Group items tagged

"When we think of apps for kids, we often think of games for either entertainment or learning. But apps aren't limited to just games or books-apps can provide important social, emotional, and physical experiences too. Family Time with Apps is designed to help parents better understand the variety of ways that apps can support children's healthy development and family learning, communication, and connection. The guide aims to show parents how to find the best apps that fit your child's needs, provide tips on how (and why!) to use apps together, and highlight even more resources that will make the process of selecting apps less overwhelming, and more fun."

"With over 300,000 apps it's easy to become overwhelmed by the number of app choices. It's also easy to spend a small fortune on a lot of useless apps. As a special needs parent I wanted to get right to the "good stuff" and figured you did too. Check out our guide that breaks down the best of the apps by skill set so you can easily find and buy apps that most benefit your child. Great for kids with autism, ADHD, apraxia, learning disability, sensory issues and more. Included are apps for iPad, iPhone, iPod touch and some Android apps. Get started right now by clicking on a category. "

"This handout is meant to be a resource. It is not meant to be exhaustive and is not a suggestion on what apps to buy or download. It is always helpful to review the ratings on apps before purchasing. For review of apps, click on the review button when you are on the app download page in iTunes. If a lite version is available, generally they are free or cheaper, so they can be a way for you to try an app."

"Doodlecast is a unique drawing app that records your voice as you draw. Play back your drawing and export it to share with friends and family. Visit the Doodlecast for Kids support page to see the app in action. The Doodlecast For Kids App comes with more than 20 drawing prompts - simple questions designed to give kids a starting point. Kids can choose from one of the prompts or start a drawing from scratch. The app records the entire drawing process along with audio from the microphone to create videos up to three minutes long. The videos are as fun to watch as they are to create and Doodlecast makes it easy to share them with friends and families."

Good blog post on the iPad frenzy "We are at a position where the iPad is showing solid potential as an educational tool, and many developers are running experiments on the app store to test out those theories. But conclusions have not been drawn. Long term studies have not been completed. And I still don't see many app development teams including teachers and educators directly within their development process. YOU, as the consumer, have the responsibility to think critically whenever new media or content is put in front of your child. Now is the time to dust off your report card and ask the tough questions, before the trendy momentum of consumer culture takes over."

Know What's Inside gives parents the power to choose the best apps for their kids. We only feature developers committed to our high standards for protecting kids' privacy and building great family-friendly apps - and we always make it quick and easy to Know What's Inside every app we feature so that parents can decide if it's right for their kids.

"With the proliferation of AAC apps, it seems that many people quickly get or want to get an AAC app for their child with an autism spectrum disorder. It is awesome and amazing to see so many people who need AAC begin to have access to AAC. But once there is accessibility, it is not always readily apparent what to do and it is like any technology or gadget, if you don't learn how to USE it, it could become like the 'proverbial treadmill clothes hanger' or abandoned musical instrument."

"iPhones and iPads are networked mobile computers, not LeapPads. Making it "kid-friendly" takes some customization. This App Friday, along with introducing some featured apps, we'll include a refresher on Settings > General > Restrictions. Fun fun!"

Price Drop for Apps for Kids Posted on November 12, 2011 Apps for kids that have recently dropped prices in the past few days.

"I feel storytelling apps are one of the most powerful aspects of using the iPad. It allows for collaboration and creativity that I couldn't really achieve before using the iPad. Here are my 22 favorite Storytelling Apps. The list is constantly changing but the majority of them stay the same."

This fun educational app has three matching games based on Eric Carle's best-selling My Very First Books, designed specifically for the iPhone and iPad.

"Turn everyday moments into brain-building moments! New science has shown that our children's brains develop the most during the ages of 0-5. Daily Vroom is an app created to make the most of these precious years when the foundation for all future learning is happening. It offers parents ways to help make connections in their child's growing brain. And it's all rooted in new science. Every day, the app serves up a "Vroom" (a simple brain-building activity) into the palm of your hand, providing you with a daily dose of inspiration. It enhances the things you already do and helps spark new ideas"

"YogiPlay turns mobile phones and tablets into smart learning devices by providing parents with meaningful insight related to their child's learning progress. Then YogiPlay automatically delivers to parents personalized app recommendations based on their child's specific learning needs or interests. YogiPlay's in-house team of early-childhood educational experts carefully reviews each app for engagement value and educational quality."

"Last night we led a round table on Twitter about a topic of interest to us: Apps and Autism. It was a thoughtful discussion about how iOS devices, particularly the iPad, have transformed the lives of many autistic children. Parents and special educators gathered together and talked intimately about the magical effect technology has on the autistic children in their lives. The group stressed improvements in independence, communication and life skills, as a result of their using apps, all leading to improved quality of life for a child and family."

"In place of what would have been Digital-Storytime's 10th 'Top 10′ list, this week I have whittled down my favorites to just 25 apps I would recommend for a well-rounded collection. This list represents just 10% of the 250 books reviewed on our site (and includes insights from previewing over 1000 book apps overall). The list is in no particular ranked order, although it is broken up into categories to make it a little more user-friendly"

Educational Apps For Kids: A Dad's quest to find the best educational apps for the iPad and iPhone

"Stories About Me allows parents and teachers to create their own social stories for their children and students. Blending photos, text, and voice recordings into a talking picture book, children can playback rich media stories of their own personal experiences. Swiping advances the pages and tapping plays the audio; simple as that! Creating, editing, and ordering stories is easy and simple. Sharing stories with others who have the app and backing them up is made possible with Dropbox integration. Parental lock feature prevents accidental edits or deletions."

"riting books with or for young children supports literacy skills and creative thinking. Come to this session ready to learn new ways of making books and experience software programs and apps that educators, parents and children can use to produce e-books for viewing electronically. Attendees will learn about eBooks as well as several iOS apps that can be used to create custom eBooks that support and enhance the reading and writing process and content area knowledge. Be ready to create, design and publish your own e-publication and share it with others!"

Find the Best Educational Apps for Preschoolers "Educational App Store For Parents."