Top 5 English Language Arts Apps

Educational apps like these are no substitute for tutoring, but they can help provide a little extra practice! Check out our list of the top 5 English Language Arts apps currently available for download. 

Grammar Jammers. If your child is struggling to learn basic parts of speech or finds this topic intimidating at school, then Grammar Jammers could be an excellent way to ease them into grammar. Fun songs, animated characters, colorful images, and simple words displayed on the screen keep the lessons light and pressure-free. The Quick Check quiz activity at the end of each song is also a low-stress way to find out if you fully understand what you’ve learned. Answer incorrectly, and the correct answer is immediately highlighted in green. This app is a short, sweet, and sometimes funny way to introduce kids to basic grammar definitions. 

Super Why. Super Why is here to help your child with the critical skills they need to achieve the Power to Read! Your child can play along with each of the main characters from the TV series: Alpha Pig, Princess Presto, Wonder Red, and, of course, Super Why, all while practicing the alphabet, rhyming, spelling, writing and reading. This app features four unique games focused on a core literacy skill, a Play-All feature which allows you to play through all the super reader games back to back, and the opportunity to earn 100+ stickers for your sticker book to make your own storybook sticker pages. 

Story Starters. This app offers a nearly limitless supply of stimulating prompts to set writing off on the right foot. Everyone can benefit from the material that this app has to offer! Story Starters is great for both classroom use and personal use by students and writers. Users can choose if they want to base their writing off of random groups of words, interesting sounds, pictures that set up a setting, opening sentences, interesting phrases, videos, and more. The many choices provide a foothold on writing or storytelling that is likely to get even the most unimaginative or blocked writer out of the starting gate! Story Starters can also be used to build language and conversational skills. Each stimulus is carefully chosen to be open-ended and interesting.

Spell Bear. Spell Bear is a simple and pleasant app designed to help young students develop basic understanding about letter sounds and word order. The app provides practice with spelling three letter words, sounding words out, and more. Players choose a key letter, then drag letters to target boxes to spell the focus word while hearing the letter sounds. The narrator then sounds the word out while highlighting the letters one at a time. 

Word Magic. Build vocabulary by completing themed word search puzzles with this app. From animals to sports and jobs to space, kids can learn words in a wide variety of categories. Unlike a traditional word search, whenever kids find a word in Word Magic, they also get to read the definition of the word, enhancing the educational value of the game. As kids complete each puzzle their “best time” is displayed underneath the category name. Kids can also adjust the sound effects and background music in settings and determine whether to show the word descriptions once a word has been highlighted, allowing for a customized experience. 

Allison Green
Boston Tutoring Services