SCORE BIG: With Fun App Games
by
Cristen Reat 
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Fun App Games
With the beginning of each new year often comes the urge for us to make a fresh start by making lists, creating plans, and getting organized…sort of “out with the old, in with the new” mentality. In the midst of all this planning and organizing, let’s make time to have fun with our loved ones by playing a game during these long winter nights.
Many of the traditional board games and card games now have tablet versions, making game playing an accessible and fun experience for the whole family. We have created a list of some of our favorite app games that are not only fun to play, but also, build important skills like problem-solving, patience, storytelling, turn-taking, vocabulary development, and cooperation. Take a break and play a game!
Toontastic 3D
by Launchpad Toys
Toontastic is a creative storytelling app that enables children to draw, animate and share their cartoons. Making cartoons is easy. You can record your voice, move characters around and tell a story. The app records the animation and voice as a cartoon video to share with friends and family. You can use your device’s camera to add family faces to characters and customize your story complete with special effects. You can even make your own customized cards to share.
Price: FREE
MemoryBlock
by Category 5 Games
Remember the electronic game Simon? Well here it is in an app format! This is a memory game that creates color sequences for players to mimic. In other words, it creates a pattern that you have to remember to touch the screen in the same order. It can be set to 4 different tones and speeds depending on the player’s fine motor, visual discrimination and memory skills. It is a fun way to test memory and work on color identification with no reading required.
Price: FREE
My PlayHome Stores
by Shimon Young
My PlayHome Stores allows for pretend play that involves moving characters through 4 stores along a city street including: an ice cream parlor, grocery store, clothing store, and fruit stand. There are many wonderful interactive features of moving items in and out of carts, choosing new clothes, picking up items, etc. One favorite feature of young users is being able to shop in the stores and then take the goods home to the house located in the companion My PlayHome app. Children can engage in pretend play, and the app supports multiple users by allowing multiple touches on the screen at the same time, making it a fun way to work with a sibling, friend or caregiver. The app is a helpful tool for practicing labeling, developing conversation, greetings, categories, and pronouns.
Price: $2.99
Futaba Classroom Games for Kids
by INKids
Futaba Classroom Games is a fun and interactive app that promotes learning by strengthening key K-5th grade concepts in an engaging game. The app includes upper and lower case alphabet matching, Dolch site words, money, telling time, and much more. It can be used by up to 4 players and is customizable, so you can create your own content within the app. Note that the games are formatted as a timed game, so it could be a challenge for those with processing difficulties. It is helpful for encouraging social interaction, turn taking and teaching the concept of waiting for others.
Price: $6.99
If you are interested in searching for more apps, or, 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 (iPad, iPhone, and Android) 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.
More Games
- Apps for Adventure
- Summer Travel & Outdoor Fun with Apps
- Hot off the Press! New and Retooled Apps for 2017!
- Fun Food Apps to Encourage Healthy Eating
- Encourage the Family to Get Moving with These Apps!
- 10 Board Games for a Great Special Needs Game Night
- Brain Games for the Season
- 7 Sensory Games Dads Can Play With Their Children
- Got Pool Games?
- Infant Games Grows Brains
- What’s “APP”ening? Fun & Educational Game Apps for Children with Special Needs
This post originally appeared on our January/February 2014 Magazine
