Literacy Apps
Writing
Writing is a complex process that includes everything from handwriting skill to sentence construction to planning and drafting a story. We've found apps that help young children along all of the steps of the writing process, including the final stages — publishing and sharing your writing with others. Several apps can turn your iPad into a handwriting tablet for practice. See also: Apps for Storytelling.
Apps are reviewed by Common Sense Education.
Alphabet Organizer
A graphic organizer for exploring letters and words, creating books, and building personal word walls for vocabulary study, content-area research, or writing projects.
Book Creator
Create and publish digital books and multimedia with this easy-to-use tool.
Grammaropolis
Animated parts-of-speech app enlivens grammar lessons. Students can learn about nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, interjections, prepositions, and conjunctions by watching fun music videos, reading short cartoon-like books, and completing quizzes.
Inspiration Maps
A versatile mind-mapping tool to help kids visually organize information and ideas. Easily create diagrams, maps, organizers, brainstorms, and text outlines.
iWriteWords
Letter and number tracing for beginners with a numbered connect-the-dots method.
Kid in Story Book Maker
A social story creation tool for teachers in special-needs settings.
Kidspiration Maps
An easy-to-use and versatile mind-mapping tool that can be used in all subject areas. Includes an image-to-text conversion feature.
LetterSchool — Learn to Write
LetterSchool — Learn to Write is a fun and intuitive alphabet tracing and handwriting app, for preschoolers. The updated version has an option to download and switch between 12 different languages.
Me: A Kid's Diary
Unique take on self-exploration relies on prompts to guide reflection.
My Story Book Creator
An introduction to digital storytelling and book-publishing that combines drawing, stickers, photos, voice, and text.
Pictello
Pictello is an interactive storytelling app that lets students and kids make virtual storybooks with their own titles, photos, videos, and captions. It can be especially useful for kids who have difficulty understanding social cues, reading facial expressions, and interpreting body language. Different options for how text and pictures are read or uploaded support different types of learners. A library of sample stories can help fuel the creative process. Stories within the library show kids who have learning difficulties and special needs.
Popplet
A versatile mind-mapping tool. Students create "Popplets" that can be filled with text, drawings, images, or video, with the ability to share and collaborate in real time.
Punctuation: End Marks
Clever quizzes and charming characters explore rules for ending sentences.
Read&Write
Text-to-speech app and browser extension unlocks the written word for all kids, including those with print or processing disorders. With the Talk&Type feature, students can dictate their writing.
Scribble Press
Book-creation and -publication app that kids can use to write and illustrate stories, publish them online or in print, and view other kids' books.
SentenceBuilder
Teaches students about grammar and descriptive writing through the process of creating sentences.
Shadow Puppet Edu
Slideshow creation tool allows students to create video presentations using images from the built-in library, and adding their own narration and text. Can be used across content areas.
SnapType
SnapType is a no-frills annotation app that helps students keep up with their peers in class even when their penmanship holds them back. Students can easily complete school worksheets with the help of an iPad or iPhone.
StoryBuilder
Language-arts tool for kids who need to improve their sentence formation, storytelling, and speaking, and can be used in special needs classrooms.
StoryKit
Simple storybook creation app, with a private online sharing tool. Kids can add pictures and recordings of their own voices.
Superhero Comic Book Maker
Create personalized animated comic books featuring monsters and superheroes, narrating the story using the self-record feature. Helps kids practice storytelling and learn to make digital creations.
Tell About This
Photo and word prompts inspire storytelling, and the app records the results. This versatile tool can be used as a pre-writing or publishing activity.
Toontastic 3D
Build stories featuring 3D characters, while learning about the basics of storytelling — setting, conflict, challenge, climax, and resolution.
Write About This
Images and prompts inspire kids of all ages to write, with increasing depth and complexity at higher levels. Students can create new prompts using their own images and ideas.
Writing Wizard
Customizable app that helps kids practice tracing letters, numbers, and words while learning letter names and phonetic sounds.
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