Appy Kids: The Best Apps for Pre-Schoolers

Transcription

1 Appy Kids: The Best Apps for Pre-Schoolers By Dr Kristy Goodwin

2 INTRODUCTION Literacy Creativity Maths Play Science

3 All About the Author Dr Kristy Goodwin, Director, Every Chance to Learn I help confused + concerned parents navigate young children s digital world so that they can make informed decisions about how they will use technology in healthy and safe ways with their children. My name is Dr Kristy Goodwin and I am a children s technology researcher, a mum and an educator. I want to help parents ditch the guilt and confusion when it comes to raising children in the digital age. I want to arm them with the latest research about how today s children learn and develop so that they can make informed decisions about how they will use technology with their children. It is my passion to share this critical research-based information with parents. I want you to be able to make informed and confident decisions about how you will leverage technology to enhance and support your children s learning and development in a digital age. Through workshops, seminars and digital products I can help you make sense of the digital terrain young children are entering. No More Techno-Guilt... Parents have enough to worry about without fretting about technology & feeling over-whelmed. I am here to help.

4 What Do We Know About Research Pre-Schoolers & Apps? Given that touch technologies are relatively new, academic research is lagging in this area. We do, however, have some emerging studies* that indicate that young children, particularly pre-schoolers, can actually learn from touch devices like ipads and iphones. As a children s technology researcher, I have had the privilege of conducting research with young children and ipads and I can confirm that my preliminary work also suggests that young children do benefit from using touch devices. However, there are some important considerations: The design of the app is critical. Not all apps are created equal. Children learn with apps that are developmentally-appropriate and designed to meet the needs of young learners. Excessive screen-time is harmful for pre-schoolers. Parents need to monitor how much time pre-schoolers have with screens and ensure that this is balanced with a range of other activities. For information on screen-time recommendations, see here: Touch devices should not replace hands-on experiences. Pre-schoolers still need to engage in real play, physical activity and face-to-face interactions with peers, siblings and parents. Touch devices can complement these experiences. The genie is out of the bottle. The ipad will not be un-invented. We need to figure out how to use it with young children. Warren Buckleitner, Children s Technology Review *Kirkorian, H. L. & Pempek, T. A. (2013). Toddlers and Touch Screens: Potential for Early Learning? Zero to Three, March. *Neumann, M. M. (2014). An examination of touch screen tablets and emergent literacy in Australian pre-school children. Australian Journal of Education.

5 2-5 Year Olds How Do Pre-Schoolers Learn? Often referred to as pre-schoolers children of this age are typically enthusiastic learners, keen to explore their world. They want to figure out how things work. They want to create (and then destroy) things. It s all about physical movement, exploration and developing language for pre-schoolers. Pre-schoolers typically overflow with innate curiosity. They constantly ask, Why? and have insatiable appetites for figuring things out. They want to know how things work and discover their world. They want to create and explore. They want to move. They want to interact with others. And they do all of these things through PLAY. Pre-schoolers learn through meaningful, play-based experiences. Pre-schoolers do NOT need worksheets. Nor do they need digital worksheets. That is, apps that teach specific academic skills and concepts are not necessarily what pre-schoolers need (at least not all of the time). There is plenty of time later on for formal, academic instruction. They do not need to rote learn letters and numbers. So how can we leverage touch technologies to support the learning & developmental needs of pre-schoolers? Co-Viewing: Using Touch Technologies WITH Others It is essential that pre-schoolers use touch devices with others. It can be Mum/ Dad or a Carer or perhaps even a sibling or a friend. It is critical that preschoolers talk about what they have created on-screen and interact with others. This develops essential language skills AND encourages them to think about what they are creating on-screen.

