Best educational apps for elementary school students
It's that time of the year again when parents, teachers and students start thinking about heading back to school. If you have an iOS device, you can supplement your child's education with a variety of quality educational iOS apps. Here are some of the best titles for children in the elementary school-aged group:
Buster! [iPad; Free]
Buster! makes it fun for children to master their vocabulary using either single player games or a two-player team mode. The app develops critical word skills such as understanding rhyming, prefixes and suffixes, synonyms, homophones, adjectives, and more. The app ships with a set of core vocabulary games that can be expanded through in-app purchases.
Stack the States [iOS Universal; $0.99]
Stack the States takes the rote memorization of geography and makes it enjoyable. The app quizzes students on the states, asking them about capitals, state shapes, abbreviations, bordering states, location on the map, nicknames, flags and more. As they answer correctly, children earn individual states that they can stack in order to unlock bonus content. The app uses a combination of unlockable games such as Capital Drop and Pile Up! to keep children engaged.
Once students have mastered the US states, they can try their hand at the companion Stack the Countries app, which covers world geography in the same quiz-style game.
Cursive Writing Wizard - Trace Letters & Words [iOS Universal; $3.99]
L'Escapadou builds upon the success of its Writing Wizard handwriting app with its Cursive Writing Wizard. The app uses the same sound teaching principles introduced in the handwriting version to teach children how to write in cursive. The app uses repetition as well as animations to helps children practice the proper cursive writing techniques. Besides standard letters and words, the customizable app allows parents to add their own words with audio.
Barefoot World Atlas [iOS Universal; $4.99]
Barefoot World Atlas allows your children to take a virtual trip around the world, introducing them to the countries, cities and people as they travel. With its easy-to-use interface, the app invites children to explore other cultures through a variety of media, including illustrations, photographs, videos and more.
Splash Math Worksheet Series [iOS Universal; Various Pricing]
Splash Math from StudyPad offers a comprehensive series of self-paced worksheets that'll complement any elementary school math course. The app covers all major math topics and includes extra convenience features such as a scratch pad for problem solving and explanations for incorrect answers. Support for syncing allows progress to be shared across iOS devices, while a dashboard lets parents keep track of their children's progress.
MeeGenius Interactive Kids' Storybooks Songbooks [iOS Universal; Free]
MeeGenius is a book subscription service that'll help stimulate a love of reading in your children. The app offers songbooks and a read-along narration option to help struggling readers improve their reading ability. MeeGenius includes five free eBooks with the option to buy additional titles through in-app purchases. A $4.99 monthly subscription provides unlimited access to over 800 books, including a larger selection of classics and new titles. There's also a free Book of the Day offer for children who access the book library via the iOS app.
BrainPOP Featured Movie [iOS Universal; Free]
Enjoy the educational videos and quizzes on BrainPop's website? Now you can bring that experience to your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. The BrainPop app provides fresh, new content each day that covers topics in science, math, social studies, english, engineering & technology, arts & music, and health.
Similar to the website, the app supports several subscription options -- a free plan with access to the free daily movie and quiz, a $1.99 monthly Explorer subscription with access up to five movies and quizzes or unlimited access to more than 750 movies and quizzes for $6.99 per month.
The BrainPop app is geared for upper elementary, while the companion Brain Pop Jr app is designed for younger students.
