Best of the Best Lists

Fluent Reader Apps, Tools, and Resources That We Love

Are you looking for fluent reader 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.

1000 Sight Words Superhero– Children learn to read and spell the 1000 most commonly repeated words. The app groups these sight words into 50 sets containing 20 words each to avoid flooding the child with 1000 words at once. To avoid unintended repetition, the user can highlight words previously learned and focus on new words or a set of words.

First Sight Words Professional– The First Sight Words Professional is designed to help your child attain reading fluency. This app has more than 300 of the most common words in the English language; it focuses on the essential vocabulary your children will need throughout their lives. It also includes a list of about 100 common nouns as well as five levels of vocabulary to take your child from pre-kindergarten to third grade.

Reading Fluency Builder– This app goes straight to the point and tackles your child’s reading fluency and speed by pushing them to obtain grade-level reading expectations. Reading Fluency builder has been proven to help even the most hesitant learners. This app is designed to create a fun, game-like environment that uses modeled and repeated readings to increase fluency. This app has been tested for use by children with special needs and adults with aphasia; it can also be used by people learning English as a second language.

ThinkFluency – ThinkFluency is a streamlined reading fluency assessment tool for teachers. Teachers can use pre-loaded passages or upload their own. To track reading errors, simply tap the text where the error was made. The app automatically calculates the word per minute (WPM) rate, tracks the words that were missed, and counts the number of errors. The app includes ThinkMeasure technology that analyzes errors and provides student-specific instruction plans. Student data is saved and can be tracked over time. All data is easily shareable with parents or future teachers.

English Language Learning Apps, Tools, and Resources That We Love

Are you looking for English Language 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.

StudySync – StudySync offers a comprehensive, technology-driven English Language Arts curriculum for grades 6-12. The curriculum integrates reading and writing with embedded skill lessons to build foundational knowledge and improve critical thinking, comprehension, and inquiry skills. Teachers have the option to use StudySync as a completely digital curriculum or turn to the printable options. With the belief that all students deserve equal access to education, StudySync offers tons of differentiation options for various student needs, including English Language Learner segments, extensive use of video and audio components, and repeated readings. Extended writing projects use explicit instruction along with self, peer, and teacher assessment to encourage deep understanding and future skill application.

Mingoville– With 10 missions, you can use Mingoville to learn the English language. The app has a dictionary that is available in 32 languages and contains over 10,000 audio clips to help you learn to pronounce all types of words. There are also 130 games and activities that will reinforce spelling, reading, grammar, and pronunciation. If you love to sing, there are also 10 songs that you can sing along; you can also participate with your friends.

Click N SPELL– This app teaches prekindergarten to fifth graders to learn and spell the 800 most common words in the English language. It is also useful for teaching children who have learning difficulties as well as second language learners. Memorizing these words is important to learning English language skills because the 800 most commonly used words are used 13 times more frequently than the next 800. Hence, learning these words helps students communicate in some form.

Pili Pop English– Pili Pop English is geared toward children five to ten years old. It allows them to practice English verbally, learn new skills, learn new words, and learn pronunciation. Whether used for the native English speaker or bilingual child, Pili Pop will lead your child toward language fluency. You can begin with a free trial and then choose to pay monthly for full and continued access. Pili Pop is also available for Spanish language learners.

ABA English– ABA English is designed to help you become a good listener, speaker, reader, and writer of the English Language. The goal is to help you learn English naturally—first, by listening and comprehending; then, by speaking like native English speakers, and eventually, by writing in English using its syntactical rules. Each part begins with a video portraying everyday situation followed by an array of activities tailored from the content of the video.

Language Garden– Language Garden is a colorful and visually appealing way to learn English. This app is not just for children but for anyone who is learning the basics of English or who needs extra practice with the nuances and uniformity of the language. Nouns are presented in blue, verbs in red, and adjectives in green. The app also addresses the use of adverbs, determiners, prepositions, and connectives to ensure that you learn sentence construction and word types.

Language Lab – This is a web-based language lab software is designed to facilitate rapid language learning; it is built for corporations and institutions with access to control tools that can be used for trainers and multimedia support. Language Lab study materials are designed to give the appropriate support for students at any level of a spoken language, ranging from beginner to expert.

