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{App Review} 3 great apps from PlayToddlers: My First Words, Happy Daycare Stories & Find It: Hidden Objects

I love using well designed apps in speech therapy! Here are three new additions to my toolbox at OMazing Kids:

* My First Words – by Play Toddlers by Guillermo Fernandez Gonzalez
https://appsto.re/us/y32g-.i, iOS Universal, $2.99

I love using “face up” matching apps to work on vocabulary & matching without having the extra component of memory required for hidden matching. This app has over 120 pictures presented in a field of 8 in 14 categories (animals, clothes, at home, toys, body parts, bedroom, colors, family, outdoors, food, at school, in the kitchen, in the bathroom, tools), fun cartoon-like graphics, an intuitive interface, the option to easily toggle off background music but still have voiceovers on, each picture is named as it is tapped and again when it is matched correctly, there are no aversive sound effects or verbal feedback if the picture is placed in the wrong place, the placement of pictures on each screen is randomized each time to prevent a child from memorizing where they go. App includes options for English, Spanish & Portuguese. This app will definitely get LOTS of use in my SLP toolbox!

* Happy Daycare Stories – by PlayToddlers by Guillermo Fernandez Gonzalez
https://appsto.re/us/kP_Edb.i, iOS Universal, $2.99

I love using open-ended play apps to teach vocabulary, actions, spatial concepts, turn taking & more. It reminds me a little of Dr. Panda Daycare but I love that this app has 5 adorable kids instead of animals. This app has really cool 3D cartoon-like graphics, several fun areas to explore (playground area (with a pool, swing, rocking ride on giraffe, balloons and potted flowers to water), playroom (with a 2-seat train that the kids can ride, blocks, books, dolls, music player, balls, etc.), a kitchen (with realistic food items, sound effects for eating/drinking, stove, silverware, refillable water pitcher, refrigerator, drawers/cabinets that can be opened and closed, etc), a music room (with instruments, costumes & a stage), a bedroom (with beds, blankets that send the child to sleep when pulled up, stuffed animals, relaxing color scheme and mobile, etc.), a bathroom (with tub, toilet, sinks, dirty clothes hamper, bath toys, bubbles, etc.), and a second outdoor patio area (with fruit stand, fruit smoothie blender, frog pond, flowers, pinwheel, apple tree, etc.), the option to toggle off separately from most sound effects, and an intuitive interface (arrows make it clear his to get to the next area). The only wishes I have for a future app update would be to make the headphones and scuba mask removeable so other kids could use them, allow the music player to work when the app background music is toggled off and to add a blender sound and the ability to add more than 1 fruit at a time to the fruit smoothie blender. App includes options for English, Spanish & Portuguese. This app is chock full of great language opportunities and will definitely get LOTS of use in my therapy toolbox!

* Find It : Hidden Objects for Children & Toddlers by Guillermo Fernandez Gonzalez, https://appsto.re/us/2fY1G.i, iOS Universal, $1.99

(will add app trailer video here if they make one)

Find hidden items in 24 different themed areas. I love that the app has three levels of difficulty (the “easy” level will be great for most of my patients), the fun illustrations and how the themes are stored in tubs with a illustration on the front to tell kids what’s in that tub (this will also be great for inferencing to have kids predict what’s in the tub based on that picture). I personally love hidden picture apps but most are way too hard for the kids I see. This app is the perfect level and full of lots of great vocabulary. App includes options for English, Spanish & Portuguese. Another great addition to my speechie toolbox!
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See more of their apps at: http://www.playtoddlers.com
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Follow them on social media:
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Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness & educational activities for kids of all abilities
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Angela Moorad is the founder of OMazing Kids, LLC and is an ASHA certified & licensed pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist and Kids Yoga Teacher with 27 years experience working in a variety of settings (early intervention, schools, teletherapy & a nonprofit pediatric rehab hospital for children with developmental disabilities). She is an app beta tester for educational & therapeutic app developers and loves sharing info about great apps, products, books & toys to use with kids of all abilities.