You know the ubiquitous saying, "There's an app for that," but when it comes to teaching your child how to write, is there really a digital tool that can get the job done? There's just something about putting pencil to paper that seems so essential in learning how to write letters, and then stringing them together to form words, sentences, and eventually even creative prose. Yet, it turns out, there is an app for even that. Here are some of the best apps to teach your kids about writing that provide a fresh take on an age-old skill.
Whether your kiddo is learning how to write his or her name or the fundamentals of grammar, you'll be pleasantly surprised to find that there are quite a few apps aimed at helping kids communicate better. And it's not just parents who are downloading them. Schools across the country are turning to apps to enhance learning. "What you have is an increasing number of schools that are requiring their teachers to receive professional development in technology integration," said Dee Lanier, a program coordinator for EdTechTeam, in an interview with NPR.
Since it seems that writing apps are the way of the future, here are eight awesome ones to help teach your kid the writing basics and beyond.
1Handwriting Without Tears: Wet-Dry-Try for Capitals, Numbers & Lowercase
Handwriting Without Tears, $5, iTunes
This app may resemble a chalkboard, but it's definitely a tricked out version of one. It has a "personal coach" feature that provides friendly audio cues and a "three-star system" that builds skills progressively.
2Alphabet Organizer
Alphabet Organizer, Free, iTunes
While there's not a lot of bells and whistles to this app, it's perfect for teaching your child the order of the alphabet, and which words start with which letters. There's also a print function, so your child can take their digital learnings and can continue to explore and draw on paper.
3Grammaropolis
Grammaropolis, $6, iTunes
Described as the "Schoolhouse Rock for the 21st Century", this app uses fun characters and animation to teach adjectives, nouns, pronouns, verbs, conjunctions, and more. There are videos and quizzes too, to help cement the learning.
4Me: A Kid's Diary by Tinybop
Me: A Kid's Diary, $3, iTunes
This app is a seriously cool way for kids to write about and document their own lives. It gives inspiring prompts about everything from their family and pets to their wishes and dreams.
5Verb Smash
Verb Smash, Free, iTunes
This app turns stale grammar lessons into an addictive game. You have to smash the correct words before the sentences drop to the bottom. It's kind of like Tetris, but for grammar basics.
6Sentence Builder for iPad
Sentence Builder, $6, iTunes
Designed for elementary school children, this rich app helps kiddos build sentences thanks to cool visualization and an emphasis on "connector" words. It provides a good variety of sentences and structures, so your kiddo will want to go back to it again and again — really!
7Writing Prompts For Kids
Writing Prompts For Kids, $2, iTunes
You can spark your budding writer's imagination and give them an inspiring writing topic in a matter of seconds with this simple creative writing app. You choose a situation, a character, a setting, and an object, and they start writing.
8Toontastic
Toontastic, Free, iTunes
With this free app from Google, your kiddo can draw, animate, and narrate his or her own cartoon. Plus, there's even a music feature that lets them mix their own soundtrack.
The end result is a 3D video your child will be proud of, and you'll be proud of the creativity and storytelling skills they're developing.
