• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
  • About
  • Shop
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

teach mama logo

teach mama

helps families connect & build bridges between home & school, by amy mascott

  • early literacy
    • alphabet
    • beginning sounds
    • phonics
    • phonological awareness
    • read-aloud learning
    • rhyming
    • sight words
  • reading
    • books
    • comprehension
      • activating schema
      • connecting
      • inferring
      • predicting
      • questioning
      • retelling / summarizing
      • visualizing
    • concepts of print
    • environmental print
    • fluency
    • non-fiction
    • spelling
    • word building
    • word consciousness
    • vocabulary
  • writing
    • creative writing
    • grammar
    • informative writing
    • tripod grip
  • math
    • computation
    • counting
    • numbers
  • science
    • animals
    • plants
    • science experiments for kids
  • Activities
    • birthdays
    • cooking
      • new for us foods
    • crafts
    • foundations
      • colors
      • critical thinking
      • fine arts
      • listening
      • pretend play
      • sorting
      • speaking
    • holidays
      • new year’s
      • valentine’s day
      • president’s day
      • st. patrick’s day
      • april fool’s day
      • easter
      • mother’s day
      • teacher appreciation
      • father’s day
      • july 4th
      • halloween
      • thanksgiving
      • christmas
    • family life
      • family fun
      • giving back
      • lunchbox love notes
      • school
    • indoor activities
    • outdoor activities
  • digital literacy
    • computer time
    • iPad for learning
  • early literacy
    • alphabet
    • beginning sounds
    • phonics
    • phonological awareness
    • read-aloud learning
    • rhyming
    • sight words
  • reading
    • books
    • comprehension
      • activating schema
      • connecting
      • inferring
      • predicting
      • questioning
      • retelling / summarizing
      • visualizing
    • concepts of print
    • environmental print
    • fluency
    • non-fiction
    • spelling
    • word building
    • word consciousness
    • vocabulary
  • writing
    • creative writing
    • grammar
    • informative writing
    • tripod grip
  • math
    • computation
    • counting
    • numbers
  • science
    • animals
    • plants
    • science experiments for kids
  • Activities
    • birthdays
    • cooking
      • new for us foods
    • crafts
    • foundations
      • colors
      • critical thinking
      • fine arts
      • listening
      • pretend play
      • sorting
      • speaking
    • holidays
      • new year’s
      • valentine’s day
      • president’s day
      • st. patrick’s day
      • april fool’s day
      • easter
      • mother’s day
      • teacher appreciation
      • father’s day
      • july 4th
      • halloween
      • thanksgiving
      • christmas
    • family life
      • family fun
      • giving back
      • lunchbox love notes
      • school
    • indoor activities
    • outdoor activities
  • digital literacy
    • computer time
    • iPad for learning
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

using iPad apps to create

home / digital literacy / iPad for learning / using iPad apps to create
13.3K shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

The following guest post is written by the amazing and incredible Susan Stephenson, of The Book Chook.ย Susan is my Australian friend who has tons of fab ideas on children’s literacy, learning, and more.

โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”

using the ipad to create | teachmama.com

  • Using iPad Apps to Create,ย by Susan Stephenson

I love what the iPad offers young learners.

I’m especially excited about opportunities it gives to create their own content, whether that be in the form of text, images, video and other media, or combinations of these.

Creative thinking is incredibly important to childrenโ€™s future learning, and finding opportunities for kids to create rather than consume via technology is fantastic.

Even pre-schoolers can create on the iPad, and an iPad Mini is kinder to little hands. The camera is a built-in tool that little ones love exploring with. Not only that, but parents enjoy viewing a childโ€™s perspective on life!

Beginning writers can learn to send a picture to Grandma from the camera roll with some words that explain it. Grandma will love the contact and I just bet sheโ€™ll enjoy those invented spellings.

One app I discovered recently, ABC Spy HD by Stealth Education, ย invites kids to use the iPad camera within the app. They find objects starting with each letter of the alphabet to photograph, then type the objectโ€™s name. To share with others, they make a little video within the app.

Other interesting apps where young children can use the camera are Eye Paint Monsters and Eye Paint Animals by Curious Hat.

Note: I am a firm advocate for limiting screen time for children. But I believe SOME screen time plus lots of time for stories, cuddles, chats, imaginative play and outdoor fun, makes for a balanced parenting approach.