Fine Motor Skill Apps, Tools, and Resources That We Love

Are you looking for fine motor skill 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.

Button Board– Introduce your children to color with this creative game. The gameplay has other benefits, including hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills development, and improving concentration. Assemble incomplete pictures by dragging colored buttons into place. Free play mode allows children to create their own designs using preset colors. The gameplay is customizable using the child-lock key that modifies gameplay to fit your child’s needs. 

Dexteria– Dexteria offers therapeutic exercises developed to improve fine motor skills and handwriting in kids and adults. It can also be used to build strength and improve motor control. For the best result, the exercises should be done regularly in small sessions. Dexteria is also designed with automatic tracker and self-reporting feature so that parents, teachers, and therapists can monitor both compliance and progress

Dress Up: Professions– This is a fun app for young children to learn to identify a color, professions, items of coloring, and how to differentiate left from right. Children also develop their fine motor skills and creativity as they dress up the cute children on the app, which contains about 30 puzzles and 100 garments for 15 professions. This app was developed by PlayToddlers and is suitable for both male and female children.

Special Words – Special Words is a speech and language development app that is adaptable to individual student’s abilities and needs. This app was specifically created for children and adults with learning disabilities and/or those with autism. There are five areas of targeted development covered by the app: communication and language skills, sight-word vocabulary, listening and speaking skills, hand-eye coordination, and fine motor skills. Teachers and parents can import text, photos, music, and record messages to personalize the app and target student’s specific interests. Adjustable animation speeds are also included to accommodate different abilities and concentration levels.

Engineering Apps, Tools, and Resources That We Love

Are you looking for engineering 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.

Algodoo– Algodoo is a physics-based 2-D sandbox freeware from Algoryx Simulation AB as the successor to the popular physics application Phun. Bring your ideas to life with Algodoo. Use the drawing tool, materials like ropes, lasers, gears, motors, and even water to test your funniest ideas in a simulated world. Share your inventions with friends and challenge them to use their creative abilities. The simulated world is based on the latest technologies in advanced engineering simulations and virtual reality simulators used by Algoryx.     

Aristotl Interactive– This is an online classroom and content creation tool that lets you teach lectures in science, technology, engineering, and math using standard 3-D modeling technology. The Aristotl Learning Platform is an advanced yet easy to use tool that allows virtual learning over multiple dimensional platforms.

CK-12– Helps students and teachers to improve elementary learning worldwide by making personal education tools available. Learn more than 5,000 math and science topics at a speed that suits you. Math topics include arithmetic, measurement, algebra, geometry, probability, statistics, trigonometry, analysis, and calculus. Science subjects include geography, life science, physical science, biology, chemistry, and physics. Other subjects include SAT exam prep, engineering, technology, astronomy, English, and history.

DigitalEd– Helps online educators in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to make learning better for students. With Maple™, the world-leading math software from Maplesoft™, providing mathematical back-up, DigitalEd creates an efficient platform for online math-based education.

WhiteBox Learning – Designed for students in grades 6-12, WhiteBox Learning is a complete standards-based STEM learning system. The curriculum is entirely web-based, with students able to design, test, analyze, revise, and simulate their experiments and model designs virtually before beginning to build. Students have the option to build their designs using a model kit or via a 3D printer. Teachers have tools to manage and monitor classrooms and student learning with data mining tools that allow them to track progress, manage results, and differentiate instruction. With 10 applications, including Gliders 2.0, Rocket 2.0, and Survival Shelter 2.0, students can virtually compete to design the best, fastest, lightest, or smallest models using science and pre-engineering concepts.

Teach Engineering – A STEM curriculum for K-12, Teach Engineering contains curricular units, lesson plans, activities, maker challenges, and sprinkles (fun, one-off activities, and projects for informal learning). Full of hands-on learning projects, Teach Engineering is completely free and standards-aligned. With lessons including engineering polymers from potatoes and designing a soundproof room, teachers can easily sort by lesson, grade level, or standard to find activities that align with current classroom teaching. Teach Engineering also includes tons of extensions, videos, and readings for extra practice, homework, and to assist with differentiation.

