SB Finds : Educational Apps

What’s better than a bilingual app? A bilingual app that relays a great moral! 2 Tigers, the latest storybook app from 33 Loretta Kids’ Books, is a fantastic way to introduce the topic of sibling rivalry. In the story, the younger of the two tigers, Delilah, is jealous of her big sister, Sophie. So, she tries to come up with something she can do that her sister can’t. Just like human siblings, the tigers fight and get in trouble. ItRead More ...

Día de Muertos by WashaWasha Games This game is surprisingly simple, and incredibly addicting. Watch the skeletons pop up in different boxes, wait to see the icon for which element of the ofrenda they need – flowers, pan de muerto, prayer, or tequila – and then race to give it to them before they go back underground. Sometimes, two or three of them will pop up at one time! And watch out for the bar at the top that fillsRead More ...

  Have you ever looked at a foreign language textbook and not known where to begin? All those pages of vocabulary… A great app by Noyo is helping us avoid the symptoms of Overwhelming Textbook Syndrome. This iPad app is overflowing with useful Spanish vocabulary – over 1800 words! Each of the eight themed sections has over 20 pages of labeled pictures with written vocabulary (in Spanish and English) that can be shown or hidden so that you can testRead More ...

  Apps that teach letters and numbers or read us interactive books are fun…but what about going above and beyond the basics? Now, we can have a companion in guiding our young readers (1st – 3rd graders) to an understanding of Spanish phonics and spelling. Spanish Word Wizard: Spanish Talking Movable Alphabet with Spell Check + Spelling Tests is a great app to supplement formal Spanish lessons, or as an introduction to the sounds of el alfabeto. The Spanish versionRead More ...

One of the most anxiety-ridden moments in parenting is when mom and/or dad must go back to work and feel, not only unwarranted guilt from leaving their baby, but also a sense of loss of not being there for all those important moments that happen once in a lifetime. Care.com, an online platform that “provides a trusted place for families and care providers to easily connect, share caregiving experiences, and get advice,” has created Karoo, an app to help familiesRead More ...

Now that my son has started English-only school, I am even more concerned with giving him supplementary learning activities in Spanish. Sanoen’s To The Farm! iPad app is a great choice for several reasons. To the Farm!/¡A la granja! offers different levels of spelling farm animal words, appropriate for ages 0-6. Babies and toddlers will enjoy the animal sounds and cute pictures, and children who are learning to read can see the words in full frases. There is a parentRead More ...

We may have a bookshelf full of bilingual books in our house, but sometimes it’s fun to mix it up. The world of apps makes it easy to do just that. Instead of simply reading a story and maybe talking about it for a few minutes, we can extend the benefit of Spanish stories by letting our kids explore apps like Learn Spanish: Little Blue Jackal by Niyaa. This iPad app is a high-quality learning tool that can be usedRead More ...

Like me, my daughter Vanessa is fascinated by maps, atlases and geography in general. And like most first-graders, she’s addicted to the iPad and it’s endless apps. So I was intrigued when I was approached by Barefoot Books — one of my favorite multicultural children’s book publishers — regarding a new app they recently launched together with Touch Press – the creators of some of the best apps out there. I knew the Barefoot World Atlas app would be well done,Read More ...