Children exposed to the fundamentals needed for school readiness are primed to benefit from classroom instruction. Can children absorb the basics while enjoying their tablet? Yes, and there are endless possibilities.
One suite of apps that has devoted itself to teaching kids the foundations is Originator - Endless Learning Academy. Very appropriately named, their apps allow kids to learn the alphabet, build their vocabulary, associate sounds to their letter symbols, spell words, count numbers, and so much more. It's no wonder that all of their apps have reached the number one position in their categories in the Apple App Store.
My favorite app out of the Endless Learning suite of apps is Endless ABC. Kids learn by watching delightful creatures run across the screen and scramble the letters within a word. Next, kids place the letters into their respective puzzle position in the word while the app makes the corresponding letter sound and letter name. Then an animated video animates the creatures acting out the word while a narrator defines each word - teaching kids that words have meaning.
What's great about Endless ABC is that it introduces kids to language early on, which is so important for kids, especially those with a family history of language-based learning problems. The highly engaging characters make it easy for kids to absorb the relationship between letters and their sounds. Kids also see and hear that words have meaning. So, the app can resonate with kids young and old.
One of their apps, Endless Wordplay, reinforces skills identified as essential for building phonemic awareness. The app teaches kids to produce rhymes and recognize words that rhyme. The lack of phonemic awareness has been found to be a high predictor of a reading disability or dyslexia. So, Endless Wordplay teaches skills needed for reading success. The animations use the lovable Endless monsters along with the Alphabot to make learning an enjoyable experience.
Another great app in their suite helps kids recognize words by sight instead of relying on decoding of individual sounds. Endless Words has the same adorable animations to help introduce and strengthen sight word recognition. Some commonly read words have unusual spelling patterns, so it's important for kids to see and hear these words, receive exposure to the words in multiple context, and to do so early on.
Lastly, Endless Math helps kids make connections in recognizing numbers and counting in sequence. It also provides visual contexts to help kids distinguish between quantities.
The Endless Learning suite of apps by Originator is an ideal starting point for kids to learn the foundations of reading and math with engaging and entertaining visuals and audio. It can be the go-to app for kids with educational therapy needs. Best of all, there is no winning involved - kids can progress at their own pace.
If your child struggles with reading or math, the services of an educational therapist can help your child get back on track.