Skyscrapers by Tinybop – Explore and learn about the tallest buildings in the world with Skyscrapers by Tinybop. From earthquakes to blackouts and dinosaur attacks, this app allows children to discover the engineering, utilities, and design behind skyscrapers. Users can study how soil impacts building stability, investigate building safety features, and save the building in emergency situations. Younger users can focus on how building residents use their homes by moving people throughout the building, up and down elevators, and in and out of rooms. Also included is a handbook full of interaction hints and discussion questions that can be used by parents and teachers to extend student’s understanding in the classroom or at home.

Bridge Constructor Playground– Build bridges using this app and your imagination. You build bridges across 30 different levels of difficulties and challenges. Your bridge will be subjected to a stress test for structural integrity. Compared to the #1 hit “Bridge Constructor,” this game provides easier access and more comprehensive tutorials. With no budgets or restrictions on available materials, you have the creative freedom to bring your ideas to life.

Emotional Intelligence Apps, Tools, and Resources That We Love

Are you looking for emotional intelligence 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.

Comparative Agility – Comparative Agility provides a vast database for administrators to assess and manage their decisions. The security system is state of the art, providing a safe storage facility for your data. It is based on 20 years of research on the Team Emotional Intelligence (TEI) framework.

The KidConnect Classroom App – was designed to help students develop emotional regulation and improve behavior. Teachers routinely lament how issues with behavior management cause a disruption in the classroom, prevent individual students from being ready to learn, and make it difficult for teachers to deliver the best instruction to all. KidConnect is a solution to this pressing challenge.

Calm Harm – Calm Harm is a tool that helps children with tendencies to hurt themselves manage their destructive urges. It comes with six modes (i.e., Comfort, Distract, Express Yourself, Release, Breathe or Random) that children can choose from to help them by simply selecting the “Ride the Wave” option. Each activity can be set to last for five or ten minutes. After each exercise, the student can enter a report in the datasheet that is compiled at the end of the week for more comprehensive assessments.

Daniel Tiger’s Grr-ific Feelings – This is a social and emotional intellience app useful in early childhood. Some kids are familiar with Daniel Tiger, especially if they have watched the PBS series. The app includes Trolley, which children can swing on to land on a mini game; Sing-alongs with over 18 songs to choose from, and Photo Booth, where kids mirror the expressions on Daniel’s face by tapping the “feeling face” icon. More soothing activities are prescribed in this game.

Bouncy the People Trainer – Join Bouncy’s social and emotional intelligence classes as he guides children through their social challenges. The game starts with children customizing the avatar they will use in the game. There are five progressive levels that include activities such as reading, listening, watching stories, and answering questions. Children can complete their tasks in any order, but they earn badges in a coordinated order.

Mitra– If you need help aligning your life and controlling your emotions, core values, and lifestyle, Mitra may be the app for you. Doing daily exercises in emotion control and value analysis, you can make a great impact on your life. If integrity, community, courage, cultivation, or connection are highlights of your life, use Mitra to help you stay accountable with your values, interactions, and lifestyle goals. This app can help you get through a hard time and increase positivity or maintain a healthy and well-balanced life.

Fit Brains Trainer– Fit Brains Trainer, an award-winning app designed by Neuroscientists, trains your brain through various games and challenges. It stimulates your mind while you have fun. The Fit Brains Trainer is designed to train cognitive skills such as attention, emotional intelligence, memory, and speed.

Mood Meter– The Mood Meter app helps users manage, track, and control their moods and emotions. This app helps boost emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and lifestyle control. If you check in throughout the day (with the help of optional reminders), you will begin to be aware of your mood fluctuation, mood stability, common moods, and you will learn how to manage your emotions better.

Positive Penguins– Positive Penguins is an app that builds children’s concentration skills; it is designed to help children process their feelings and use them in the best way possible. The app has a five-minute guided meditation session that teaches kids to sit, take a deep breath, and let go of their issues and worries. It informs children that the emotion they are feeling is a consequence of an event or situation that happened to them earlier. The emotion is neither right nor wrong; rather, it is information that they need to learn to process. Children need to comprehend this and analyze the thoughts or stories they feed themselves about these situations.

