Spelling skills are an important part of academic success. Help your child improve their spelling skills with these fun games!

Many children turn to their parents or teachers for help when trying to spell even basic words. They lack the confidence and skills for spelling independently. Yet, this skill is key for academic success, and one that becomes increasingly important as your child progresses through school.‎ Help your child improve their spelling skills with the ideas detailed below.

Start with sounds
For young kids, grasping sound/letter relationships ‎is an important part of learning how to spell. Help your child learn the sounds that go along with each letter of the alphabet, including short vowels, with some basic flashcard exercises. Come up with a key picture that corresponds to each letter, like “pizza” for “p,” “egg” for “e”, and “dog” for “d”. Write the letter using a black marker on the front of a flash card and draw the key picture on the back, then practice saying the letter/picture/sound aloud until it becomes automatic for your child, like “p, pizza, /p/”, “e, egg, /e/” and so on. Once they has grasped these letter/sound relationships, practice blending them together to form words— which is essentially basic spelling. For example, place the “a” card on a table in front of them and ask them what sound the short “a” makes, then put the “t” card next to it, and ask them what sound “t” makes. Then, ask them to blend those sounds together to form the word “at”! Try changing some letters, like replacing the “a” with an “i” or the “t” with an “n”. Later, add a third letter, then a fourth letter, etc. By practicing these exercises, you are using a multi-sensory approach to teach them important phonemic awareness, reading, and spelling skills.

Play With Math Toys
There are so many great math skills building toys that your child can play with at a young age, and she won’t even know she’s doing math! Take Magna Tiles, for instance. Using these tiles, you can dictate individual numbers to ‎your child or write them on a white board, then have her create a line of Magnatiles using that number (i.e. write the number 3 and have your child create a line of 3 Magnatiles; hold up 5 and have your child create a line of 5 Magnatiles, etc.). Then ask her which lines contains more and which contains less. You can even try simple addition or subtraction problems using Magnatiles. For instance, draw the number 2 on a whiteboard and have her build a line with 2 Magnatiles. Next, write “+4” and have her create a separate line with 4 Magnatiles. Then ask her how many Magnatiles she has altogether. Once she counts them all, write on the whiteboard “2+4=6.” Playing with Tangrams, Marble Run, and basic blocks can also enhance core math skills starting at a very young age.

Practice words with chunks
Once your child has grasped the spelling of basic consonant-vowel-consonant words (bat, pig, he, etc.), try practicing words with digraphs, or chunks. Chunks are essentially groups of letters that make one sound, like ch, sh, ph, tch, and so on. Do similar card exercises (or use magnetic tiles) to have your child create words with chunks, similar to the exercises above. For example, place a card in front of them with a chunk like “ch,” then place the “i” card next to it, followed by the “p” card, and have her blend those sounds together to form the word “chip.” Then replace “ch” with “sh,” and so on.

Teach spelling rules
Your child may feel overwhelmed by the task of spelling so many words on their own, but there are many spelling rules that ‎can help them improve their spelling skills. Try teaching them Orton Gillingham spelling rules using a notebook or flash cards. For example, teach them the Floss Rule: when an f, l, or s comes after a short vowel at the end of a single syllable word, double the last letter, like puff, fall, or bass. For the Silent e Rule, when a short word contains a vowel followed by a consonant and then an e, the first vowel is usually long and the final “e” is silent (make, ride, pole). For the CH/TCH Rule, if the sound /ch/ comes after a short vowel in a word, you typically use “tch.” Otherwise, use “ch” (batch, pitch, march). There are many more useful Orton Gillingham spelling rules like these. Just remember that there are always exceptions to each of these rules!

Play memory with sight words
Some ‎spelling words simply need to be memorized. These are typically words that don’t necessarily follow a phonetic pattern, like the words: have, this, where, there, etc. Teach your child these sight words by having them trace them in sand or salt, then in the sky, and finally, have them write them on a sheet of paper or whiteboard three times each (you can find a list of grade-appropriate sight words online). Once they have grasped the spelling of each word, try playing a game like Sight Words Memory for extra reinforcement. To do so, create a series of flash cards with two sets of each sight word. Then flip each card over and lay them out on a table. Take turns flipping them over and trying to make a match. If your child does make a match, have them close their eyes and spell the word in the air before getting a point. The person with the most points wins!

