Physical play and construction toys are great for kids but we can't deny the fact that technology has a place in their lives so as a parent I am fairly conscious about learning technology and software available to my son. So inline with offering meaningful experiences and activities I would like to introduce a new section called Apps for kids to keep our content diverse.
Not very many Apps get through my parental firewall so today I would like to share 4 apps that have clearly been a hit with my son and myself as a parent.
The apps are part of Series by Originator Inc entitled:
- Endless Alphabet
- Endless Reader
- Endless Numbers
- Endless Wordplay
We've had 3 of these apps installed for a while now with Endless Wordplay being the most recent install which is quite timely. (I will cover more on that later in the post)
Like most kids my son (who's now 4+) showed strong interest in Alphabets and Letters at a very early age. So during that time I came across Endless Alphabet and Endless Reader to support his interest.
Since Originator's first release of Endless Alphabet (or Reader, can't remember which came first) in 2013 the team has been consistent with the execution of the Endless series learning apps which seem to have the right balance of design, function and learning method.
The balance of charming characters with engaging music and a calm female voiceover is just nice as these apps get turned on and played with on a constant basis around the house so the music and voice over selection are key. Unfortunately the same can't be said for the cartoon phonic voiceovers as the repetitive playback can be quite annoying but obviously this affects me as a parent not so much my son.
We've been running the apps on iPad as the bigger resolution and screen area are generally better for Apps such as these. So lets get to it.
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Endless Alphabet
USD 6.99
To start the series off, Endless Alphabet is overall the best starter app among them all with a one-time purchase you get the entire Alphabet and about an average of 2-5 Words per Alphabet which is enough to keep kids engaged. The good thing about this App is that it's constantly updated with new words which you will see highlighted from time to time.
Our son loves the characters and their skits as they can be quite amusing. (His current favourite is H for Hilarious featured on the video above) Overall it makes the learning process fun and you'll see this consistently carried out through the other apps. Words range from Glow to Contagious, interesting conversations come about when discussing the definition of these words with my son.
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ADVERTISMENT
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Endless Reader
Free download with In-App Purchases
Play-wise just like Endless Alphabet but in addition to reassembling the words your kid will be presented with a sentence with the missing words, upon correct drag and drop of the right words in the sentence the characters play out their humorous skit to put the sentence in context.
If one wants more Sight Words you'll either need get higher level packs. The break up of levels are a good way to go because this mean you can buy them only when your kid is ready for the next pack or level.
Originator offers multiple packs and levels that are broken into 3 learning tiers:
- Level 1 with 4 reader packs - Words commonly used in Pre-K through Kindergarten books
- Level 2 with 4 reader packs - Words commonly used in Kindergarten through 2nd Grade books
- Level 3 with 4 reader packs - Words commonly used in 2nd Grade and 3rd Grade books
Through in-app purchasing Originator offer individual Reader Packs within each Level. (The above video are examples of Level 2 Words)
For instance Level 1 has a 4 Reader Packs totaling 99 words, where you can choose to either purchase a single Reader Pack for USD 4.99 with 23 words or the entire bundle with 99 words for USD11.99. Each other level and bundle offers similiar pricing. You could bite bullet and go for all 3 levels with 12 reader packs in one go giving you 341 Sight Words for USD29.99.
Pretty premium but as a parent I've learnt the art of easing in on stuff like this so I'll level up if my son shows consistent interest. So far 1 Reader Pack within Level 1 has been sufficient as the balance of the other apps have offered play and learning alternatives.
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Endless Numbers
Free download with In-App Purchases
Endless Numbers is the only Math based App of the series and like the Endless Alphabet is a great starter kit for numerals. With the free download you only get 5 numbers so you'll need to get the Starter Pack to really get anything substantial from this app which starts at USD5.99 giving you access to numbers 1-25.
From there it'll cost you USD7.99 for numbers 26-100 or you can go for a one-time purchase of all numbers 1-100 for the price of USD11.99. Our kids likes numbers but not as much as Alphabets so the 1-25 starter pack sufficed.
The App provides basic math like counting by numbers (i.e 5's) with simple addition and subtraction. Not entirely sure this approach works as it seems to follow the same format as the Alphabet series but then again it could just be my son, his love for letters and alphabets is insatiable.
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ADVERTISMENT
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Endless Wordplay
Free download with In-App Purchases
Finally the most recent and latest addition to the set; Endless Wordplay is again consistent to the series and Originator is obviously following through with this more advanced app. There is an introduction of the new robot character 'Alphabot' which is a nice touch (not to sure about the voice over), these charming characters like Pikton are obviously as a good way to connect with kids. (Originator is starting to sell T-Shirts of these characters).
Earlier I mentioned this app was timely and that's because coincidentally my son has been asking about rhyming so this app may provide us the avenue to teach.
Earlier I mentioned this app was timely and that's because coincidentally my son has been asking about rhyming so this app may provide us the avenue to teach.
Offering a different learning approach, Endless Wordplay is more about word puzzles and rhyming. Kids progress from stage to stage on a path with each stage giving them the task of assemble words that rhyme the last, the assembling order of words are more strict with Endless Wordplay so this reenforces correct spelling order nicely.
Endless Wordplay with all Words unlocked
Closing
Overall these are a great series of quality apps by the Originator team, as a parent the Endless Series is a worthy set for my son and as I have another younger boy these apps make great hand-me-downs.
Overall these are a great series of quality apps by the Originator team, as a parent the Endless Series is a worthy set for my son and as I have another younger boy these apps make great hand-me-downs.
As mentioned I am fairly conservative when it comes to Apps on my sons devices and these are the few apps that get through and I would't mind paying because I trust the publisher to be consistent.
There are other great learning apps that exist on our iPad but for today we've grown pretty fond of these outstanding ones for the year.
We hope to cover more as we go along.
The entire Endless series of app are available on iOS via the iTunes Store, feel free to click the App Store badges above or the individual App links below to purchase.
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