Peppy Pals – Follow the adventures of four brave animal buddies and learn about emotions and friendship. This app helps children improve their emotional intelligence abilities. Download the app and join Sammy the horse, Eggy the dog, Izzy the owl, and Gabby the rabbit on an emotional rollercoaster ride in a colorful, exciting universe. Help them navigate through familiar experiences, play with them, or enjoy other mini games. Use PeppyPal to demonstrate empathy, social skills, and friendship to children in a controlled, fun environment.

Stop, Breathe & Think – This tool helps children and adults manage their emotional state and improve how they handle life’s ups and downs. From the Check-In screen, users can rate their feelings on a scale of “great” to “rough” and identify the emotions they are feeling at that moment. Based on their responses, the app prescribes appropriate calming meditations or other activities. The tool reminds users to check in daily; it can be linked with Alexa at home or Slack at work.

Aperture Education – provides strength-based online social and emotional learning assessments and resilience-building resources to help schools and out-of-school programs address the whole child. Its cloud-based SEL assessment, the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA), is well respected in the SEL field and has been mentioned in more than 100 peer-reviewed articles.

Elementary Social Studies Apps, Tools, and Resources That We Love

Are you looking for elementary school social studies, 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.

Stack the States– With information about state capitals, flags, shapes, and more, Stack the States teaches students about the United States in a fun and engaging way. The app includes 50 state fact cards, an interactive map, high-resolution images of state landmarks, and hundreds of state questions. As students successfully complete levels, they collect random states to unlock hidden content, including four additional games: MapIt!, Pile Up!, Puzzler, and Capital Drop. Stack the States is an interactive addition to the elementary or middle school social studies classroom.

Political Animals – This is an election simulation games, which features animal candidates and different constituencies. The goal of the game is to choose a candidate and work towards winning the election. It is a turn-based strategy game that can be used in multiplayer mode. Students play as candidates and can make use of a variety of strategies to win the election, each affecting the election in different ways.

Win the White House – This is a game that lets young Americans experience a presidential campaign firsthand and understand the process it takes to run a campaign successfully. The game starts with the user choosing a political party and five issues they will represent. Users get to manage elements of a presidential campaign such as winning their party’s nomination, selecting a running mate, raising funds, polling voters, launching media campaigns, and making personal appearances. Meticulous planning and wise spending are encouraged.

Brain POP: Featured Movie– Learn something new every day from animation movies. Test yourself after every lesson with intensive free tests. The in-app purchases unlock over 750 science, math, art, and music subjects that you can access from your smartphone. All movies come with closed captions for people who might need them.

GeographyDrive USA– Geographycomes alive with this app as students learn as they use it. Textbook geography becomes a delightful cross-country adventure in this fact-packed game. Staying in the game requires you to answer questions correctly to unlock fuel stations and airports.

PopGeo USA Geography– This geography app about the United States is designed for elementary school students. It teaches students to recognize states, capitals, and much more. The beautiful images help students acquaint themselves with the map. Top performers make it to the leaderboard, and this motivates students to perform better. 

Geo Trainer– Geo Trainer, is a fast-paced game app used by geography students to prepare for their tests. It comes with multiple choice questions about flags, capitals, and various information about different countries. Students can focus on one continent at a time or the entire world.

KidzLearn Countries– Kids Learn Countries not only helps children become more knowledgeable about the countries of the world, but it also gives them many fun facts and hours of fun. This app provides descriptions of key aspects of various countries—their flags, forms of government, sports, and cultures—using high-resolution photographs. It helps children learn the alphabet and fractions. There are no advertisements or in-app purchases, making it a great app to download on a child’s mobile device.

Freckle Education– Students can easily fall in love with schooling again as this app enables them to work in various subjects at their pace. Teachers can monitor students’ progress across various subjects such as science, social studies, math, and English language arts.

iLearn: US States– iLearn US States comes with two modes in the Lite Version from which you will learn the names and locations of the 50 states in the US. It enables you to tap and highlight every state to check its name. You can also start the information panel to see more facts such as a nickname, the capital city, and more about each state. The game is fun and addictive which enables you to learn all the states within a few hours

Interactive Sites for Education– Select an interesting, interactive, and educational game and simulation for ELA, math, social studies, holidays, brainteasers, music, art, and science with Interactive Sites for Education. This app can be used at home for individual learning or in the computer lab or with your interactive whiteboard for a group of students. Many of the activities are flash-based and, as such, will not work on iPads unless you are running an app that let’s Flash play on iPads.

