Summer will be here before you know it. While you are busy planning your family’s summer vacations and your kid’s summer camp, we hope you will also take some time to plan ways to keep their brains busy this summer too. Why? Because you don’t want your little learner to fall victim to the dreaded summer slide!
According to Education Week, “The average student loses one to three months of learning over summer.” In particular, reading skills suffer as a result of the summer slide. For example, Book Source explains, “Students who read during the summer gain an average of 1 month of reading proficiency. Students who don’t read lose an average of 2-3 months proficiency and over time, those lost months add up to years. By high school, 2/3 of the reading achievement gap can be attributed to summer learning loss during the elementary years.”
Whether your child needs to spend more time reading or developing math skills, there is an app designed to make learning fun. Below we are listing 20 education apps to prevent the summer slide. We encourage you to check these apps on the Common Sense Media website to see if the app is age-appropriate for your child.
Multi-Subject Educational Apps
ABC Mouse – This is one of the most popular online learning programs for children 2 – 8 years old covering reading, math, science, art, and colors. It has a paid membership plan.
Arcademic Skill Builders – This is an arcade-designed game-based learning app for math and language arts for kindergarten through 8th grade. It has both free and paid membership.
GCF Learn Free – Goodwill Community Foundation offers a variety of free educational apps, such as Good at Math, as well as a collection of vocabulary learning videos.
Khan Academy – Khan Academy is a giant free online learning resource for kids of all ages. It covers all subjects, but it also has special features such as Pixar in a Box for younger children.
Kids Listen – If you have reluctant readers, turn them on to the Kids Listen app, which is an app that highlights the best podcasts for kids.
Reading/Language Arts Educational Apps
Bob Books – For beginning readers, you can’t go wrong with the original Bob Books, now converted to an app. One time download fee.
BrainPOP – In addition to the popular website, BrainPOP has several of its movies and quizzes available as apps. BrainPOP materials are frequently used in elementary and middle school classrooms.
Homer – This is a personalized learn-to-read app for kids 2 – 8 years old with interactive stories and personalized reading plans. It has a paid membership plan.
MadLibs – Once your kid has learned the various parts of speech, it is time to introduce the beloved favorite, MadLibs. Today, kids can complete MadLibs on an app.
Scribblenauts – A popular vocabulary-building puzzle game for kids 10 and over, it is designed to appeal to older kids and keep their attention. One time download fee.
Speakaboos – A beginning reading app for kids 2 – 6 years old, this app is a collection of 200 interactive stories and songs. It has a paid membership plan.
STEM Apps
Code Spark – This is an award-winning introductory coding app for kids 5-10 years old. It has a paid monthly membership plan.
Dragon Box Math – Offering a variety of fun, educational math games for various ages and types (including Algebra), Dragon Box Math is a hit. One time download fee.
Marco Polo World School – Focused on STEAM skills, this app allows kids to choose from their favorite subjects, watch videos, and then play a related-game. It has a paid membership plan.
Math Tango – This fun math app uses game-based learning to teach and reinforce introductory math skills such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. It is free.
Splash Math – Splash Math is a game-based educational math app for kindergarten through 5th grade that allows parents to monitor their child’s progress. It has a paid membership plan.
Tinybop – Tinybop offers several different science-based exploratory apps for young children such as the human body and simple machines. Also, they offer digital toys apps that allow kids to build, test, and play with their creations. One time download fee for each.
Language and World Studies
DuoLingo – One of the most popular language-learning apps, DuoLingo offers lessons and games to make learning fun. It’s free!
One Globe Kids – A collection of stories about kids from around the world, One Globe Kids is a unique way for kids 4-10 years old to explore the world. Free with add-ons.
Movement And Physical Education Apps
Go Noodle – If the kids are turning into couch potatoes, plug them into Go Noodle, a movement and mindfulness app for kids.
Before We Go
Depending on your child’s age and grade, you can always find high-quality educational materials on PBS Kids or Ted Ed. We also encourage you to check out our guides to the Top 10 Apps for Kids 8-12 in 2019 and The Best Apps for Moms in 2019.
PS. Don’t forget to use GoKid to carpool with family friends for summer camps and summer educational adventures.
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