Oops they did it again!  The app masterminds at Learning Touch have nailed yet another First Words app, this time for Animals. My two and a half year old, who is more interested in toy trains than iPhone apps, really enjoyed this one (in addition to the First Words: Vehicles app with a train in it!).

The concept for this one is the same as the others: let kids spell words by dragging letters onto their respective spots in a word. After your child successfully spells a word, the letters are repeated in order, the word is spoken and the featured object animates with sound.

As my son dragged letters to their appropriate boxes, the narrator spoke them and he repeated them. The correlation between playing the app and learning letters and words is obvious. My little guy doesn’t even notice the repetitive nature of learning the letters because he is more focused on the fun of dragging the letters, and getting the featured lion, tiger or bear to animate.

High marks all-around for First Words: Animals. Highly recommended.

Related posts:

1. App Review: First Words: Vehicles
2. App Review: ABC Animals
3. App Review: Whizzit 123

There are some kids apps that you just love. In response to the recent launch of our favorites lists, @NuggetIsland declared “we are totally a shapebuilder family!”

Shapebuilder earns this endorsement because it does a great job of reinventing a classic – the children’s puzzle. It’s easy, intuitive, and uses touch technology to teach a core concept – shapes.

FirstWords: At Home succeeds in a similar way. The app introduces spelling one letter at a time by allowing kids to drag the letters of a word into place, aided throughout by helpful audio prompts.

FirstWords: At Home

FirstWords: At Home

You simply touch the letters to hear them spoken and then drag them close to the appropriate spot where they helpfully snap into place. When you complete a word, you are rewarded with an animation that highlights the letters of the word one at at time. And then it’s on to the next word.

For kids that are exploring letters for the first time, this is ideal. The app helps reinforce the connections between letters and sounds, while also introducing the idea that letters can be combined to make words.

FIrstWords: At Home also offers the option to adjust the difficulty level of the app – for example, you can hide the letter hints and let your child try to spell the word on their own.

For parents with kids that have recently mastered their ABCs, this app is a perfect next step in their development. Interested? You can get it here.


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Let us know about your favorite kids iPhone apps!

Related posts:

1. APP Review: Letters A to Z
2. App Review: Teach Me Toddler
3. Top 20 Kids iPhone Apps