By Tanni Haas
Here are 5 great apps that can support your kids’ learning, whether they’re in elementary, middl, or high school. They’re all free, so encourage your kids to download them as they’re heading back to school this fall. All are available through Google Play and the Apple Appstore.
If there’s one thing all kids need for their schoolwork, it’s a dictionary. Gone are the days of the paper-bound tomb, so you’ll have a much easier time teaching them the joys of looking up and learning new words by having them download Dictionary.com. The largest dictionary app in English with more than 2 million definitions and synonyms, it has other useful features, such as voice search if they don’t know the correct spelling of a word. An audio pronunciation feature can teach them the proper pronunciation of words.
Many schools across the country require students to learn a second language. Duolingo is a great supplement to the foreign language instruction your kids receive at school. The app, which offers lessons in more than 30 major languages, teaches how to speak, read and write another language. The lessons are divided into modules that practice specific skills. They can assess how much has been learned as participants go along or when they’ve completed a module.
Flashcards With Cram
When your kids sit down to study, flashcards are one of the best tools. Flashcards With Cram lets students access more than eight million flashcards on all the major school subjects. They can also create their own flashcards, using both text and images, and share those flashcards with study partners. They can go through entire sets of flashcards when they study for a test or hide flashcards they already know for more effective studying. Students can also have the flashcard read out loud to them, which is useful for auditory learners.
Homework App
Homework! It’s what kids dread after a long day at school. But it doesn’t have to be that way. The award-winning Homework App makes it easy for students to stay on top of their homework assignments. They can view assignments by day, month and year; color code different subjects; take photos of assignments and break them down into many sub-tasks. They can also set reminders to avoid submitting assignments late.
Photomath
Some students find math easy, others very difficult. Both groups will find Photomath to be a great study aid. Students take a picture of a math problem with their phones and the app shows step-by-step instructions on how to solve the problem. The app has a built-in calculator and can even understand hand-written math problems. Students should first try to solve the problems themselves, but it’s helpful to check answers against the app.
