Some words are more difficult to learn than others — not spelling, necessarily, but meaning. Among those, according to GoodieWords, are “fingerprint,” “rainbow” and “balance.”
Open the app, and tap on one of the words. The app tells a little story about the word, then offers interactive activities that allow kids to play with the concepts behind the words. For example, tap “rainbow,” and listen to a story. Then, tap a cloud to make it rain, swipe the screen to make the rain go away, then move the sun closer to grow the rainbow. Kids can play the colors of the rainbow like a piano.
To help learn what “balance” is all about, kids build a towering ice-cream cone, then tilt the iPad to keep the ice cream balanced on the cone.
Settings allow you to turn on or off the Read to Me feature, as well as the sound effects, music and instructions.
The app was developed by educational experts, and offers additional word packs (Art, Healthy, Patience; Seed, Electricity, Strong; Surprise, Dream, Sweat; and Shadow, Air, Time) for $1.99 each via in-app purchase.
It’s cute and fun for little ones, and the approach toward teaching the meanings of words by allowing kids to play around with the concept is very effective.
