App Review: Toca Boo

App Name: Toca Boo
Developer: Toca Boca
Cost: $3.99
Available on iOS, Amazon, Google Play, Windows
Recommended for Preschool - Grade 2

All of the apps from this award winning studio come with a “grown ups” section with notes about the creation of the app and ways to use the app to engage with children. They note that this app is based on games like hide and seek and suggest great ways for caregivers to talk with children about the game. It is a beautifully designed app with lots of opportunity for creative play.

Early Literacy Connections

• Reading & Talking: This app is a great launching point for talking about setting, characters, and other story telling elements.
• Playing: During the game children will practice spatial reasoning as they determine what items their characters can go inside of, under, or behind. 
• Emotional Literacy: Kids will engage with fear in a safe way as they play this game. Caregiver can use this opportunity to talk about fear and how to manage it.

App Review: Labo Leaves

App Name: Labo Leaves
Developer: Labo Lado Inc.
Cost: $1.99
Available on iOS, Amazon, Google Play
Recommended for Preschool and Up

This app encourages kids to get creative with natural elements of colorful fall leaves and to use them to create works of art. This on-screen experience can be a great starting point for a hands on art project.

App Review: Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood

App Name: Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood: Play at Home with Daniel
Developer: PBS Kids
Cost: $2.99
Available on iOS, Amazon, Google Play, Windows
Recommended for Preschool - Grade 1

This app is based on the TV show produced by the Fred Rogers Company. The show and the app focus on social emotional learning for young children. By playing with Daniel, daily routines and sometimes difficult childhood experiences like going to the doctor can become more familiar. Talking with children about these experiences through play is a productive way to develop strategies for handling things in real life.

App Review: DNA Play

App Name: DNA Play
Developer: AVOKIDDO
Cost: $2.99
Available on iOS, Amazon, Google Play
Recommended for Kindergarten-Grade 2

The lessons of DNA sequencing will probably not sink in for children playing with this app, but they will gain experience with ways that organisms adapt and change. Talk about why animals might want longer limbs or a pointy beak to scale the information about more complex scientific concepts to your child’s level. All of this adds to background knowledge that will assist children when they learn more about these topics later.

App Review: DADA Trains

App Name: DADA Trains
Developer: DADA Company
Cost: $2.99
Available on iOS
Recommended for Preschool - Grade 2

Trains are a favorite topic for many children. Opportunities for play include building, driving them around, and drawing. This app is full of opportunities for play and discovery. There are little to no directions, and no ways to earn point or keep score so children will be focused on playing, not winning. In the Train Factory activity, players must fix broken tracks and move around obstacles by solving puzzles using shape recognition and spatial reasoning, building on beginner math skills.

App Review: Charlie and Lola: My Little Town

App Name: Charlie and Lola: My Little Town
Developer: BBC Worldwide
Cost: $2.99
Available on iOS, Amazon, Google Play
Recommended for Preschool - Grade 1

Fans of the Charlie and Lola books by Lauren Child and the TV series will enjoy immersing themselves in their world in 6 interactive games. Each game encourages creativity and open ended play, with no scores or competition. Users will practice math skills like spatial reasoning and problem solving. Games are narrated by Charlie and Lola, allowing kids to play with the book characters and extend the reading experience.

App Review: Bugs & Buttons

App Name: Fireworks Lab
Developer: Little Bit Studio, LLC
Cost: $2.99
Available on iOS, Amazon, Google Play
Recommended for Kindergarten-Grade 2

With 18 games, there is a lot to explore in this app. The app automatically adjusts the difficulty level based on the user, which helps to avoid frustrations and build on skills. Games involve bugs and buttons and introduce math concepts like sorting, counting, and building patterns as well as reading concepts like letter recognition and spelling. The realistic bugs showcase butterflies, ladybugs, ants, spiders, and more.

App Review: Barefoot World Atlas

App Name: Barefoot World Atlas
Developer: Barefoot Books, Inc.
Cost: $4.99
Available on iOS
Recommended for Grades 1-3

Spin the globe and explore the world! Tap on icons to learn about new places. Children can read themselves or have text read to them as they explore different parts of the world, learning about culture, climate, and more. Photographs add to the depth of information presented, building on the background knowledge that helps with reading comprehension.

App Review: Ready Jet Go! Space Explorer

App Name: Ready Jet Go! Space Explorer
Developer: PBS Kids
Cost: Free
Available on iOS, Amazon, Google Play
Recommended for Kindergarten - Grade 2

Explore a virtual night sky to learn about stars, planets, and more. If using the app outside of the library, you can share your location with the app to match the view of the virtual sky to your local sky. There aren’t very many astronomy apps for kids, so curious star gazers will appreciate this one!

App Review: Labo's Pebble Art

App Name: Labo's Pebble Art
Developer: Labo Lado Inc.
Cost: $1.99
Available on iOS, Amazon,  Google Play
Recommended for Preschool and Up

This app encourages kids to get creative with natural elements like stones, rocks, and pebbles. Kids will create different creatures out of stones, color them, and then use their characters to play 12 different games. Games like matching and sorting encourage children to think mathematically while looking for similarities and differences. Natural elements like stones, rocks, and pebbles are featured in the app, extending real world experiences.

