FunBrain– FunBrain comes with hundreds of free interactive books, videos, games, and printed material that help kids from Pre-K to 8 years old develop and master math, literacy, problem-solving, and reading skills. Vital skills and subject areas such as fractions, addition, shapes, and vowel sounds are included in each book, game, and video to give parents and educators a sense of confidence in the learning process.

Imagine Learning– Imagine Learning provides award-winning educational software to thousands of students around the globe. It provides a solution to literacy and language issues. Imagine Learning provides students with individual instruction on various activities, particularly designed to meet their personal needs and provide a real outcome. The essence of our business is to find solutions to our customers’ issues.

Lexia PowerUp Literacy– Lexia^® PowerUp Literacy™ is made for middle school students to help them master their reading skills. Working with typical reading lessons, teachers can use this app to fill in learning gaps, allowing students to practice skills such as comprehension, analyzation, evaluation, and comparison. It allows for online and offline activity, to be available for all students’ learning needs and activity levels. This can be used in combination with Lexia^® Core5^® Reading and Lexia^® RAPID™ Assessment to optimize reading experiences and reading groups in schools.

Literacy Assessment Online– Literacy Assessment Online is a browser-based tool that can be used to track students’ reading progress. Testing typically takes up a lot of time and energy from both teachers and students, but not anymore. The teacher can track literacy standards quickly and easily with Literacy Assessment Online. Whether tracking reading speed, word accuracy, reading comprehension, main idea identification, plot review, character analysis, or any skill, teachers can get immediate feedback on how each student is doing. Having this information readily available helps classes to keep improving and allows teachers to figure out what is and is not working for their pupils.

Phonics Genius– Learning phonics is not just limited to kindergarten children; it is a continuous process that requires reinforcement in the early elementary levels. This app teaches fluency in addition to basic letter sounds; it features over 6,000 words categorized by sounds. Language proficiency and literacy are developed by creating phonic awareness, something that Phonics Genius well. The objective of this game is to help students learn to identify words by their sound.

Science A-Z– Science A-Z guarantees that educators have the resources needed to develop a student’s science knowledge and practices. It also assists in learning essential literacy skills drawing on thousands of resources to educate students on core science ideas and practices. This platform offers multilevel books to distinguish reading instruction, hands-on experiments, and projects that utilize science concepts.

Sound Literacy – Sound Literacy is an instructional tool for building literacy, including phonemic awareness, phonological processing, and morphemic word building. It is primarily meant to be used by a teacher or tutor with the student as no themes or concept packages are included. The app is composed of letter tiles, blank tiles, and all common spelling patterns. Specially designed spelling ladders allow students to build and compare phonemes. Also included are phoneme maps, the ability to customize tilesets, and popovers that indicate various ways to spell each phoneme from most to least common. Sound Literacy is a valuable addition to any word study program or literacy time.

Are you looking for linguistics apps, tools, and resources that you can use with your students? If so, we have you covered. Check out our list below. Let us know if there are any that we missed.

TurnItIn for Educators– TurnItIn for Educators is a website that helps support academic integrity in schools. Teachers can detect plagiarized content with the world’s most effective plagiarism detection software. Using forensic linguistic analysis and Natural Language Processing (NLP), TurnItIn can determine if students are writing their own papers or using a third party. The website also provides professional development resources for teachers to improve the feedback they provide for students and lesson plans to use with students to build integrity skills.

Teach Your Monster to Read – In Teach Your Monster to Read, children can create a monster and take it on an adventure through a magical world while learning to read. The game starts at the most basic building blocks of reading, such as letter recognition and letter-sound matching, and progresses all the way to reading full sentences. Teach Your Monster to Read was developed to complement in-class synthetic phonics programs and can be used by students in the classroom or independently at home. The website also includes an interactive teacher’s toolkit with additional games, classroom activities, and resources. The web version is free to use through a grant by The Usborne Foundation, but there is also an app version for purchase.

The Joy of Reading – Designed to support early reading, The Joy of Reading includes nine multi-level games with explicit instruction in phonics and phonemic awareness. The Joy of Reading includes these foundational skills, which are all aligned to Kindergarten Common Core State Standards: phonemic awareness, letter tracing, letter recognition, rhyming and blending sounds, differentiation of long and short vowel sounds, spelling, recognition of compound words, recollection of common high-frequency words, and reading emergent-reader texts with fluency. There are three different game modes for teachers or parents to choose from, including a guided learning path, free play, and practice with specific words in the ABC dictionary. This app can be used as an early preparatory tool at home or as a complement to in-class instruction.