There are several apps available that are great enhancements for promoting early literacy skills for young children. In this blog, we will explore three apps that I’ve found useful when working on literacy and communication skills. These apps allow for some student guided time and differentiation, as well as large group discussions. They are also great to use at home during times of remote learning.

Story Dice

The first app I would like to explore is Story Dice. This app allows for some wonderful open-ended storytelling. You can choose to have up to ten image dice. The students can tap or shake the device to roll the dice. Then, then’ll create a story with the images that appear. This can be used in a large group setting to create a class story, a family newsletter, or as a small group activity to help with creative writing and descriptive language. In both settings, this is an excellent app for creating open-ended questions and responses as well as creative and collaborative thinking. There are even some fun Star Wars dice for all of your Star Wars fans out there.

Little Writer

Little Writer is a great app to help with letter formation, letter recognition, and sight words. This app allows you to use the sounds that are already recorded, or to customize the app by recording your own sounds. To round out the app there are also numbers and shapes for the full package.

Epic

Another great app that allows you to assign work for individual activities or at home is called Epic. The teacher can create student accounts, or import their class from Google classroom. Then, you can assign reading based on ability and interest. Teachers can search reading materials based on age, interest, AR level, or Lexile Measure. There are also “read to me books,” where students can listen to the book and read along. This is a helpful feature for early readers to read independently, or for those that need some extra guidance. Teachers can create quizzes and monitor their students’ progress through this app as well.

All three of these apps offer different options for large groups, small groups, individual work, or for follow up at home. They allow each student to work at their own pace and at their own ability level, creating some wonderful differentiation. Make sure to experiment with all of these great apps to see which one works best for you and your students!