Hot New and Updated Apps for 2016
The New Year is a great time to update your child’s mobile device with some engaging, fun and highly-rated educational, pretend play and productivity apps. Nowadays, the sheer number of learning apps on the market is enough to overwhelm anyone, so BridgingApps has done the homework for you.
Endless Learning Academy By Originator Inc.
Endless Learning Academy is a comprehensive educational app for early learners. With this delightfully interactive app kids will learn across a broad and growing curriculum all while having fun with the help of the adorable Endless monsters. This app is also great for elementary students with developmental delays, learning disabilities or those who just need some extra practice of early reading, language and math skills.
Price: FREE
For early learners that promotes empathy, nurturing and caring through pretend play. Imaginative play helps children understand and take control of their own world. With fun and familiar activities like feeding, playing and bathing, this open-ended app helps children practice empathy and nurturing behaviour. The beautiful colors and animation make the app appealing and engaging to children.
Price: $3.99
Toca Life School By Toca Boca AB
Toca Life School is a fun and engaging app for early learners of all abilities. We love the self-paced gameplay design of Toca Boca apps. If your child is a Toca Boca fan, they will LOVE Toca Life School. Users can teach a class, pick a locker and even have a food fight in the cafeteria. With five locations and 32 characters, children love creating their very own school adventures.
Price: $3.99
Updated Apps
Birdhouse for Special Needs By Birdhouse LLC
Offers caregivers the ability to keep track of behaviors, health and daily living tasks. With the app, the caregiver can access the activity timeline, which contains categories such as sleep, moods, food, therapy, meltdowns, and bathroom activities. What’s New: Ability to create activity types and categories, filters activity timeline, updated mood list and added snacks, stim, symptoms options and more.
Price: FREE
Contains 360 sounds, images, written and spoken words for animals, vehicles, birds, musical instruments and household items. The app can be wonderful for developing joint attention, listening skills, sound imitation and receptive and expressive language. What’s New: The app is now accessible for the blind community using the built in accessibility feature VoiceOver in iOS devices.
Price: iOS $4.99 / Android $5.99
Virtuoso Piano Free 3 By Peter Nagy
Gives the user the ability to play the piano and a variety of other instruments with a realistic sound quality. Appropriate for users ages 2 and up, Virtuoso Piano 3 can be used to learn how to play the piano or just for fun. What’s New: Previously paid instruments are now included free.
Price: FREE
Explain Everything Interactive Whiteboard By Explain Everything sp. Z.o.o
Allows users to create explanations or mini lessons for their children to watch as many times as they need. What’s New: Added portrait mode, a highlighter tool and multi-tasking options.
Price: FREE
If you are interested in searching for more apps, creating your own list of apps and sharing them, please go to BridgingApps.org. BridgingApps, a program of Easter Seals Greater Houston, is a community of parents, therapists, doctors and teachers who share information about using mobile devices with people who have special needs.
Cristen Reat is co-founder of BridgingApps and a mother who found success when using a mobile device with her children who have special needs.
Amy Barry is the Content Manager and Editor at BridgingApps and mother of five children.
Image Courtesy our Facebook Friends
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This post originally appeared on our January/February 2016 Magazine