Currently, homeschooling is a big thing since social distancing requires many schools to shut down or switch to a virtual learning space. I have always enjoyed being hands on in my children’s early education. Moms are babies’ first teachers! So, I had workbooks, iPad apps, and websites ready to help me on my homeschooling path when social distancing first began. My 2 older children go to a language immersion school, which created a virtual learning environment for students to attend until the end of the school year.
In addition to their virtual homeschooling, we continue to support our children’s education with fun educational apps that make screen-time less stressful for parents. Here are a few of our favorites that get a lot of use in our home.
SPLASH MATH
Splash Math is a learning app that recently changed its name to Splash Learn. It took me a while to find a math app that I really loved. I was constantly signing up for “free trials” and cancelling before being charged with other math apps that just didn’t work well. Either they weren’t user friendly or didn’t make their questions and answers very clear, or the progression from one skill to another was too fast. I would like for my kids to master math concepts before moving onto the next level only to be disappointed in their ability to perform well.
This app is not like that at all. It starts at the kindergarten level and goes up to the 5th grade. The kindergarten level begins with basic counting skills and goes on to the number line, geometry (shape identification) and more. For each level there is access to math facts where kids can practice their math facts separately from their daily recommended session of learning. The daily sessions review areas of challenge for the child and introduces new concepts they are ready for. Once they have completed several exercises they receive a prize. For some reason, these digital prizes of a fish or crab are very motivating to my children. They are always excited to share with me what they earned that day as a prize.
Also, there are separate math games that children may play to strengthen their skills in a given area. If you, as the parent, realize that your child needs to focus on something specific (for example, double digit addition) then you can set up that child’s focus area to be double digit addition, and it adds this onto whatever math concepts are being reviewed during that daily session. The sessions increase in challenge as the child shows mastery in an area.
I cannot stress how user friendly this application is. My 2 year old son is able to navigate the kindergarten level very well. He needs assistance on various concepts, of course, and my older children love to help him while pretending to be the teacher. This math app makes math fun and not a chore. It is very important in our home to preserve the fun of learning, and Splash Math fits well with this philosophy.
Here is a very important part: I had to pay for this app! Yes, it wasn’t free, but we feel it is worth the price. For a yearly subscription that covers 3 student users the cost is $59.99. This is for the Splash Math app; however, I previously mentioned the name change to Splash Learn, which shows an annual price of $89.99. I checked it out on the app store and it seems that Splash Learn offers a bundled package for learning reading and math. There are other options for subscription as well. The monthly charge for Splash Learn is $7.99 for full access (not the package of both math and reading), and the Splash Learn with both is $11.99 per month. There is a 3 month full access subscription for $23.99 as well.
KIDS A-Z
If you watch my youtube videos, follow me on Instagram (@1brittanykelly) or have visited my website before then you have probably heard me mention this app before. My kids use this app for several reasons. (1) The level up reading section (2) The Spanish level up reading section (3) The vocabulary practice.
This app is the accompanying application to the website learninga-z.com. There are several different programs available under Learning A-Z, including Reading A-Z, Writing A-Z, Vocabulary A -Z, and more. Definitely check out the website to see all that they have to offer. This is a teacher’s resource, so a subscription to a program like Reading A-Z covers up to 32 students. I have generously shared my annual access with friends and family. The annual cost of the Raz-Kids program that I use on Kids A-Z app is $115.45. We also use Vocabulary A-Z on the Kids A-Z app which is $69.95 per year.
Now that we have gotten past the sticker shock, let’s look at why I pay for these resources in the first place. The Raz-Kids program is a reading program that is accessed online or via the app Kids A-Z. There are leveled reading books that start at Level aa and go to Level Z2. This means it covers students from pre-k all the way to the 5th or 6th grade in reading. All of my children are covered with this one app, and they aren’t limited to a specific grade level. For instance, my 4 year old prefers reading level L on the app, which is many grades ahead of her age. However, she goes at her own pace and loves going to new levels.
Also, starting at level A students are asked comprehension questions after listening to a book and then reading it on their own. The tasks of listening, reading and answering questions all lead to earning stars and badges. The stars can be used to “purchase” virtual items for a virtual robot or virtual room. My kids love customizing their little robot on the app.
Free trials are the way to go if trying to decide on any app that has a subscription cost. You want to make sure that you find it helpful for your child in their educational pursuits before fully committing monetarily.
KHAN ACADEMY KIDS
I have always been, and probably will always be, a fan of Khan Academy. It was helpful when I wanted to review Organic Chemistry in my collegiate days. Now, I still find myself using Khan Academy to refresh my mind on various subjects I studied in college such as Physics, and Microeconomics. I know…nerd for life. So, Khan Academy Kids easily found a space in my home once I had children. This app is one of our Saturday morning screen time treats, because it is just that entertaining to my kids.
Unlike the other apps I have mentioned, access to this app is free! Thank God! It offers so much too! There is a section for creating, learning the alphabet, learning numbers, reading and logic. Kids have access to stories and various activities that support early readers.
One of the things my kids love most about this app is the information they can learn about nature. They are fascinated by animals, insects, the coral reefs, the water cycle and more. Fortunately, it’s all there for the kids to absorb, and then tell me about it at lunch time. This is a must have if you are into educational apps for kids.
Duo ABC
Let me tell you a little story about Duo ABC and how I came to loving this app for toddlers and preschoolers. My youngest son is 2 years old and enjoys playing with his older siblings so much that it is hard to separate him from them when it is time for a nap. I didn’t want preparing for nap time to be full of tears, since that is one of the few times in the day where he can truly get one-on-one private attention from mommy or daddy.
I already had the application DuoLingo on my phone, which is by the same company, for language learning. I liked the way DuoLingo was setup, so when I stumbled across Duo ABC I downloaded it quickly. Right before nap time I showed my toddler the app. After performing one session on the app, he was ready to follow me into his bedroom so that we could do one more before reading a story and laying down for a nap. He would even close the door behind us to give us privacy in his room. I was so thrilled to see how much he loved this app and how much easier nap time became.
My toddler likes this app because it has bold colors, the learning sessions are quick, and it’s user friendly. As the name implies, this app helps children learn their ABCs. Also, it goes over writing the letter, the sound of the letter, and words that begin with that same sound (phonemic awareness and phonics). Even though I am pretty strict on how much exposure my toddler has to applications and screens, this is something that we do daily for less than 5 minutes before nap time. I feel comfortable with this app for him, and we do the activities together. Last but not least, it’s free!
LALILO
Lalilo is actually a website I use. It isn’t an available application on my iPhone. In fact, it is too large to use on my iPhone at all, and must be opened via website on a desktop or tablet. Currently, the app is entirely free to help support educators during the pandemic. It is a great resource for phonics learning. Each activity gives the student the opportunity to sound out and spell out words. As a reward, books are given to the students. These books are read by the program and have great complex words sprinkled throughout the text to expand the students’ vocabulary.
I was thoroughly impressed by how easy the website was to use as well as the phonetic activities that 4 year old and my 6 year old love, even though they are able to read already. We can always improve upon these fresh skills, so we use this website frequently for at home learning.
There you have it! The listed apps and website are the educational apps we use frequently to support our at home learning effort. Most of these apps cover a wide range of ages. If you try any of them please tell me about your experience in the comment section. And of course, sharing is caring. Share this post on your social media and tag me (@1brittanykelly on Instagram or Brittany Kelly Blog on Facebook).