6 2-5 Year Olds How Do They Learn? For More Information This question will be comprehensively answered in an ecourse: itouch & ilearn: Using Touch Devices with Young Children. Join the VIP list here to find out more information. Look for apps that allow pre-schoolers to: BE CREATIVE. Drawing, music creation and storytelling apps are popular for pre-schoolers. These apps develop creativity and allow young children to express their ideas in new ways. For example, many of the story-telling apps allow children to draw and animate their own pictures, add background music and sound effects and even narrate their own story. Amazing! Check out Toontastic as an example. MOVE. Look for apps that encourage physical movement. Children need to move to learn. There are increasing numbers of apps that use the idevice s camera and encourage children to move around their environment. Check out Happi Full Throttle as an example. INVESTIGATE HOW THINGS WORK. Look for apps that allow children to problem-solve and explore in new ways not possible without the app. Check out X is for X-Ray as an example. COMMUNICATE. Again, digital storytelling apps are a great way to encourage young children to develop their language skills. Check out My Story Book Maker and Draw & Tell as examples. PLAY. Pre-schoolers learn best through play. They develop a range of sophisticated skills when playing, such as communication, problem-solving and executive function. Check Some apps can enhance learning incredibly, particularly when they are to do with practising specific skills or when they give the child the opportunity to create their own content and communicate in new ways. Dr KATE Highfield, Lecturer, Macquarie University

7 INFORMATION About This ebook What you need to know to get the most out of this book... How is the ebook organised? This ebook has been broken into five chapters, according to subject matter. Mathematics Literacy Science Creativity Play Each page: lists the skills and concepts that each apps develops; provides a direct link to the App Store; provides a summary of the app; lists whom or when the app might be appropriate to use; and lists several possible follow-up activities that can be used to enhance and complement the on-screen experience. Remember, pre-schoolers still need lots of hands-on experiences to learn. Selecting Apps You can easily select an app that you would like to download and install, by clicking on the link in this book that says App Store, underneath the title of the app. Please note, that these are NOT affiliate links. DISCLAIMER: all reviews and links were current at the time of publication (June 2014).

8 MATHEMATICS APPS Literacy Creativity Maths Play Science

9 Maths Apps Little Digits \ SUBJECT AREA/S- Mathematics SKILLS & CONCEPTS DEVELOPED- Number combinations to 10, addition & subtraction, fine motor skills APP STORE- GREAT FOR... FOR... Children who show an interest in counting Kinesthetic learners (children who learn through moving) T his app makes effective use of the simultaneous touch-points on an ipad. Children need to represent various numbers from 0-10 by placing their fingers on-screen. For example, the number 7 may appear. Your child could place 3 fingers from one hand and then 4 fingers from the other hand. Alternatively, they could place 5 fingers from one hand and 2 fingers from the other hand. This is also an excellent app for collaborative play. Working with a sibling, friend or parent encourages children to verbalise their mathematical thinking and is more likely to develop a richer understanding. This app also develops young children s understanding of number bonds (i.e. number combinations) and basic understandings of addition and subtraction in a playful manner. Children will incidentally learn, via playing the app, how numbers are formed. TIPS FOR FURTHER LEARNING Have children count draw what real-life they objects. have created For example, on-screen when with at the real park, paper count and the pencils. number This of seats, will develop sticks or a leaves range of that skills, you can including find. Have fine motor, them logical represent processing this and number visual with their processing fingers. skills, as they need to transfer what they have Make numbers with seen into a written form. playdough, or using sticks in the Have sand, children or using go on shaving a cream shape in hunt the bath-tub. after they have used this app. For In the car, ask your child to example ask, Can you run represent a number from 1-10 around the house and find with their fingers. Ask them to me 3 squares? Have your then make the number child place a sticky note on another way. For example, the 3 items so that they can your child may make 6 as 3 + go around and show you their 3, or 4 + 2, or discoveries. This is a playful way for young children to explore shapes & colours.

10 Shiny Party: Shapes & Colours Maths Apps SUBJECT AREA/S- Mathematics SKILLS & CONCEPTS DEVELOPED- Geometry, classification skills, fine motor skills APP STORE- GREAT FOR... Children who have started to show an interest in shape names Building young children s understanding of colours T his app develops basic geometry concepts in a playful context. Children learn a range of skills including the ability to (i) to identify and name common 2D shapes (such as circles, triangles and squares); (ii) combine various shapes to form new shapes; (iii) learn the properties of 2D shapes (such as angles and sides). This app is ideal for young children who are still developing their fine motor skills. It allows them to play and explore with 2D shapes without requiring welldeveloped fine motor skills that they would need to draw shapes on paper. Therefore, it is a great app for compensating for their fine-motor skills. This app also contains a range of puzzles, which are great for children s visual development and logical processing skills. TIPS FOR FURTHER LEARNING Have children draw what they have created on-screen with real paper and pencils. This will develop a range of skills, including fine motor, logical processing and visual processing skills, as they need to transfer what they have seen into a written form. Have children go on a shape hunt after they have used this app. For example ask, Can you run around the house and find me 3 squares? Have your child place a sticky note on the 3 items so that they can go around and show you their discoveries. This is a playful way for young children to explore shapes & colours.

