Price: 4.99$
Overall Score: 86/100
version reviewed: 1.0.0
reviewed:
What it is: an app for improving spelling and reading skills, contains over 650 high frequency words divided into 54 lists organized by spelling patterns and difficulty levels.
What you do with it: choose the word set, then listen to the instructions and examples and try to spell words correctly using the on-screen keyboard.
What we liked:the concept, wide range of learning material, the way the learning material is presented (extensive use of text and audio instructions and hints), simple to use interface, support for multiple user accounts (with separate word stats for every user), support for American, British and Canadian English spelling, very high educational value.
What we didn't like: could be a bit more appealing visually, in addition to the help menu we would like to see some sort of instructions/guidance for parents.
Bottom line: an excellent choice for teachers and parents.
Appysmarts
iPhone
iPhone
iPhone
iPhone
iPhone
iPad
iPad
iPad
iPad
iPad
Price: 2.99$
Overall Score: 86/100
version reviewed: 1.1
reviewed:
What it is: set of activities for teaching basic reading, spelling and writing skills.
What you do with it: the app contains 4 main activities:
The 'I spy' game: match an object whose name begins with the letter you hear.
The 'Letter Sounds' activity: listen to the letter sound then point to the correct letter.
The 'Mix and Match' activity: match the letter with the beginning sound of the object in the picture
The 'Sound it out' activity: drag the letters/letter sounds into the correct spaces to spell the word you hear.
The app also includes a 'toolbox': the Phonetic Alphabet, the Notebook and the Sandbox for tracing letters and the Image Box (for learning the names of the objects in the pictures).
What we liked: the concept, number and quality of the activities and their educational value, simple illustrations, spoken instructions, extra instructions for parents. The options for UK/US voices.
What we didn't like: Only for very patient children and parents. The navigation is not very intuitive and can be confusing for children (that's why we recommend parental assistance). The scoring system is difficult to understand (it's not clear what you get the marbles for and how many you need to unlock consecutive levels). At first we had problems with recognizing some of the objects in the pictures, we recommend playing with the Image Box activity first to familiarize your child with the objects and their names.
Bottom line: an excellent (if not the best) set of tools for patient parents for teaching basic reading, spelling and writing skills.
Appysmarts
iPhone
iPhone
iPhone
iPhone
iPhone
iPad
iPad
iPad
iPad
iPad
Price: 2.99$
Overall Score: 85/100
version reviewed: 1.0.0
reviewed:
What is it/what do you do with it: a spelling game with 100 sight words.
Spell the words correctly, to collect enough hairy creatures to play a simple game.
What we liked: the concept. Ease of use. Good selection of words. Humor and fun factor. No distracting elements.
What we didn't like: the reward game is very basic. No stats/progress reporting features.
Appysmarts
iPhone
iPhone
iPhone
iPhone
iPad
iPad
iPad
iPad
Price: free (was 1.99$)
Overall Score: 78/100
version reviewed: 1.1
reviewed:
What it is/what you do with it: choose the word list for practice then spell the words correctly to win parts and extras for your vehicle then race it on a simple course.
Please note that the word lists must be created by the user: a list can contain up to 24 words, you can record your own narration and accompanying sample sentences.
What we liked: the concept. 3 difficulty levels (with letter hints, no letter hints, free typing). The Adaptive Assistance feature (the words the player is struggling with will be repeated more often). Help/hint feature (tap to see/hear the word and a sample sentence). Multiple student accounts with progress tracking. Good for teachers/parents to create engaging spelling challenges.
What we didn't like: we wish there were more word lists included with the app. No option to save/backup/share created word lists.
Appysmarts
iPhone
iPhone
iPhone
iPhone
iPhone
iPad
iPad
iPad
iPad
iPad
Price: 0.99$
Overall Score: 78/100
version reviewed: 1.1
reviewed:
What it is: a set of crossword puzzles for vocabulary and spelling practice (300 words).
What you do with it: using image clues complete the puzzles by typing the correct words into spaces provided. After the crossword is complete, all the words/pictures will be reviewed.
What we liked: the concept. Number of puzzles/combinations. Ease of use. The clue feature (highlights the correct letters or/and places the correct letters one by one). No distracting elements.