When itโ€™s time for screen play, think about the following apps for your preschooler or young learners:

  • Draw Along with Stella and Sam:ย  Based on the picture books by Marie-Louise Gay, in this app children choose shapes, decorate them and watch them come to life in very cute animation.
  • Little Fox Music Box:ย As well as delightful animated songs that kids can interact with and listen to, Little Fox Music Box encourages kids to record themselves singing and making music.
  • Night Zookeeper Drawing Torch:ย The Night Zookeeper Drawing Torch’s emphasis is on story. It encourages kids to imagine and draw creatures like spying giraffes, time-travelling elephants and singing fish.

 

UsingiPadAppstoCreate

There are hundreds, probably thousands, of apps that older kids can use. As with pre-schoolers, having them use the camera helps them to โ€œlookโ€ at their environment from a new perspective, and become more aware of art elements like colour, pattern, texture and line.

Here are some other apps I like that I believe encourage children to create.

  • Strip Designer:ย Children often need to present information visually, especially if they need to show they understand something, or to explain it. Strip Designer is also a neat app for kids to use when they want to tell a digital story.
  • Moku Hanga:ย Image editors offer kids exciting opportunities to tweak photos they take. Moku Hanga has a โ€œwood-blockโ€ look and itโ€™s simple enough for older primary students to experiment with. It would make a great accompaniment for when kids try writing their own haiku.
  • Pic Collage:ย More than just a photography app, Pic Collage is a way for children to create a digital story. They could record a family outing, tell the tale of a lost tooth, or capture and caption their friendsโ€™ scariest Halloween costumes.
  • The Daily Monster Monster Maker: Here kids will find loads of opportunities to create by โ€œblowingโ€ paint, then customizing a monster and taking its pic, in-app. Incorporate literacy into the fun by encouraging kids to add speech bubbles and have their monsters โ€œtalkโ€. The pictures produced can be added to an app like Pic Collage, or Strip Designer (mentioned above) to tell a story.

Combining apps is a wonderful way for children to get even more from the iPad. The emphasis here is on kids thinking creatively, using apps and iPad as tools to express themselves.

By starting in one app, then continuing in another, children learn how to develop a work flow that suits their needs. The iPad is such a powerful tool for creation, offering kids many opportunities to create, communicate – and above all, have fun with it!

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing these super iPad app ideas, Susan!! We love them!

SusanStephensonsmlCheck outย The Book Chook blogย  for educational tips and resources for parents, teachers and librarians. Find lots of free PDFs via www.susanstephenson.com, and follow Susan onย Twitter, ย Facebook, ย Scholastic Parents,Google+ย andย ScoopIt.

 

 

 

Looking for more information about childrenโ€™s learning?

Stop by and follow these great educational Pinterest boards:ย 

  • Helping Kids to Write ย | ย The Book Chook
  • My iPad Reviewsย  | ย ย The Book Chook
  • Childrenโ€™s Literacyย  | ย ย The Book Chook
  • literacyย |ย teach mama
  • digital literacy ย | teach mama

 

rockstar sunday promo teachmama

The response to our Rockstar Sunday feature has been overwhelming. I am in awe of the ideas, submissions, and shares!

Having been in the blogging space for 5+ years, we know for sure that our readers are always up for fresh and fun ideas on literacy, math, technology, parenting, and learning in the every day. They love crafts, hands-on teaching ideas, printables, cooking with kids, and anything that makes their job as parents easier, better, and more fun.

You donโ€™t have to have a blog of your ownโ€“just cool ideas to share! We look forwardย to hearing fromย you!

other posts in the series:

  • phonemic awareness and classification with zoo pictures
  • what to do when kids find their passion
  • 8 ways of supporting advanced learners
  • tons more to come!

You May Also Like...