Play spelling games or apps
There are many great apps that can help your child improve their spelling skills. Try apps like Montessori Crosswords, Rocket Spelling, Freefall Spelling, and others that reinforce spelling skills while keeping your child engaged and entertained. The more practice and reinforcement, the better!

Learning to spell accurately is a key skill for writing and overall school success. Help your child build stronger spelling skills with these ideas and they will quickly begin to master this skill.

The post Practice Your ABCs With These Fun Spelling Games appeared first on EBL Coaching.

Winter break can make education go by the wayside; here are some ways to keep kids engaged and learning throughout the holidays.

The holiday season is a time for family gatherings, scrumptious food, and presents galore. Yet with this festive season comes winter break, a time when kids are off school, do little academic work, and often lose valuable skills they have learned in school. Help keep your child stimulated over winter break and avoid academic regression with the ideas detailed below.

Read…a LOT!
Winter break is a great time to put down those tablets and take a family trip to the library or bookstore. Help your child find books on topics she is interested‎ in, like animals, nature, friendships, or the like. She might prefer comic books, nonfiction books, or poetry—anything she will enjoy reading will work. Then find a cozy place at home for family reading time. This could be a couch in your living room, a group of bean bag chairs, or even seats around a dining room table. Pick a time every night or as often as possible, and have each family member choose a book (possibly with a holiday theme!) and read during this allocated family reading time. The idea is to create a family ritual and show your child that reading is fun at all ages and all levels.

Go to a museum
Take advantage of downtime over winter break to visit a museum with your child. ‎Science museums are great places to continue learning while still having fun. Kids love making their own giant bubbles, examining objects in microscopes, and playing with vacuum tubes that send balls and clothing items flying. At some museums kids can listen to their heartbeats, play with magnets, and analyze the DNA in their fingerprints. Oh, and don’t forget the planetarium shows and IMAX movies for added fun and learning! You can also try sparking your child’s imagination by visiting an art museum over the holiday break. Aside from the cultural experience of viewing paintings and sculptures, many art museums offer interactive exhibits that allow kids to come up with their own creations in a hands-on fashion. These creations help spark creativity and critical thinking, while engaging in valuable family time.

Cook together
There are few times of the year when cooking and baking are as festive and fun as during the winter holidays. Take advantage of this time to cook or bake special treats with your child while building core reading and math skills. Start by perusing a cookbook or internet site with your child and have him read the different recipe options. Once you decide what to make, put him in charge of all measurements. Say you decide to bake apple pie for your upcoming holiday celebration. Since you have so many people coming, you may need two pies and thus will need twice the amount of ingredients. Have your child read the ingredients and tell you the total amount of sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and butter you’ll need. Then have him measure out each ingredient in a measuring cup and combine them accordingly.

As a bonus exercise, tell your child how much each ingredient costs (or have him come with you to the grocery store and write down the cost of each item), then figure out the cost per pie and the total cost for two pies. Baking can foster critical thinking and creativity too; let’s say, for instance, you are making a pie that calls for large marshmallows and you only have mini ones. Have him come up with the approximate number of mini marshmallows that will equate to the amount of large ones required. The more fun and laughter involved, the better!

Play online games and apps
While it may be ideal to have your child completely shut down her tablet for the duration of winter break, that may not be realistic. Instead, encourage your child to play online games and apps that are educational by nature. Starfall and Bobbooks are great sites for preschool and elementary students to practice their phonics and reading comprehension skills. Montessori Crosswords is an engaging app for spelling, and many kids enjoy playing the Rocket Math, Counting Caterpillar, and Crazy Times Tables‎ apps for building their math skills. These games and apps are colorful, fun, and engaging to play, and will keep kids learning over the holiday break.

Winter break should be filled with quality family time and lots of laughter. Yet it’s important to help your child continue learning and avoid academic regression during this time away from school. In doing so, you will help him start the new year with confidence, ready to tackle new academic tasks.

The post Keep Education Alive In The Holiday Season appeared first on EBL Coaching.

Dysgraphia affects a child’s ability to form words and letters, space words properly, and express thoughts in writing. These apps can help.