App Review: Fireworks Lab

App Name: Fireworks Lab
Developer: Cowly Owl
Cost: Free
Available on iOS, Amazon, Google Play
Recommended for Preschool and Up

The experience of watching fireworks in the summer is something many children have, and acting out their own fireworks show is a fun way for them to engage with the world around them in a safe and playful way. The app is intuitive and easy to use, allowing for younger players. Plus, children learn through play. Play gives the opportunity for children to express themselves and put thoughts into words and actions.

App Review: Felt Board

App Name: Felt Board
Developer: Software Smoothie
Cost: $2.99
Available on iOS
Recommended for Preschool and Up

Felt boards are a classic storytime activity. The possibilities for learning are nearly endless – from math games to acting our nursery rhymes, children will engage with a wide variety of concepts. While the tactile experience of playing with felt is still enjoyable, this app captures the fun of the felt board without needing all the pieces making the app friendly for users on the go or for repeated use.

App Review: Byron Barton Collection #1

App Name: Byron Barton Collection #1
Developer: Oceanhouse Media
Cost: $4.99
Available on iOS, Amazon, Windows, Google Play
Recommended for Preschool and Kindergarten

Byron Barton’s books are known for their simple style, introducing vocabulary with bright illustrations. This style is enhanced with the app and new readers who enjoy all things transportation will enjoy these books. The collection includes Planes, Trains, Boats, and Planes. Books are read out load and words zoom up and are spoken when objects are touched on the screen. This introduced new vocabulary and increases print awareness.

App Review: Dino Train Jurassic Jr.

App Name: Dino Train Jurassic Jr.
Developer: PBS Kids
Cost: $1.99
Available on iOS, Amazon, Windows, Google Play
Recommended for Kindergarten - Grade 2

This app features three mathmatic games based on the PBS show Dinosaur Train. In one game kids will balance food items on a scale, learning about weight and measurment. In another, they build a bridge using logs while praciticing measurement and counting skills. In the third game, dinosaurs are sorted by sizes. The app is easy to use and fans of the show will enjoy playing with their favorite characters. Kids will gain practice with mathematical thinking, addition, measurement, sequences, and problem solving through game play.

App Review: Axel Scheffler’s Flip Flap Collection

App Name: Axel Scheffler’s Flip Flap Collection
Developer: Nosy Crow
Cost: $0.99 per app
Available on iOS
Recommended for Preschool and Up

The app is based on the flip flap series of board books by Alex Scheffler. This interactive way of engaging with the books encourages multiple readings. Each combination of animal tops and bottoms comes with a silly name and a poem about the animal, perfect for caregivers or beginner readers to read aloud.There are six versions of this app, each featuring a different animal category: Dinosaurs, Ocean, Pets, Jungle, Safari, and Farm allowing for nearly endless animal combinations. The playful nature extends the ideas originally presented in print.

Moose Math Review

App Name: Moose Math
Developer: Duck Duck Moose
Cost: Free
Available on iOS, Android, Kindle
Recommended for Preschool - Grade 1

Children learn through play, so we like that this app introduces math concepts in fun, interactive ways. The app setting is a city and activities take place in places like a juice and smoothie shop and a pet store. Kids will enjoy the playful interface while practicing math and science concepts like counting, addition, subtraction, sorting, and geometry.

App Review: Breathe, Think Do

App Name: Breathe, Think, Do
Developer: Sesame Street
Cost: Free
Available on iOS and Android
Recommended for Kindergarten - Grade 2

In Breathe, Think, Do kids encounter every day frustrations, like tying shoes, taking turns, or more.  Mando, the Sesame Street character, teaches strategies to cope with challenges and help kids to breathe and calm down. It's a simple app, with only 5 scenarios, but it's a good one to return to time and again.

App Review: Toca Tailor Fairy Tales

App Name: Toca Tailor Fairy Tales
Developer: Toca Boca
Cost: Free
Available on iOS
Recommended for Preschool and up

Children will design outfits for a variety of fairy tale characters. Traditional fairy tale characters and images are included, which will build children's familiarity with these common story elements. The focus of the app is on creative and imaginative play.

This app is very easy to navigate, making it fun for young children. There are no scores or competition, so the open ended play allows for children to explore at their own pace and developmental level. It also provides opportunities for social play between children or child and caregiver.

App Review: Endless Collection

App Name: Endless Alphabet, Endless Numbers, Endless Spanish
Developer: Originator
Cost: Free with in app purchases
Available on iOS, Google Play, and Windows
Recommended for Kindergarten - Grade 2

The adorable monsters in this app introduce kids to letters, numbers, and the Spanish language in a fun and engaging way. The free app comes with 6 free letters, numbers, or words depending on the app. Kids practice recognizing letters, spelling, and sound recognition. Additional items can be purchased in the app. This app is recommended for beginner readers and writers.

Users will practice letter recognition and phonological awareness (understanding the sounds that each letter makes). Kids are also introduced to common sight words and new vocabulary in English and Spanish as well as beginner math skills like counting and sequencing.

App Review: PBS Parents Play and Learn

App Name: PBS Parents Play and Learn
Developer: PBS Kids
Cost: Free
Available on iOS
Recommended for Preschool and up

This app is designed for caregivers to share with their children. There is plenty of information for parents to help guide through “teachable moments” within the app. The world within the app reflects many aspects of children’s lives, such as going to the grocery store or playing outside, making it easy to extend the learning into real life. Plus, it is completely bilingual (available in English and Spanish). Kids will practice beginner math skills like shape recognition, counting, sorting, and more. They will also engage with language and reading throughout the games. Each game shares a parenting tip on the concepts introduced and ways to further practice.