Sites in VR– Sites in VR allows students to explore famous landmarks from the classroom or their own home. This app primarily focuses on Islamic temples, tombs, and ancient cities; however, there is also an outer space component. Landmarks from Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Morocco, Kuwait, Yemen, Macedonia, Holland, Belgium, France, Italy, and Greece are included. If you’ve always imagined your history or social studies students touring through the pyramids of Egypt or the Colosseum in Rome, this app can fulfill that wish. Sites in VR includes more than 1,000 high-quality panoramic images and promises that “you will feel as if you are there…”

Smarty Pins– Well suited for history, geography, or social studies courses, Smarty Pins, was created by Google engineers as a fun way to brush up on map skills and review trivia. There are six main categories that students can choose from: March Madness, Arts & Culture, Science & Geography, Sports & Games, Entertainment, and History & Current Events. Once a category is selected, the student is asked a trivia question and prompted to find the location on the map that provides the answer. Bonus points are awarded for quick thinking! If a student finds themselves stumped, hints are provided as the remaining time to submit an answer runs out.

Study Island– Study Island is an all-in-one practice website for students to work on literacy, math, science, and social studies skills. It is built specifically around state standards, so regardless of your school’s location, you can rest assured that the content and practice provided on the website will align with your classroom teaching. Study Island is a great tool to use for high stakes testing preparation and provides real-time progress monitoring for teachers and parents. Beyond simple practice, Study Island can also be incorporated into classroom lessons for formative assessment and differentiation. It even allows teachers to import NWEA MAPassessment information for individual students and calculates a targeted learning path to fill in knowledge gaps!

TapQuiz Maps World Edition– Perfect for the geography or social studies classroom, TapQuiz Maps World Edition lets students learn the countries of the world in a game show environment. Simply tap the correct answer for each country on the map and track your progress mastering country names through the statistics page. Regions included in this app: U.S. States, Canadian Provinces, Mexico and Central America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Australia and Oceania. There are two modes: Tap And Type and Discovery Mode. In Tapand Type, students are prompted to type in the name of the country, state, or province.

The Hidden World of Our National Parks– Using 360° video, students can virtually follow park rangers into National Parks around the country and explore. From kayaking through icebergs to see a receding glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park to flying with thousands of bats through a cave in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, students can explore and discover fascinating corners of the U.S. National Parks system. Rangers provide facts and figures about each National Park as students move through the videos, so the website is both educational and engaging. It would be a good fit for any social studies or science class.

King Tut VR – King Tut VR provides a virtual reality experience of the tomb of King Tutankhamun. This app requires a virtual reality headset. King Tut was a great Egyptian pharaoh in the 18th dynasty. He was buried in a legendary tomb, which you can explore virtually while learning about the art, treasures, and hieroglyphics of the time. This app takes you back in time with a fully immersive environment, which makes you feel like you are in King Tut’s tomb.

Stack the Countries – A valuable addition to social studies, geography, and world history classes, Stack the Countries is a stacking and collecting game that teaches students about capitals, landmarks, major cities, and more. For each successfully completed level, students earn a random country to add to their world map with the goal of collecting all 193. With more than 1,000 questions and 193 fact cards, Stack the Countries is a wealth of information. Students have the option to play with the entire world or selected continents depending on prior knowledge or as required by the assignment. Stack the Countries also comes with two bonus games: Map It! and Pile Up!

Empathy Building Apps, Tools, and Resources That We Love

Are you looking for empathy building 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.

Peppy Pals – Follow the adventures of four brave animal buddies and learn about emotions and friendship. This app helps children improve their emotional intelligence abilities. Download the app and join Sammy the horse, Eggy the dog, Izzy the owl, and Gabby the rabbit on an emotional rollercoaster ride in a colorful, exciting universe. Help them navigate through familiar experiences, play with them, or enjoy other mini games. Use PeppyPal to demonstrate empathy, social skills, and friendship to children in a controlled, fun environment.