Many students with dysgraphia struggle with spelling, handwriting, and expressing their thoughts on paper when writing. ‎While an individualized, multi-sensory instructional plan is most ideal for remedying these academic challenges, there are many tech tools that can help kids with dysgraphia build these key skills. Try some of the apps detailed below.

iTrace
‎Handwriting, letter spacing, and fine motor skills are all areas that are typically challenging for kids with dygraphia. iTrace is a great tool for helping students build these important skills. With this app, children as young as age 3 can practice letter, number, and word formation, and can even work on spelling their name properly. An animated “hand” demonstrates tracing each letter before the child writes it, serving as a helpful model for proper formation. Parents can even add their own words, select background music, and receive progress reports on the status of their child’s writing. iTrace is a useful tool for helping your child master these key writing skills.

ABC Pocket Phonics
This is another great app for teaching students in grades pre-K-1 proper letter formation when writing, along with letter/sound recognition and how to blend sounds together when spelling. Kids are introduced to various phonemes, starting with basic consonants and short vowels and gradually increasing to more complex sounds, and are asked to say each phoneme, write it, and apply it to a word. At the end of each unit, they are awarded with stars based on selecting the correct phonemes to complete certain words and accurately tracing letters. This app is Orton Gillingham–based and much more fun for most kids than traditional pen-and-paper phonics activities.

Montessori Crosswords
Montessori Crosswords is another great app for building spelling skills. Preschool and elementary-aged students learn to spell words by dragging letters into a crossword frame that is associated with selected pictures. Students start with basic CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words and drag letters to spell simple words like can‎, dog, and mat, and later progress to words containing blends (like flag, plug, and glad), words with consonant and vowel digraphs (like ship, bath, and feet), and multi-syllabic words. When they correctly spell a word, colorful confetti fills the screen, providing children with a fun and engaging experience.

Dragon Dictation
Many kids with dysgraphia have intelligent and creative ideas but struggle to express them on paper when writing. Dragon Dictation is a voice recognition app that allows students to dictate their ideas orally and have them presented on a screen, rather than transcribing them. ‎ To use the app, students hit “record” and begin speaking, then hit “stop” when they are done. They can then cut and paste their text and save it elsewhere, or send it out via email, text, or social media. It’s important that kids speak clearly when using this app, and it’s helpful for an adult to check the text for accuracy after it has been dictated.

Inspiration Maps
Inspiration Maps helps students with dysgraphia organize their ideas into visual maps. Children can create organized mind maps using a touch screen as a means of brainstorming before writing a paragraph, essay, or speech. They can add colors, icons, pictures, and photos to their mind maps, making the process fun and engaging. Once completed, they can convert their map to a linear outline, or can print it, share it via email, or save it to DropBox, iTunes, or the app itself. Templates are available, or students can create their own maps.

Students with dysgraphia typically face continued spelling and writing challenges as they progress through school. These apps can help ease these struggles and set them up for academic success.

The post Best Apps For Your Child With Dysgraphia appeared first on EBL Coaching.

If your child has dyslexia, there are plenty of great ways to keep them reading.

Kids with dyslexia tend to struggle with reading and writing. They often have difficulty blending sounds together to form words and ‎expressing their thoughts effectively on paper. While traditional structured approaches are useful for building these skills, there are many fun, interactive apps that students with dyslexia can use to help further strengthen their reading and writing skills. Try some of the ideas below:

Bob Books #1 and #2
The Bob Books apps are great reading reinforcement tools for kids in grades pre-K-4. The first app, Bob Books #1, teaches pre-K and Kindergarten students foundational phonics skills, including individual letters and their corresponding sounds, and how to blend those sounds together to form basic words. ‎In the Bob Books #2 app, students are introduced to stories with engaging characters, along with fun, interactive games to develop mastery of basic to more advanced words. These apps follow Orton Gillingham patterns for reinforcing foundational decoding skills.

iWriteWords
‎Many kids with dyslexia have trouble properly forming letters and numbers and spelling words correctly. This app helps kids build these skills in an enjoyable and engaging manner. Using a multi-sensory format, students use their fingers to trace upper and lower case letters as well as numbers, while learning how to appropriately write them using top-to-bottom formations. They later work on spelling basic words to reinforce encoding and phonics skills. The images are colorful and child-friendly, keeping kids engaged and happy.