What we didn't like: sometimes it's difficult to make out what a certain picture represents (the names of the objects are not read out). Random set of words. No option to choose just 'easy' or 'difficult' words to be included in the puzzles. Only 'ABC' keybord layout. The music background music is not too inspiring.
Free preview: if you are not sure, please see our 'See before you buy' video (below) or try the free version of the Crossworld puzzles app.
Appysmarts
iPhone
iPhone
iPhone
iPhone
iPhone
iPad
iPad
iPad
iPad
iPad
Price: 0.99$ (was 1.99$)
Overall Score: 77/100
version reviewed: 1.5
reviewed:
What it is: a simple arcade game teaching letters, words and spelling. What you do with it: help the frog 'lick' the letters and 'spell' the words. What we liked: the concept, nice graphics and animations,simple controls. Additional minigames, good scoring/awards system. What we didn't like: choice of words (too many abstract words, we did not quite understand the choice), app teaches letters (phonics would be better for kids who learn to read - perhaps as an option), game may get boring too quickly (little variety, despite inclusion of the minigames).
Appysmarts
iPhone
iPhone
iPhone
iPhone
iPhone
Price: 3.99$
Overall Score: 75/100
version reviewed: 1.2
reviewed:
What it is and what you do with it: a spelling puzzle game.
Spell words to unlock rooms and passages in the houses in the Mystery Word Town.
What we liked: the concept (spelling practice in a game-like environment). Engagement factor (practice through play). Good educational value. Illustrations and animations. Humor and fun factor. Multiple user accounts with customizable skill sets. Overall quality of the app.
What we didn't like: gets difficult too quickly. We missed some sort of clues. No progress/report charts.
Appysmarts
iPhone
iPhone
iPhone
iPhone
iPhone
iPad
iPad
iPad
iPad
iPad
Price: 0.99$
Overall Score: 71/100
version reviewed: 1.0
reviewed:
What it is: an app for practicing spelling of the 3 letter words containing middle 'a'.
What you do with it: 2 modes of play: Make Words and Spell Words. In the Make Words mode choose the letter before and after the middle 'i' to form a word. In the Spell Words mode listen to the word and try to spell it correctly, pointing to the letters in the left and right columns. Earn stickers for every 5 correct answers.
What we liked: interesting concept, relatively easy operation (just touch the letters to form the word), reward stickers. Good for practicing spelling skills.
What we didn't like: limited educational value, limited range of learning material (only 3 letter words containing middle 'a', for other vowels you must download separate apps).
Appysmarts
iPad
iPad
iPad
iPad
iPad
Price: free
May contain `more apps` links
Overall Score: 70/100
version reviewed: 1.0
reviewed:
What it is: a simple puzzle game for strengthening reading and spelling skills (100 words, 5 levels of difficulty).
What you do with it: solve the word puzzles by dragging letters to the correct place. Letters (or phonics) are pronounced when they are touched (you can use the 'hint' function too). The levels include: single 3 letter words, double 3 letter words, single 4 letter words, number words and 'free play mode'. There is a simple numerical scoring system with rewards.
What we liked: the concept, ease of use.
What we didn't like: the illustrations could be better (some pictures are difficult to identify). The pronunciation is far from perfect and sometimes even confusing. Nagging registration screen (pops up every time you open the app). The 'free play' mode does not make too much sense (the created word is not read out).
Appysmarts
iPhone
iPhone
iPhone
iPhone
iPhone
iPad
iPad
iPad
iPad
iPad
Price: free
May contain in-app purchases
Overall Score: 53/100
version reviewed: 1.4.2
reviewed:
What it is: a set of 3 activities for developing early reading skills.
What you do with it: the 'bears' game: recognize and match uppercase and lowercase letters, the 'penguins' game: form syllables by combining vowels and consonants, the 'seals' game: spell the words by placing letters in the correct order. The progress in each game can be tracked separately for each user of the app (requires registration).
What we liked: the concept (combining simple game-like activities with learning), cute characters, the rewards system, stats/progress tracking, automatic adjustment of the difficulty levels, audio instructions and clues.
What we didn't like: the way the learning material is chosen (pre-programmed or random, you can't choose a particular set of letters or words). The activities are rather simple and can quickly become repetitive. Audio instructions get lost in the background music.
Bottom line: an interesting approach to teach literacy skills with game-like activities.
Appysmarts
Android
Android
Android
Android
Android
Android