11 LITERACY APPS Literacy Creativity Play Science

12 The Wrong Book Literacy Apps SUBJECT AREA/S- Literacy SKILLS & CONCEPTS DEVELOPED- Reading comprehension, listening & speaking skills GREAT FOR... Lorem Parents ipsum who travel dolor sit and amet cannot be present for the Consectetur night-time book. adipisicing You can elit, sed record do your eiusmod own tempor narration for this story A APP STOREs a book app, this app ticks all the right boxes in terms of quality and essential features (plus it has the added benefit of an Australian accent, which is hard to come by in children s book apps). There are few distracting on-screen inclusions and the sound effects and animations have to be activated by the user (i.e. they will not automatically launch which is great for little ones who can be easily distracted). By far, the best feature of this app is the ability to record your own narration. Children or adults can record their voice on each page of this book app. This is ideal for encouraging young children to practice their expression and experiment with their speaking skills. Young children love nothing more than hearing their own voice (or that of Mum/Dad or the teacher) reading to them. Use this book as a springboard for discussing feelings of frustration. You could ask, When have you felt frustrated or angry, like Nicholas did? Focus on how you can resolve such feelings. TIPS FOR FURTHER TIPS LEARNING FOR FURTHER LEARNING When using any book app it is Lorem critical ipsum that you dolor focus sit amet young children s attention on Consectetur comprehending adipisicing what they elit, sed have do seen eiusmod on the tempor screen (i.e. incididunt the plot and ut not labore the et screen dolore magna embellishments). aliqua. Ask your child questions throughout Ut the enim story ad if you minim are veniam, sharing the quis book. nostrud For example, exercitation how do ullamco you think laboris Nicholas nisi is ut feeling? aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Have young children use a Duis drawing aute app irure (such dolor as in reprehenderit Drawing Pad or in Draw voluptate & Tell) velit and esse draw cillum their favourite dolore eu part fugiat of the nulla story. pariatur. With apps such as Draw & Tell, users can also Lorem record ipsum their voice. dolor sit amet Consectetur adipisicing elit, Look for other books by the sed same do developer: eiusmod tempor The Very Itchy Bear and The Very Cranky Bear. Children still need to read real books, as well as book apps.

13 Draw & Tell Literacy Apps SUBJECT AREA/S-Literacy SKILLS & CONCEPTS DEVELOPED- Oral language, drawing, creativity, fine motor GREAT FOR... Lorem Children ipsum who dolor want sit to amet create simple, digital stories Consectetur adipisicing elit, sed Capturing do eiusmod children s tempor voices while drawing T APP STOREhis creativity app allows young children to draw on a touch screen AND simultaneously record their voice. Using this very simple app, young children can draw on screen with a variety of media (crayons, paints and pencils), add stickers, animate their drawings and create simple digital stories. This app fosters creativity as young children can express their ideas in written and/or spoken form. Young children often articulate and talk aloud as it helps them to construct their knowledge so this is the ideal tool to capture their ideas. This app can also develop basic fine motor skills as it has a colouring-in feature on the ipad version. It is important to note that this app should NOT replace hands-on experiences with real paper and pencils (or paints, or crayons). It should complement these experiences. TIPS FOR FURTHER LEARNING Lorem Use this ipsum app to dolor create sit amet interactive, multimedia Consectetur greeting and adipisicing birthday cards. elit, sed Have do children eiusmod draw tempor their own incididunt pictures and ut labore record et their dolore magna voice (talking aliqua. or singing). Then export the video by ing Ut it to enim the recipient. ad minim veniam, Magic! quis nostrud exercitation ullamco To develop laboris basic nisi ut aliquip ex comprehension ea commodo skills, consequat. after reading a book to a child ask Duis them aute to draw irure a dolor picture in of reprehenderit their favourite in part voluptate of a story velit and esse record cillum their dolore voice eu fugiat explaining nulla the pariatur. drawing (or Lorem their favourite ipsum dolor character, sit amet or the problem in the story). Consectetur This also encourages adipisicing elit, sed children s do eiusmod language tempor development. Drawing apps should not replace hands-on experiences.