Montessori Crosswords
This app is a useful tool for helping dyslexic kids in grades pre-K-4 build basic to more advanced spelling and reading skills. With the app, students have fun building words using a drag-and-drop method, beginning with consonant-vowel-consonant words, then moving onto words with consonant blends, words with digraphs, and words with more complex patterns. There are also “themes,” such as Christmas, clothes, and food, where kids build words that fall into these categories. The pictures are playful and colorful, and the app provides ample practice for building key reading and spelling skills.

Read2Go
Read2Go helps elementary and middle school students engage with books and further develop their reading skills with eBooks. With this app, they have access over 200,000 eBooks through its partnership with Bookshare. Students can search for specific book titles, peruse book categories, download books, and read them directly from Bookshare. They can also highlight important text to practice active reading and study skills, can change the text’s font size and color, and can even have books read aloud to them as part of the app’s text-to-speech functionality. It’s a great tool for students with reading challenges who benefit from more interactive options than paper books offer.

StoryPals
‎StoryPals helps elementary and middle school students with dyslexia build stronger reading skills. With this app, students can choose to either read a passage aloud or have it read to them, then answer corresponding comprehension questions. Kids love the animated characters, colorful artwork, and interesting topics that these 24 stories offer. The app also saves student quiz scores so parents can track their child’s reading comprehension progress.

Building reading and writing skills doesn’t have to be a boring task! Students with dyslexia can have fun strengthening their skills with these interactive apps, helping them to ultimately achieve academic success.

The post Best Apps For Kids With Dyslexia appeared first on EBL Coaching.

The post 
5 Best Spelling Apps for Kids appeared first on EBL Coaching.

Kids will love these fun educational apps that will keep them learning even during the summer months. Dr. Levy’s 5 picks include apps for kids ages 4-16 that help build reading and math skills.

During the sunny months away from school, reading, writing, and math frequently take a back seat to summer fun. Students can lose important skills they gained during the school year without continuous instruction over the summer. In fact, research tells us that students score lower on standardized tests at the end of the summer than at the start of the season.

Help your child avoid losing critical academic skills over the summer with these five apps:

Starfall Learn to Read
Ages 4+
$2.99
Download for Apple or Android

With this multi-sensory app, students can listen, read, and touch letters and words to practice basic reading and spelling skills. The app includes 15 short books for kids to read, each emphasizing a different sound pattern, along with animated videos, songs, and funny characters. At the end of each book, students can play reading-related activities, including matching and fill-in-the-blank exercises. The app is fun, engaging, and interactive.

Sentence Builder
Ages 6+
$5.99
Download for iPad

Students have fun developing their grammar and sentence-writing abilities with this app. To play, they create sentences describing various pictures using slot machine-style wheels for selecting words. The game format is simple, starting with basic sentences and moving into more complex ones. The images and animations are colorful, and students build critical written expression and sentence-structure skills.

Hungry Fish
Ages 4-8
$1.99-$3.99
Download for Apple or Android

This app is an engaging tool for reinforcing basic addition and subtraction as well as mental math. To play, kids drag and combine numbers in bubbles and feed them to a floating fish. The fish expands when it receives “food” (correct answer combinations) and shrinks when it does not receive food. As players complete and “win” each level they move on to more advanced ones, while receiving immediate feedback along the way. It’s a valuable learning tool disguised as an arcade game!

Montessori Crosswords
Ages 3-10
$2.99
Download for Apple or Android

This app is a great one for helping students develop basic phonics skills. For each exercise, the player is given a picture and is asked to drag letters from the bottom of the screen to spell the item depicted. The app starts with basic three-letter (consonant-vowel-consonant) words and moves into more complex words with blends, digraphs, and multi-syllabic words. Children can create single words and, later, multiple words using a crossword-style format. The exercises are helpful for both reading and spelling.

Learning Fundamentals: Reading Comprehension at the Paragraph Level
Ages 9-16
$3.99
Download for Apple

This app builds a myriad of skills, including attention, memory, and reading comprehension. It’s also useful for developing processing and higher-order thinking skills. Students can choose from 37 stories about various topics, including adventures, nature, and history, among others. After reading each passage, they answer main idea, important details, and inference questions in multiple-choice format, along with an opened-ended question that can be used for discussion.

