Back in 2001, when I started as a teacher, the technology boom was in its nascent stage. I remember toting a large bag filled with papers home most nights and going to sleep drowning under a vast sea of student homework that needed grading. My classroom was even worse, cluttered with books, manipulatives, globes, maps, and learning stations that left little room for anything else. However, as I write this in 2018, things have changed dramatically. Today’s teachers have edtech in their corners.
Digital teaching and learning tools have streamlined education processes and provide learning experiences that stretch far beyond the materials that were available for me back in 2001. When it comes to digital learning in the early childhood or K-12 classroom, there is no shortage of apps will help teachers develop or find curriculum, or deliver instruction effectively.
Are you a teacher who is looking for apps or tools for their early childhood or elementary education classroom? Don’t worry I have some great recommendations for you. Below you will find a list of early childhood apps, tools, and resources that I would use if I were still in the classroom.
Montessori Preschool – is a comprehensive early learning app. It covers phonics, letter tracing, counting, shapes, colors… in a fun and engaging environment. With new games added every 2 months, the app also offers tons of activities to develop critical thinking, learn foreign languages and even think like a coder! With its carefully crafted designs, Montessori Preschool is beautiful to look at and answers a number of user requests such as child profile management, screen time management and even device space management. The app is free to download and 10 games are completely free to try. Users who want to try more have a 7 day free trial period before the subscription (monthly or yearly) starts.
Toca Hair Salon – Cut, color, comb, and style the hair of six different characters in your own hair salon! Children are in charge of their hair salon and have all the tools of a real stylist including scissors, electric hair trimmers, towels, shampoo, conditioner, and hair dryer. They can choose from 12 different hair dyes and 8 hair accessories
Funky Fruitilicious– The Funky Fruitilicious app helps children to learn in a delightful environment using visual learning techniques. The experience is most enjoyable when parents serve as a guide for their kids while playing it with them. The app is designed for preschoolers trying to learn the concept of counting and the basics of numbers. Funky Fruitilicious uses a variety of colorful game activities as well as funny audio sounds to improve kid’s learning.
Flashcard Stash– The Flashcard Stash is a new kind of flash card that is built on top of a dictionary, which enables you to look up the flash card words and save them. For instance, you can click on highlighted words for a quick definition or click on functions in the top right of every vocabulary flashcard such as synonyms, audio, and sentences. The AR Flashcards make learning fun and more entertaining for toddlers and preschoolers. With about 26 beautifully rendered animals to help your toddler learn the alphabet, learning is fun with AR Flashcards.
JumpStart Preschool – Your preschooler needs to have fun learning, and JumpStart Preschool gives you just that! It is designed for your little kids to learn pre-reading and critical-thinking skills while on the go. Your kids will learn to recognize and count numbers, practice shapes and colors while on the search for the best wiggly creatures to complete the collection. They will listen to stories by flipping through pages as words are read aloud.
Lexia Core5 Reading– Lexia® Core5® Reading is available to teach reading for preschoolers to fifth graders. It creates reading lessons based on research, to find the best ways to teach individual students or small groups. Using this app, teachers can organize their learning environments in the most productive and conducive way. This app can be used in combination with Lexia® PowerUp Literacy™ and Lexia® RAPID™ Assessment to optimize reading experiences and reading groups in schools.
Make A Scene: Farmyard– Make a Scene: Farmyard stimulates children’s creativity and allows them to design their own scenes. Little kids love cute farm animals, and this app has sheep, cows, ducks, chickens, and more. With hours of entertainment, they will learn and practice vocabulary, motor skills, and coordination simultaneously. They will be able to numerous scenes in this dynamic farmyard; for preschool to adult, this app will not disappoint.
Preschool Puzzle Math– Preschool Puzzle Math is a puzzle-solving game that teaches children math. It allows them to practice counting, simple addition, and subtraction. Preschool Puzzle Math helps your child develop the fundamental math skills that will help them going forward with mathematics. Your child learns to count, add, and find their way around tasking puzzle games with free-flowing gameplay. Suitable for ages three to seven.
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.
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.
Toddler Toy Factory: Help your kids improve their reading, spelling, memory, and hand-eye coordination using virtual toys. This matching game allows kids to pair identical toys. The “Make” room lets kids drag single letters into the toy machine to build toys. The toy is ready once the word is spelled out and then read out loud.
TeachMe: Kindergarten: Help your child ace kindergarten using this fun app. It contains all the subjects that children learn at the kindergarten level such as how to spell, write, add, and subtract. The app rewards student progress, and these rewards can be used to make in-app purchases. Parents and teachers can monitor the child’s development.
What did we miss?