14 Jack & the Beanstalk Literacy Apps SUBJECT AREA/S- Literacy SKILLS & CONCEPTS DEVELOPED- Reading, comprehension, concepts of print GREAT FOR... Lorem Children ipsum who dolor enjoy sit fairytales amet Consectetur A shared book adipisicing experience elit, sed with do adults eiusmod tempor The interactive features in this app need to be activated (they re not automatic). T APP STOREhis app is a combination of a book and game app. The story has been very well illustrated and narrated and can stand on its own as a book app. As a game app children can play a variety of games in the giant s house (younger children may need help with some of these games). It is definitely a book for co-viewing with preschoolers. Like many book apps, this app provides the option to select from Read & Play or Read by Myself modes. The first mode activates narration and word highlighting. There are interactive touch points in the story that are only activated once tapped. This prevents young children from becoming distracted by too much on-screen action happening automatically. There are some truly magical elements in this app. For example, in the puzzle game children can wave their hands at the device and hints appear. It also turns a mirror (based on your device s camera) into jigsaw puzzle pieces (so your child s face appears on the mirror in real time). TIPS FOR FURTHER LEARNING Lorem Draw pictures ipsum dolor of plants sit amet in the garden and have what if Consectetur conversations adipisicing about elit, what sed would do eiusmod they do tempor if the plant incididunt grew to ut the labore size et of dolore the magna beanstalk aliqua. in the story. Ut Explore enim seeds. ad minim Use veniam, different quis sizes, nostrud shapes exercitation and colour and ullamco can be a laboris good nisi prompt ut aliquip for ex conversations ea commodo consequat. Duis Grow aute a beanstalk. irure dolor To in increase reprehenderit the scientific focus in voluptate you could velit grow esse one cillum seed in dolore a pot eu or fugiat garden nulla and pariatur. another in cotton wool. Using clear container is Lorem a great ipsum way to dolor see sit roots amet Consectetur developing. adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor

15 CREATIVITY APPS Literacy Creativity Maths Play Science

16 Maths Apps Tiny Robot Maker SUBJECT AREA/S- Creative Arts SKILLS & CONCEPTS DEVELOPED- Creative expression, visualisation, problem-solving, language skills APP STORE- GREAT FOR... Supporting off-screen and creative play for young children T his open-ended and creative app is a great way to foster on- and off-screen play for pre-schoolers (and younger school-aged children too). With thousands of different robot combinations, young children can easily build their own on-screen robots by dragging and dropping scrap metal, cogs and pipes. As an openended app, children create explore various colours and shapes in a playful way. The strength of this app is that it also invites offscreen play opportunities. Children can save their onscreen creations and export them to the device s camera roll. They can then be printed in colour or black-and-white and used as birthday cards, birthday invitations, or as puppets. Young children would love to print out their black-and-white creations to colour-in with real pencils. This is an authentic way to develop their fine motor skills. And yes, fine motor skills are still essential in a digital age. TIPS FOR FURTHER LEARNING Have Provide children draw with what a range they have of materials created so on-screen that they can with real build paper real robots. and pencils. For example, This will keep develop cardboard a range boxes, of skills, including paper-towel fine tubes, motor, boxes, logical processing bottle lids etc. and visual processing skills, as they need to Have transfer children what replicate they have one seen of their into on-screen a written designs form. with real construction materials Have (cardboard children boxes, go on toilet a rolls shape etc). Or, do hunt the converse after they and have used children this make app. For a robot example with construction ask, Can materials you run around and then the try house and replicate and find it me on-screen 3 squares? with the Have app. your This child helps place to develop a sticky young note on the children s 3 items so understanding that they can of go the around nexus between and show 2D you their discoveries. screens and 3D objects. A great way to foster off-screen play involves printing out the children s creations.