Student Tracking System– This software program tracks bullying, bad behavior, good character, and sends alerts directly to educators and school administrators. This software was integrated with character education exercises that promote kindness, communication, cooperation, and friendship and include lessons and activities stressing empathy and conflict resolution skills for all students.

LearningBranch– LearningBranch is a soft skills assessment and training platform powered by AI and is used by frontline, customer-facing employees. The platform is built to reduce the time and cost required in the employee hiring process and improve users’ communication skills. The software’s assessment tools rapidly and accurately provide data related to job readiness for a potential employee. Some of the skills measured include empathy and active listening.

Social Adventures – Social Adventures is a self-contained resource to teach social skills and friendship. Developed for children between the ages of 3 and 13, it can be used to teach students how to initiate interactions, maintain interactions, negotiate, advocate, interpret non-verbal communication, negotiate personal space, and experience humor. The app includes over 80 activities that can be used in the classroom, on playdates, or at home. Each section has detailed parent tips to assist with understanding how to help children apply the skills they are learning. And if you’re not sure where to start, Social Adventures has a sample eight-week beginner program to get you off on the right foot.

Elementary School STEM/STEAM Apps, Tools, and Resources That We Love

As the American K-12 system searches for ways to boost student engagement and aptitude in STEM education, technology is playing a pivotal role. Young children who enter classrooms today have an aptitude for tech, and educators must nurture that skill set with resources and tools that implement STEM learning.

Where do teachers find resources to integrate into their STEM instruction? The easiest place would be online. To save you some time, we compiled a list of resources that provide teachers with the tools that they need to teach quality STEM instruction to their students. Without further ado, here is our list of elementary school STEM/STEAM apps, tools, and resources that we love.

LEGO Education LEGO Education has been working for over 37 years to find new and fun ways to encourage education among young children. From tangible to virtual, they offer resources to make learning interactive and rewarding and allow children to learn how they want. With the LEGO system for playful learning, preschool to middle school students will get a better approach to science, technology, engineering, and math fields (STEM).

Brilliant– This app teaches students key concepts in math, science, and computer science that are applicable in problem-solving scenarios. Back and forth, interactive lessons have been proven to be more effective than boring one-way lectures. Develop yourself using the materials assembled by top researchers and professionals. Suitable for adults and children over the age of 10.

A is for Amphibians Children can have fun playing with frogs without getting dirty on the A is for Amphibians game for children between the ages of 5 and 8. This app contains STEM-based vocabulary and 3-D pictures to feed children’s curiosity about the world around them. The app comes free with a limited time offer of no in-app purchases.

FlinnSTEM Powered by IMSA Fusion– IMSA Fusion is a complete STEM program that provides additional enrichment to students interested in science and mathematics. The name IMSA Fusion comes from the blending of inquiry-based student content and in-depth teacher content. Instructors who implement this program receive much more than teacher instructions with student pages and a box of supplies; they also receive hours of video-based, on-demand online training that truly sets IMSA Fusion apart from any other solution available. 

Elemental Path – This is a super smart company making super smart toys for kids. When Elemental Path debuted on Kickstarter in 2016, it was with the help of IBM Watson, which enabled the company to make toys that kids can communicate with. IBM Watson combines machine learning, computer vision, data mining, natural language processing, and human/computer interaction to mirror the actions of the human brain. The toy company, however, has switched to its own proprietary software for its new dino robot, the STEMosaur, that kids can build and talk to.

KIBO – The STEAM Robot Kit for Children 4 – 7– KIBO is created by KinderLab Robotics, a robot kit based on over 15 years of child development research that allows 4- to 7-year-old kids to program, build, decorate and run their personal robot. KIBO has proven to be effective in helping young students learn steam concepts and making them proud in the 54 countries where it’s being used. KIBO can be incorporated into the classroom without hassle to improve any theme or curriculum, thereby engaging students to learn STEAM concepts.

LittleBits Electronics– LittleBits Electronics encourages creativity and inquisitiveness in young ones to help them in their future. Using technology and electronic techniques, LittleBits has over 10 kits and 70 operable “Bits” to allow your child to create and play with endless possibilities. Children will learn lots about robotics and how to build things from scratch. They will also learn the basics of electronic components, powering, how things interact with one another to create an end-product, and much more. This app will also enhance their knowledge of STEM field mechanics.