The post 5 Apps to Keep Kids Learning in Summer appeared first on EBL Coaching.

14 apps for developing children’s reading and writing skills from pre-K through high school

Though many parents lament the distractions that electronic devices can present, much of what makes tablet and smartphone content so engaging and addicting—interactive games, visually rich graphics—can help students develop the skills and enthusiasm necessary for success as readers and writers. To help you sort through all that’s on the market, we turned to Dr. Emily Levy, the founder of EBL Coaching—a local, one-on-one tutoring program for K-12 students—to share some of her favorite reading and writing apps.

READING

Montessori Crosswords (Pre-K-Kindergarten) 

This app helps students develop their decoding, spelling, and writing skills by teaching them to build words with different phonics patterns. Students start by building basic CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words, then move into words with blends, digraphs, silent Es, vowel teams, and other combinations. Students are initially given a picture (like “bag” or “kid”) and are asked to drag letters from the alphabet at the bottom of the screen to spell the displayed word. Later, students spell words following specific phonics patterns in the form of crosswords. Students can also choose themes for the activities, like animals, food, clothes, and more. $2.99, iTunes, Google Play &amazon.com

Short Vowel Word Study (Grades K-1)

This is a great app for reinforcing basic word decoding at a Kindergarten/grade 1 level. The app contains three main sections: Word families, short vowels, and longer words. The first game is “Sort It,” where the child must sort a word into its proper vowel category: I, U, or A. In the “Find It” game, the child must find the “oddball” word that doesn’t belong in the same vowel family, and drag it to the bottom of the screen. The “Spell It” game reinforces spelling by displaying an image (like a hat) and the child must drag letters to spell the word. The “Write It” game teaches students to trace and then independently write words. Other related fun and engaging reading games are also integrated into this app. $2.99, iTunes &Google Play

Super Why! (Pre-K)

This app is a great one for building reading, spelling, writing, and phonemic awareness skills. It includes four games, each led by a different character: Alpha Pig, Princess Pesto, Wonder Red, and Super Why. In the Alpha Pig game, students find letters on a path to form different words. In the Princess Pesto game, students practice writing letters to form words that are first modeled by Princess Pesto’s magic wand. In Wonder Red’s game, students identify rhyming words, and in Super Why’s game, students build their reading comprehension skills by identifying words that complete sentences in a given story. $2.99, iTunes, Google Play & pbskids.org 

MeeGenius (Ages 2-8)

For a wide selection of interactive, digital story books, MeeGenius is a great app that provides access to more than 700 children’s e-books for children up to age 8, which are accessible on iOS, Android, Windows 8, Amazon, Nook, and online. Free,meegenius.com 

Reading Comprehension at the Paragraph Level (Middle School)

With this app, students read a series of stories on stimulating topics and are then asked various types of comprehension questions, including identifying the main idea and important details and making inferences. At the end of each story, an open-ended question is included to generate discussion. With practice using this app, students will develop critical thinking, reading comprehension, attention to detail, and memory skills. $3.99, iTunes

iAnnotate (High School)

This app helps high school students develop active reading and note-taking skills by reading, highlighting, underlining, striking out, and annotating text to create effective study guides and improve overall comprehension. Students can import Word, Power Point, and PDF documents and use the app’s built-in tools to engage with the text while reading. $9.99, iTunes; Free, Google Play & amazon.com

SAT Vocab By MindSnacks (High School)

This app is a great one for learning SAT-level vocab words or for simply developing vocabulary skills. Students learn definitions, antonyms, and the proper spelling of words by first reviewing a set of words and then playing nine different colorful, uniquely-illustrated games. The app includes 25 levels and more than 500 words, and tracks students’ overall progress. Free, iTunes

WRITING

iWriteWords (Pre-K-Kindergarten)

This app is helpful for developing handwriting and fine motor skills for preschool and Kindergarten students. Students choose from numbers, lowercase, or uppercase letters, and practice writing with their fingers using proper formation. They help Mr. Crab “collect” numbers in order to properly form each letter or number. Students are rewarded with a colorful picture at the end of each segment. $2.99, iTunes

StoryBuilder (Grades 1-2) 

