Best iPad Applications for Homeschooling

Using iPads

With tablet technology becoming more and more prominent, many homeschoolers have realized the potential value of an iPad for education. Children often respond better to new technology rather than dry, archaic educational patterns, so utilizing an iPad for teaching is a smart idea, and one that will reap obvious rewards for you and your children.

Though you will not be able to do absolutely all of your teaching exclusively on the iPad, there are so many applications that you could do the bulk of your teaching using it if desired.

The iPad application store offers educational applications in four major categories: English, Math, Science and History. Though there are other applications that could conceivably be used for educational purposes, these are the only application fields that are directly related to education. In understanding what tools you have at your disposal, you can draft many lesson plans and activities for your children.

English/Language

Early Elementary:

• Intro to Letters: a basic application for the earlier ages of student, this application allows you to choose letters and phrases to hear what they sound like. This is a particularly good application for teaching young children the first steps of reading. It also helps children learn how to say things phonetically and how to write them using phonics. –$4.99

• Read and Write: an application best used for teaching the basics of phonics in a fun way. This application allows your student to see pictures, and then hear the phonetic description as well as learn how to write it. This application is particularly useful because it allows children to see how words are formed. –$1.99

• Basic English: an application that helps students learn more about English vocabulary. Starting at a young level, this application will teach your children new words, their meanings and their uses one day at a time. This application also works for older children because it contains a dictionary and thesaurus feature for it. –$9.99

Upper Elementary:

• WordBook XL: Basically a more advanced version of “Intro to Letters,” this application teaches older students about etymologies, complex meanings and phonetics. This is a more advanced form of learning vocabulary and where words come from. –$2.99

• SpellBoard: perfect for giving tests or quizzes, this application allows you to set up an exam for your kids using words that they have learned and tests their knowledge of those words. This application can be used by teachers and students, as it also offers planning software and test-forming features. –$4.99

Mathematics

Early Elemetary

• Intro to Math: as the name says, this is an introductory app. It teaches all the basics of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. This application is best utilized for organizing easy math assignments as well, making it a great application for teachers as well.–$4.99

• Silly Math: this application combines a fun game with mathematics. If your child wants a break from boring equations, give them this application and let them enjoy the game while learning. Though this game is more frivolous than most, it works well to teach students to have fun with mathematics.–$2.99

Later Elementary

• Math Board: combining old school blackboards with new school iPad tech, this application helps your children learn the more advanced versions of basic arithmetic. It also gives students a brief tutorial into the more advanced mathematical principals such as calculus and algebra.–$4.99

High School

• Algebra Touch: This application makes algebra more achievable to your student by using easy-to-follow diagrams and simplistic explanations. It not only gives students a comprehensive tutorial of how to do algebra, but it provides teaches with an easy format to come up with tests and practice problems. –$9.99

• Numbers: Teaching the basics of calculus, probability and geometry, Numbers provides diagrams as well as a diverse range of examples and help problems. It is a great program for teaching the more advanced principals of mathematics as well as provides a good program for planning lessons. –$9.99

Science

Early Elementary

• Body Systems Anatomy: This application teaches children about the basics of how the body works. It also gives you animal biology features to choose from. This allows you to teach students about human anatomy as well as some basic animal biology principals and information. –$1.99

Later Elementary & Beyond

• 3D Cell Simulation: This application teachings children about cells, how they are composed and provides working diagrams on what they look like. This is great for teaching molecular biology and the principals of atoms. –FREE

• Blausen Human Atlas: a more advanced application for students wanting to pursue anatomy more closely, this application teaches about the advanced features of the body. This program may be a little more expensive, but it is excellent for teaching advanced biology and anatomy. –$29.99

• Molecules: This application teaches about the intricacies of molecules, how they work and what they look like. This program is slightly more advanced than the cell simulation program because it provides the atomic information as well. –FREE

History

Early Elementary

• World Atlas: a simple, easy to use application that shows the world on an interactive atlas. This application can be used all throughout the teaching experience. It allows you to see the specific information about the regions of the world and gives you a brief geological background as well.–$1.99

• Geo Walk: This application puts students right in the foothills of the Great Plains or in the deserts of Arabia with interactive nature walks and journeys. It allows you to see locations at ground level, almost as if you were there. It is great for learning about geography. –$2.99

Later Elementary

• History: Maps of the World: This application shows maps that are interactive and packed full of history of the selected location. The paid version of the application allows you to get very detailed information about specific locations around the world where the free edition has only basic info. –$7.99 (Free edition available)

• World Book: This application gives a huge encyclopedia of historical facts, filled with images and interactive links to related facts. This application is a great value because it also allows you to set up brief quizzes and questions about the information found in the application. – FREE

Have you tried any of the above apps as part of your homeschooling curriculum? What other ways have you incorporated tablets or other technology into your teaching?

References

All images and information obtained on the Apple Official Application website.