Are you looking for FREE apps to help promote your child’s speech and language development? How about some FREE apps to keep your little ones entertained (while “secretly” learning)?!
As most of you know, I am a new mommy! My beautiful little boy Landon is 4 months old already! Whenever I pull out my phone or iPad, I swear his eyes are just drawn to it. Now obviously he is way too young to use apps, however, before I know it, he is going to be pulling out my phone or iPad and eagerly pressing buttons and trying to play with it!
I also remember last year when my school district got iPads. My speech and language students could not wait to get their hands on them! Their eyes lit up as soon as I placed an iPad on the table in my therapy room!! That is when the FUN and LEARNING began….
With all of that said, I have had many family members, friends, and co-workers ask me what my favorite apps are to use with little ones?! This is a great question and one I wanted to do a little research about myself! So here we go….a list of apps for speech and language development for your little ones (in no particular order)!
LET’S NAME THINGS FUN DECK BY SUPER DUPER PUBLICATIONS
Ok first of all, Super Duper is like my go-to company for speech and language games! Every SLP owns at least one (or 50!) things from Super Duper. This app is super simple to use and is a perfect fit for any child in kindergarten and beyond. The basic idea is for your little one to select cards and name things to practice vocabulary, categorizing, and thinking skills!
Be sure to also check out Super Duper StoryMaker FREE which is designed to practice learning skills, such as reading, sequencing, vocabulary and sentence building, following directions, grammar, storytelling and retelling, interacting with others, and more!
LAUGH & LEARN™ ANIMAL SOUNDS FOR BABY AND LAUGH & LEARN™ WHERE’S PUPPY’S NOSE? FOR BABY BY FISHER-PRICE
My son Landon loves his Laugh & Learn Singin Storytime Puppy and Nighttime Puppy so I was super excited when I heard about all these amazing free apps. Fisher Price has a large array of apps for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. The best part is, most of them are FREE!! First up is, Laugh & Learn Animal Sounds and is perfect for babies ages 6 months and up! This app helps babies learn animal sounds and names through interaction. What more could you ask for?!
I am also a big fan of the Laugh & Learn™ Where’s Puppy’s Nose? for Baby app. Identifying body parts is something important for all children to learn early on in their development. There are two different levels in this app. The Puppy and Kitty will teach your little one about nose, ear, eyes, mouth, foot, tummy, hand & head! The music and animations in all of their apps will definitely keep your little ones engaged while learning! Seriously….go download them on your iPhone, iPad, or Android now!
MY BABY FIREWORK BY DOKDOAPPS
This is a super simple app to keep any baby or toddler entertained. It is pretty much all about the music and bright visual effects. In a nutshell, a bunch of colorful fireworks pop up on the screen and your baby touches them to make them “explode”. This is a great app to teach your little one cause & effect. The explosion makes a noise all while music is being played in the background. My 22 month old nephew is OBSESSED with this app and has been since before he was 1 year old!
BABYSITTER2GO™ FREE BY DIGITAL CHOCOLATE, INC
This app is similar to the baby firework app and is perfect to keep your little one entertained. In the free version, you will get “ocean” and “rattle” modes. The ocean mode displays an “ocean” (of course!!!!) with a fish, seahorse, and treasure chest that your little ones (or you!) can touch and make move. I love the music that plays in the background as well! If your little one is interested in musical instruments then he/she will love the “rattle” mode. You will find musical instruments that can easily be “played” simply by your touch! This is a super cute app for your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch which you can grab here!!! They do also offer a “full” version for $0.99 which offers more modes.
TOCA KITCHEN MONSTERS BY TOCA BOCA AB
Ok…if you haven’t already discovered or heard of Toca Boca apps, now is the time to check them out! The artwork/animations are really appealing in all of their apps! I am a big fan of this adorable app which allows your little ones to “feed” 2 different monsters their favorite foods. They are able to slice, boil, fry, cook, microwave, season and mix ingredients. This is definitely an entertaining app which will also get your little ones interested in cooking! It also helps promote listening and following directions! What more could you want?! This app is available for iPhone and iPad and can be downloaded here.
LEGO® DUPLO® ZOO BY THE LEGO GROUP
This app combines animals, building, and adventure which is perfect for preschoolers (ages 3-5). Your little one will be able to take the rabbit and giraffe on many fun adventures! The animations are sure to keep their attention. They will get the chance to build, guide a car, visit animals in the zoo, and more while guiding the rabbit and giraffe to the lion’s birthday party! If you think this is something you are interested in for your child, head over to iTunes to read more and download this free app for your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
That concludes my list of free apps for your little ones! I really hope you enjoyed it and are able to take away some good ideas. I would LOVE to hear your experiences with any of the aforementioned apps AND your recommendations of other free apps!
All of the apps mentioned in this post are my personal recommendations. No other compensation was provided and all opinions expressed are my own.
