39 of the Best Apps for Kids in the Second Grade
At last count, there were over 80,000 educational apps available to teachers. There are apps for everything: literacy, STEM, productivity, audiovisual, etc. There are apps which improve accessibility for students with different learning challenges, i.e. text to voice, voice to text, etc.
While many of these may be a dream come true for educators, the dizzying array of choices is also a nightmare. Teachers just don’t have time to filter through thousands of apps to find the one that works best for the needs of their students. To help, we started to create curated lists of the best apps in a variety of education related categories. In this installment, we will present the best apps for kids in the second grade.
A great app for teachers who want to include current events in their elementary classroom. News-O-Matic delivers 5 kid-friendly news stories to readers each day. Plus, teachers can opt-in to receive an email containing Common Core aligned lesson plans that go along with the stories.
This app masterfully gamifies speed-reading for comprehension, perfect for students that need a little extra challenge. Different parts of the story become game levels, in which students can earn “Chaser Coins” as they go. Besides testing for speed, the app challenges them on decoding words that have multiple meanings.
Want to get students really excited about reading? Nurture their writing skills and this will give them a true appreciation for the written word. Tikatok gives them the opportunity to write and digitally publish their own books. They can illustrate them with their own pictures or choose from a selection of digital backgrounds.
Inform 7 makes coding fun by focusing on helping you create text-adventure games. This is one of the oldest types of games available and the first that actually had a real story to follow (unlike Pong and Pac-Man which were largely about beating your opponent). The focus is entirely on the text, which means that the code is much easier to understand.
If you are a fan of sticker reward charts, then you will love this app. It works as a time management tool and teaches children responsibility by taking children step-by-step through their morning routines. It celebrates achievements with a digital sticker chart.
This app helps students learn to meditate. Smiling Mind contains guided meditations that increase in length as students practice more. Before and after each session, users track their emotions. There are also offline activities that can be used in or out of the classroom.
A simple app that helps students recognize their emotions. Mood Meter allows users to choose how they’re feeling, then helps guide them to figure out why they feel that way. It also helps students learn to control their mood and feel more positive overall.
ModMath is a free app for the iPad, targeted at helping students with dyslexia and dysgraphia do math. It was created by parents of a child with dysgraphia, and remains focused on providing a clear tool to solve math problems without ever picking up a pencil.
Helps ELL students to learn English by giving them engaging stories and transcripts, along with exciting games. It can also provide students with the correct pronunciation of the text that they are reading.
This app allows you to search 1million topics to get quizzed on using flashcards. Some even use the app to learn languages from scratch. You can also create your own flashcards and share content with others. @brainscape
Developed by teachers for their own students, Zcooly Ranch present adorable animal characters while helping kids learn to tell time. Children help to care for the ranch animals, and they can earn points to help decorate the pens. Kids will learn digital and analog time formats, and they’ll also become familiar with abstract phrases like “half past.” The Educational App Store gives this software a 5/5 rating, and you can buy it for Android or the iPhone/iPad for $1.99.
If you are looking for a game-like approach to building your students’ vocabulary, then you should consider this app. It is a game where the student must earn points by answering vocabulary questions to move up levels. It also makes creating relevant vocabulary lessons easy for teachers with its learning activity feature.
This game gives a fun new twist to your math lessons. Children must solve math problems and feed the correct answer to the monster. Answers are represented on a plate of sushi rolls. The game combines elements of strategy and quick mental math.
Children pilot hot air balloons through seven magical islands, each home to hundreds of colorful books. Reading Rainbow host LeVar Burton serves as a tour guide and appears in educational Video Field Trips. The app even tailors book suggestions to each child’s age and interests.
The app teaches time and also tells the days and months. Learners will see the changes in the sky as the sun and the moon move across it. The app will also help you teach your child about developing a schedule and sticking to it, and the content is aligned to the Common Core Standards. It’s an excellent choice for kids with learning differences. The app is the “Best Design Winner at the 2013 Launch Education Conference,” and the company has been recognized by Mashable as a pioneering startup for kids. Produced by Enuma, Inc, the app costs $4.99 and is available for iPhone and iPad.
When reinforcement of learning concepts is vital, try Quick Clocks. This app is clean and straightforward, and its beauty lies in its simplicity. Learners work through three skills levels as they try to beat their previous scores when telling time in 12-hour and 24-hour formats, as well as digital and analog time.
Reminiscent of the popular app, Plants vs Zombies, Math vs Zombies allows students to fight virtual zombies from taking over the world by using simple math skills. This is a fun game that also helps students master elementary math skills.
Based on the Chinese Multiplication Table, this game has two modes. In the timed mode, students try to get as many points as possible in the limited time. In survival mode, if students make a certain number of mistakes, the game is over.
Instead of boring flashcards for memorizing vocabulary, the MindSnacks Kids Vocab app uses nine interactive games to build vocabulary skills and improve reading comprehension. The app is geared for children 7 to 12 years old.
Dyslexic students often have trouble with spelling. Software with autocorrect or spellcheck sometimes can’t figure out what a dyslexic student is trying to spell. Ginger Page is a more sophisticated word processor that can help dyslexic students write flawlessly.
Many text-to-speech apps are unable to convert PDF documents into speech. vBooks PDF Voice Reader can, and it can also change the font to one designed for dyslexic readers.
From apps that let you explore the human body, to apps that let you understand the workings of machines, this bundle of ten apps by Tinybop is an amazing asset if you want to teach the little ones about the world we live in. @tinybop
This is a tool for educators and parents of children with Autism and other special needs. Sets of flashcards, accompanied by lessons, can be edited and altered by speech therapists, educators, and parents according to the child’s level. This app has been certified by TeachersWithApps, rated an A+ in educational value, and is the recipient of several awards and mentions as the top app for special needs.
Bare bones collection of math simulations.
A fun and exciting way for students to learn basic math skills.
Teaches students’ fractions using the card game Solitaires.
Doodle Math: Numbers is a fantastic app for teaching beginning math concepts through engaging activities. Kids are taught to identify and write numbers. As they learn, they move on to sequencing and basic addition.
This math app helps students learn tips and tricks to doing math more easily in their head.
Quick Math is a multi-app bundle, including individual apps focusing on mental arithmetic, times tables, fractions, and telling time.
Motivational videos and engaging projects that inspire girls to code.
31. Math Vs Zombies – Reminiscent of the popular app, Plants vs Zombies, Math vs Zombies allows students to fight virtual zombies from taking over the world by using simple math.
Great website that gives teachers the resources that they need to teach coding. The end result is student end up making their own apps.
Allows kids to journey travel through a gorgeous 3D world as he or she learns to problem solve through coding.
Exceptional digital library that allows students with visual disabilities to operate it.
Make personal benchmarks for your students with this expensive kit of tools and strategies.
Create simple digital storybooks empowering, even for younger kids.
This app is free for teachers and aligns with math curriculum for grades 1-8.
Students learn, practice, and improve skills in multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction. This app was known originally as Sakura time and can be purchased for $1.99
Created for elementary grades, Chance Lab helps students explore probability.
Did we miss any? If so, list them in the comments section below.
