6 New Apps to Gamify Learning

  • TouchTilt Games has released Tiny Diggers, a game for children up to five that puts them in the seat of a construction truck to help them master numbers, colors, and basic shapes. It features three different games and a free play mode. $1.99; iPad.

  • Different Roads to Learning has introduced Tell Me About It!, a learning language app for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other developmental disabilities. The app uses Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to help break down skills into small, easy-to-learn steps, called language targets. Students receive animated rewards as they progress through levels. $9.99; iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad.

  • The My Food Fight app, from Field Fresh Apps, teaches kids about the benefits of organic food and farming in order to promote healthy living. Players work their way through the game by making healthy food choices, which accumulate into energy points that extend each player’s stamina and duration of game play. Players lose points by consuming unhealthy foods. Free; iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad.

  • Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) will launch Carmen Sandiego Adventures in Math, with new features for Microsoft Windows 8. Designed for students in grades three through six, players are challenged to complete 10 different math puzzles throughout the game. Prior to the Windows 8 official launch, the game can be accessed through the Windows Store via a download of the Windows 8 Consumer Preview.

  • The Operation Math app, from Spinlight Studio, lets students aged five to twelve learn math through a 105 level adventure that tests players on basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division through interactive game play set in points around the world, from Egypt to Paris. $1.99; iPad.

  • Mercury Learning Systems has introduced Animal Kingdom, as part of its Super Flash Accelerated Learning Games for Children. The app focuses on building knowledge and vocabulary about animals and tests memory recall. In basic mode, children tap the Play button, then watch and listen as animal photos appear on the screen for about two seconds each. Between each photo, the animal's name is seen as a word with its name read aloud along with an audible fact. Then, those same animals are mixed in with several others, as players try and recall what they just saw. Free; iPad.
Check out previous App Roundups focusing on STEM learning , language learning , and studying skills .

About the Author

Stephen Noonoo is an education technology journalist based in Los Angeles. He is on Twitter @stephenoonoo.

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