Having an Apple iPad at home could mean a lot of good things for the parents of the house as far as entertainment options are concerned, but Forbes contributor Jordan Shapiro wrote that a new app provides some great contextualized literacy curriculum to help children better learn how to read. Those worried about the ramifications of handing their tablet off to the kids can take solace in the fact that iResQ offers iPad repair to help fix any cracks or breaks that may occur in the hands of little ones.
Shapiro wrote that the Learning With Homer app was created by a well-known education reformer Stephanie Dua. She wanted to help fix reading across the country, a big problem in many local education systems.
“I know there's a lot of great research on how to teach children to read,” said Dua. “But when my own daughter wanted to learn, I couldn't find any suitable materials for parents. That's when Learn with Homer was born. It brings the best early learning techniques together in one app.”
Shapiro wrote that this may work very well, as kids love apps on touch-screen devices, and parents get something to help their kids have fun and figure out how to read at the same time. Before this app, there wasn't much to recommend as far as early learning apps were concerned, he said, so Learn With Homer is a great tool for children to sharpen their reading skills.
The context that the app provides is similar to what a preschool teacher would impart on kids, as they are taking virtual field trips to zoos and learning how to spell words, why they sound the way they do and more.
“Anyone who has ever sat in on an exceptional kindergarten class has seen this kind of multidisciplinary teaching in action,” he wrote. “It combines serious literacy curriculum with a plethora of different activities that reinforce the lessons with real world context.”
Other apps to learn on
TeachThought said anyone with a small child knows just how much they love iPads, iPhones and other similar tools, so teaching on these could be a great way to gain their interest.
Some apps that could be good for early education learning include:
- ABC PocketPhonics, to help kids develop their skills in writing and letter sounds
- Play & Sing, which can assist encourage reading and learning colors, shapes and animals
- Booksy, an app that will help kids read for free and practice their skills
If any accidents or uh-ohs happen, iResQ is there for parents with iPad repair done easily and quickly.