This app gives students practice creating their own stories using picture prompts. Students are asked a series of questions about a picture. Aided by an initial written phrase, they must answer each question in a full sentence while being recorded, creating a well-sequenced narrative. After each exercise, students can listen to themselves telling the story and can then email it to anyone who’d like to hear it. Using this app, students strengthen higher level comprehension skills (including inferencing), sequencing, paragraph formation, and storytelling abilities. $7.99, iTunes

Sentence Builder (Grades K-5) 

This app teaches elementary school students to form well-written sentences in “slot machine” format. To play, students select words to form a sentence that best describes a whimsical picture presented at the bottom of the screen. Through these exercises, students build grammar, punctuation, and pronunciation skills, starting with shorter sentences and gradually moving into more complex ones. $5.99, iTunes & Google Play

Kidspiration Maps (Grades K-8) 

This app is a great one for brainstorming, prewriting, and helping elementary and middle school students organize their ideas. Students create visual diagrams using shapes, symbols, and images that they can connect together in a web-like format to organize their ideas—a great first step before writing! Students can also work on reading and writing, social studies, science, and math skills using pre-set activities. This app develops many skills, including critical thinking, creativity, verbal expression, written expression, and organization. $9.99, iTunes 

Writing Challenge for Kids (Grades 5-7) 

Many students have trouble beginning the writing process. This app is a great one for combating that challenge—it helps students begin their writing and keep their creative juices flowing. After pressing “Start,” students are given a prompt, such as: “Start writing a story that takes place in an evil river. Include the word rabbit.” After every minute (or whatever time is set), the student is given another prompt for adding details, characters, and other ideas to help them form a more elaborate story. $1.99,iTunes & Google Play

Writer’s Studio (Grades 6-12) 

This app is useful for aiding middle and high school students in creating eBooks and presentations. Students can import graphics, photos, music, and clip art, and can also add drawings and paint to their text to create innovative visual stories and presentations. Students strengthen their writing skills while “bringing stories to life” with creativity and color. $4.99, iTunes

Inspiration Maps (Grades 6-12) 

As the “higher level” counterpart to Kidspiration Maps, this app helps middle and high school students plan, organize, and brainstorm their ideas before writing. Students can take notes in a web-like format while integrating icons and different bubbles, and can easily translate their web into outline form. $9.99, iTunes

The post Top Tech Tools to Help Kids Read, Write, and Learn appeared first on EBL Coaching.

Montessori Crosswords

This app helps students develop their decoding, spelling, and writing skills by teaching them to build words with different phonics patterns. Students start by building basic CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words, then move into words with blends, digraphs, silent e, vowel teams, and other combinations. Students are initially given a picture (like “bag” or “kid”) and are asked to drag letters from the alphabet at the bottom of the screen to spell the word displayed. Later, students spell words following specific phonics patterns in the form of crosswords. Students can also choose themes for the activities, like animals, food, clothes, etc.

Short Vowel Word Study

This is a great app for reinforcing basic word decoding at a Kindergarten/1st grade level. The app contains three main sections: word families, short vowels, and longer words. The first game is “Sort It,” where the child must sort a word into its proper vowel category; i, u, or a. In the “Find It” game‎, the child must find the “oddball” word that doesn’t belong in the same vowel family, and drag it to the bottom of the screen. The “Spell It” game reinforces spelling by displaying an image (like hat) and the child must drag letters to spell the word. The “Write It” game teaches students to trace and then independently write words. Other related fun and engaging reading games are also integrated into this app.

SuperWhy!

This app is a great one for building reading, spelling, writing, and phonemic awareness skills. It includes four games, each led by a different character: Alpha Pig, Princess Pesto, Wonder Red, and Super Why. In the Alpha Pig game, students find letters on a path to form different words. ‎In the Princess Pesto game, students practice writing letters to form words that are modeled first by Princess Pesto’s magic wand. In Wonder Red’s game, students identify rhyming words, and in Super Why’s game, students build their reading comprehension skills by identifying words that complete sentences in a given story.

Interactive Storybooks

For a wide selection of interactive, digital story books,MeeGenius is a great app that provides access to more than 700 children’s e-books for children up to age 8, which are accessible on iOS, Android, Windows 8, Amazon, Nook, and online.