Minecraft: Education Edition– This version of Minecraft will help you learn. Whether computer science, wilderness conservation, chemistry, coding, math, STEM topics, and more, you can learn educational topics the fun way. If you love Minecraft, you will surely love this version.

Morphi– Morphi is an app that allows you to create 3-D models that can – be printed into real tangible objects. Using visualization, innovation, creativity, prototypes, and education, create your best models today. Morphi can also be used as a starting place to learn any STEAM subject, stop motion animation, product or graphic design, or for Maker education. One version of Morphi is free, and volume purchases are available.

Bridge Constructor Playground– Build bridges using this app and your imagination. You build bridges across 30 different levels of difficulties and challenges. Your bridge will be subjected to a stress test for structural integrity. Compared to the #1 hit “Bridge Constructor,” this game provides easier access and more comprehensive tutorials. With no budgets or restrictions on available materials, you have the creative freedom to bring your ideas to life.

robots4STEM– In its bid to promote diversification and make education more inclusive, RoboKind created robots4STEM, a visual programming platform that provides students with the foundational knowledge required for computer science development. It uses a drag-and-drop programming system to teach students the logic of programming while they control Jett, a facially expressive, responsive, humanoid robot. It allows students to learn visual programming using a customized avatar and Jett, a technologically improved, facially expressive robot. This platform provides countless opportunities and activities to develop essential coding and programming abilities, and it is quite easy to install and use. It does not require a high level of coding or programming experience or proficiency for teachers and parents to use it to help their wards; its ease of use allows you to schedule classes at convenient times within or outside the instructional day.

Elementary School Science Apps, Tools, and Resources That We Love

Are you looking for elementary school science 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.

LEGO Education– LEGO Education has been working for over 37 years to find new and fun ways to encourage education among young children. From tangible to virtual, they offer resources to make learning interactive and rewarding and allow children to learn how they want. With the LEGO system for playful learning, preschool to middle school students will get a better approach to science, technology, engineering, and math fields (STEM).

Gro Memo– Gro Memo is not an ordinary memory game but an eco-educational game that enlightens kids about simple environmental knowledge and explains the important sustainability issues simply and interestingly. It uses lots of animation, fun characters, and appealing illustrations in two major environments—the forest and the sea. Play for a better planet and help animals clean up their polluted homes with Gro Memo.

Legends of Learning– Legends of Learning has over 500 games about earth science, astronomy, life science, and physical science. With over 300 game developers and collaboration with Vanderbilt University, this is the hub for educational science games for middle school children. Many children get bored with cookie-cutter classes, especially when they have fun video games waiting for them at home. Bringing video games into education can help children learn because they can have fun while doing so. Academic ability, performance, and engagement have been increased by playing games such as these.

Toca Nature– In Toca Nature, children are free to explore a forest in open-ended play. They can plant trees, feed animals, gather berries and nuts, or create mountains. 

Toca Lab: Elements– Students can experiment with and learn about all 118 of the elements from the periodic table. Simulating a real lab, students have access to a centrifuge, Bunsen burners, ice, test tubes, and more. Using this lab equipment, students can combine elements in any way they want to explore, inspect, and study them.

Amazing Space Journey– Amazing Space Journey lets you explore the solar system, other planets, and all their satellites in detail. The Interactive Learning feature makes it a fun and memorable experience for people of all ages. The 3-D Augmented Reality feature lets you lose yourself in the experience of the solar system from your home, office, or on a local flight. 

Learning Games for Kids– Learning Games for Kids provides children with games that help them to learn math, language, science, history, and more. Geared toward preschool to elementary-aged children, these games are fun, visually stimulating, and auditorily appealing to keep kids engaged and wanting to learn more.

Nico & Nor Shadow Play– Shadow Play is an app that lets preschool children explore the science of shadows using beautiful simulations. With this app, children learn about shadows and develop their scientific method skills. The Shadows program has two apps (Shadow Play and Shadows Journal) working hand in hand to help preschool kids and their teachers to take pictures and partake in scavenger hunts and matching games.

