Pre-K Letters and Numbers Pro by BrightStart

Pre-K Letters and Numbers Pro by BrightStart

App Description:

From the App Store, “Pre-K Letters and Numbers Pro for Teachers is the third of a series of tracing applications aimed at kindergarten kids who are just setting out to build a foundation of the English language and numeracy, develop fine motor skills, understand phonics and build their vocabulary with the bonus of blending common letters and counting. Our unique characters, music, sounds and over 75 fruit, vegetable, animal and items around the house illustrations help with the learning experience. Elel, Momo, Lili and friends guide the child through the letters, numbers and phonics experience with clear instructions, applause for success and "Oops" for mistakes. “

Price:

There is a free version, but we use the pro version in my classroom, which costs $1.99.

Website Component:

There is a website component, but I have never used it.

Screenshots of the App:

Feedback from Parents:

As I purchase apps, I update a list on my website thereby making them available to my parents. Several parents have bought the free version of it and loved it.

Pros:

• My kiddos in the classroom love to play with this app during our centertime, and they are learning at the same time.
• This saves me the hassle of running page after page of worksheets, which the kiddos hated anyway. This is quality, guided practice without all of the paper.
• It teaches the proper way to make letters and numbers. With the paper method, students could trace letters in any fashion they wanted. With this app, they have to make the strokes correctly.
• I was able to set up a profile for each student in my class. It creates a report that checks accuracy. This has been helpful in preparing portfolios for students.

Cons:

• It can get monotonous, and some students with short attention spans request to get off of the app in favor of something flasher.

Overall Impression:

This is a great little app. I have found that while some students hate to use traditional paper-pencil method to trace letters, the kids love to use the iPad. It isn’t the flashiest app we have, but it is the most educational with fun mixed in. I have seen improvement in both letter and number recall and writing performance. It has also translated over to the paper-pencil method. I love that I can turn students loose on the app and they are getting quality practice in on a vitally important skill. Personally, I love this app for use with my pre-kinders.