Through the Princess and the Pea interactive story app, students either practice reading the Princess and the Pea or listen as the story is read aloud to them, reinforcing auditory comprehension, auditory processing, and listening skills. They can also play interactive games related to the story that are contained within the app, such as matching pictures, completing puzzles, and filling in missing items to complete a picture, all of which reinforce early learning skills.

Nursery Rhymes with Story Time

For younger children (ages 5 and younger), this app is great for building phonemic awareness and early reading skills. The app presents classic rhymes, such as Humpty Dumpty, Three Blind Mice, Jack and Jill, and others, in an interactive, playful format. While listening to the rhymes, children can “play” with the images. For example, when listening to Jack and Jill, children can drag a bucket of water up a well and watch flying fish and bubbles burst out of the water. The interactive illustrations make listening to rhymes and building core phonemic awareness skills great fun for children.

Encourage your child to use these apps and watch the colorful illustrations, energetic animations, and bursting colors turn reading into sheer excitement and joy.

Dr. Emily Levy is the founder of EBL Coaching, a tutoring program that specializes in one-on-one home and on-site instruction for students in grades preK-12 in NYC and NJ. She is also the author of Strategies for Study Success, a study skills workbooks series emphasizing test taking, note taking, reading comprehension, writing, and summarizing strategies, and the Flags and Stars Orton Gillingham student workbook series. These workbooks are currently used at schools nationwide.

The post Top Reading Apps That Make Learning Fun for Kids appeared first on EBL Coaching.

Princess and the Pea (and other interactive storybooks)

In this app, students either practice reading the Princess and the Pea or listen as the story is read aloud to them, reinforcing auditory comprehension, auditory processing, and listening skills. They can also play interactive games related to the story that are contained within the app, such as matching pictures, completing puzzles, and filling in missing items to complete a picture, all of which reinforce early learning skills.

This app is free and available on iTunes –> Click Here

Short Vowel Word Study

This is a great app for reinforcing basic word decoding at a Kindergarten/1st grade level. The app contains three main sections: word families, short vowels, and longer words. The first game is “Sort It,” where the child must sort a word into its proper vowel category; i, u, or a. In the “Find It” game‎, the child must find the “oddball” word that doesn’t belong in the same vowel family, and drag it to the bottom of the screen. The “Spell It” game reinforces spelling by displaying an image (like hat) and the child must drag letters to spell the word. The “Write It” game teaches students to trace and then independently write words. Other related fun and engaging reading games are also integrated into this app.

This app is $2.99 and available on iTunes –> Click Here

Montessori Crosswords

This app helps students develop their decoding, spelling, and writing skills by teaching them to build words with different phonics patterns. Students start by building basic CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words, then move into words with blends, digraphs, silent e, vowel teams, and other combinations. Students are initially given a picture (like “bag” or “kid”) and are asked to drag letters from the alphabet at the bottom of the screen to spell the word displayed. Later, students spell words following specific phonics patterns in the form of crosswords. Students can also choose themes for the activities, like animals, food, clothes, etc.

This app is $2.99 and available on iTunes –> Click Here

Nursery Rhymes with Story Time

For younger children (ages 5 and younger), this app is great for building phonemic awareness and early reading skills. The app presents classic rhymes, such as Humpty Dumpty, Three Blind Mice, Jack and Jill, and others, in an interactive, playful format. While listening to the rhymes, children can “play” with the images. For example, when listening to Jack and Jill, children can drag a bucket of water up a well and watch flying fish and bubbles burst out of the water. The interactive illustrations make listening to rhymes and building core phonemic awareness skills great fun for children.

This app is free and available on iTunes –> Click Here

SuperWhy!

This app is a great one for building reading, spelling, writing, and phonemic awareness skills. It includes four games, each led by a different character: Alpha Pig, Princess Pesto, Wonder Red, and Super Why. In the Alpha Pig game, students find letters on a path to form different words. ‎In the Princess Pesto game, students practice writing letters to form words that are modeled first by Princess Pesto’s magic wand. In Wonder Red’s game, students identify rhyming words, and in Super Why’s game, students build their reading comprehension skills by identifying words that complete sentences in a given story.

This app is $2.99 and available on iTunes –> Click Here

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