Nico & Nor Coconut Star– Explore the Coconut Star World by solving puzzles using push, pull, and texture to get to new stars to win. This app provides a cheerful sojourn into the world of forces and motions using fireworks, water traps, and real-time feedback. The app provides opportunities for children to develop their scientific method skills. The Ramps program has two apps (Coconut Star and Ramps Journal) working hand in hand to help preschool kids and their teachers to record videos and results from experiments.

Frog Dissection– If your kids find it difficult to do Frog Dissection live, the Frog Dissection app will help them complete the frog dissecting experiments virtually. The app provides extensive information about the frog’s organs along with step-by-step instructions on how to do the science experiment.

Amazing Alex– Amazing Alex is a boy wonder that uses his endless stream of toys to solve problems creatively. In this app, Alex comes to test you and your ability to solve situations using your creativity. Amazing Alex lets you set objects to bounce, pop, ricochet, and create chain reactions as you create an elegant Rube Goldberg device. There are 100 challenges available, and other users continue to create new levels.

Bloom by Megalearn– Has your child ever asked why trees produce sweet fruits or how plants give birth? Bloom teaches your child the various methods that plants use to propagate their seed. The game teaches three methods of propagation and the plants that use them. Children also learn plant anatomy, physiology, and the names of common plants. There are no ads or in-app purchases.

Elementary School Reading Apps, Tools, and Resources That We Love

Are you looking for elementary school reading 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.

1000 Sight Words Superhero– Children learn to read and spell the 1000 most commonly repeated words. The app groups these sight words into 50 sets containing 20 words each to avoid flooding the child with 1000 words at once. To avoid unintended repetition, the user can highlight words previously learned and focus on new words or a set of words.

First Sight Words Professional– The First Sight Words Professional is designed to help your child attain reading fluency. This app has more than 300 of the most common words in the English language; it focuses on the essential vocabulary your children will need throughout their lives. It also includes a list of about 100 common nouns as well as five levels of vocabulary to take your child from pre-kindergarten to third grade.

Reading Fluency Builder– This app goes straight to the point and tackles your child’s reading fluency and speed by pushing them to obtain grade-level reading expectations. Reading Fluency builder has been proven to help even the most hesitant learners. This app is designed to create a fun, game-like environment that uses modeled and repeated readings to increase fluency. This app has been tested for use by children with special needs and adults with aphasia; it can also be used by people learning English as a second language.

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.

1000 Sight Words Superhero– Children learn to read and spell the 1000 most commonly repeated words. The app groups these sight words into 50 sets containing 20 words each to avoid flooding the child with 1000 words at once. To avoid unintended repetition, the user can highlight words previously learned and focus on new words or a set of words.

ABC MAGIC– Help your child master phonology and pronunciation using this app. Children can choose to either match letters to pictures or pictures to letters. This helps them associate letters with their most popular pronunciation. Both the letters and pictures have touch-activated sound features to help children learn and retain what they learn.  

ABC Phonics – Short Vowel Words– Allows growing kids to master phonics by shooting missiles to identify words from the submarine they are navigating. PhonicsOne is especially for kids learning to read; PhonicsTwo and PhonicsThree are available for middle school kids. Children are rewarded with jewels and a mini game upon completion of a level.

ABC Phonics – Rhyming Words–Helps children to master phonics by matching rhyming word pairs. Children are rewarded with jewels and a mini game upon completion of a level. This app also helps children recognize how consonant and vowel placements affect pronunciation, such as in “ch” and “sh.”

ABC Phonics – Make a Word– Provides both phonics and spelling solutions to children who are learning to read. All the words have short vowel sounds. Phonics Advanced is available for older children, and it comes with longer and double vowel sounds. It also helps children recognize how consonant and vowel placements affect pronunciation.

ABC Phonics – Animated– Designed using the expertise of phonics teachers, this app is an excellent introduction to phonics. Letters are written on the screen with animated tracing for the child to follow, and the app pronounces the letters for the child. This combination helps the child build a solid basis to grow.

ABC Phonics – Word Family Tree– Combines phonics, spelling, beginning sound word family phonics, short vowel sounds, and images with many visual enhancements for each word. The app includes a total of 56-word family groups to be used to teach short and long vowels, spelling, and pronunciation using the Montessori Method.