  • Navigating Education in a Time of Uncertainty: A Virtual Summit for Educators
    Navigating Education in a Time of Uncertainty: A Virtual Summit for Educators
  • Virtual Summit for Educators: Navigating the Online Classroom & Beyond
    Virtual Summit for Educators: Navigating the Online Classroom & Beyond
  • learn to read app for kids 3-7: Duolingo ABC
    learn to read app for kids 3-7: Duolingo ABC

About amy mascott

teacher, mother, dreamer. lover of literacy, fun learning, good food, and three crazy-cool kids. finder of four-leaf clovers | dc metro ยท http://about.me/amymascott
tweet with me: @teachmama

Previous Post:musical hearts reading, moving, & crazy-fun kid game teachmama.commusical hearts: reading, moving, & crazy-fun kid game
Next Post:quick and easy addition game: finding addendsquick and easy addition game: finding addends | teachmama.com | math printable #weteach

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sidebar

amy mascott profile blog

join the coolest club around:

  • About
  • Contact
  • disclaimer
  • terms of use
  • privacy policy
  • Site-Map

Instagram


our books

setting the stage for rock-star readers
raise a reader

Find Us On Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Helpful Links

  • About
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy

Follow Us On Instagram

View
Open
Thank you @upliftyogaolney for a fun and joy-filled afternoon of yoga with goats! ๐Ÿง˜๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ

#goatyoga #marylandyoga #sundayworkout #motherdaughtertime #yogawithgoats #ourfaves
View
Open
loved our first @saltvinemd experience 

cannot wait to return!
View
Open
Had THE BEST dinner at Olneyโ€™s newest restaurant, @saltvinemd โ€”

Our hostesses were kind and welcoming, our server was THE BEST, and food was delivered to our table by SUPER food runners. 

Everything we ordered we LOVED. Cannot wait to return. 

(Swipe to see what we ordered!)

#saltandvine #mocoeats #mocofood #marylandeats
View
Open
What a DAY!! 
Any book festival is a great festival, but @gburgbookfest KNOWS how to put together a celebration of books and authors!!

Loved meeting 
@evascreativity 
@zigzagzeph 
@jackieadrian_art 
@nomoreblankpageskids 
@palavergames 
@jessicadallauthor 
@keanstrategies 
@gurkirtsinghvirk 
@teegarner 
@lincolnhartlaub 
@jadesocoby 

and so many others! And loved hearing @authoralexandrarobbins speak!

#gaithersburgbookfestival #gburgbookfest #bookfestival #readingteacher #featuredreels #marylandlife
View
Open
still peaceful

#yogapractice #peaceful #sheepadoodle #bigfuzzydog #yogaeverydamnday
View
Open
The must-have guide for every woman:  The Life Council: 10 Friends Every Woman Needs is officially out in the world today! 

Congratulations to my pal @laura.tremaine ! 

This book WILL:
๐ŸŽˆEncourage you to look around at your current life landscape to really SEE your acquaintances, coworkers, neighbors, and friends
๐ŸŽˆFill you with gratitude for the friendships of your past
๐ŸŽˆOffer suggestions for how to navigate the complications of modern friendship
๐ŸŽˆGive you space to mourn the friendships that are over
๐ŸŽˆOutline 10 types of friends that can shape your life 
๐ŸŽˆHelp you name the type of friend YOU are on other peopleโ€™s Life Councils 
๐ŸŽˆInspire you to let friendship take on the important role that it deserves 
I want this book to spark a million This book WILL:
๐ŸŽˆEncourage you to look around at your current life landscape to really SEE your acquaintances, coworkers, neighbors, and friends
๐ŸŽˆFill you with gratitude for the friendships of your past
๐ŸŽˆOffer suggestions for how to navigate the complications of modern friendship
๐ŸŽˆGive you space to mourn the friendships that are over
๐ŸŽˆOutline 10 types of friends that can shape your life 
๐ŸŽˆHelp you name the type of friend YOU are on other peopleโ€™s Life Councils 
๐ŸŽˆInspire you to let friendship take on the important role that it deserves 
I want this book to spark a million conversations.

Laura, I know it will. Love you, girl. 
#TheLifeCouncil #happybookbirthday
View
Open
I was in #annapolis today demanding our lawmakers take meaningful action on gun safety. 

Are you fed up with lawmakersโ€™ inaction, too? 

Join me & turn your anger into action with @MomsDemand by texting FED UP to 644-33. #FedUp #MDpolitics 
#notonemore #dosomething #useyourvoice
View
Open
I started my teaching career at @hcpss_wlhs โ€” a place packed with really awesome educatorsโ€” and @eric.ebersole.for.maryland was one of them!

LOOK at us now! Delegate Ebersole is moving mountains in Annapolis! 

It was so cool to run into my friend while Iโ€™m here with @momsdemand โค๏ธโ™ฅ๏ธ 

Want to get involved? YOU NEED TO. 

Please text FED UP to 644-33 to find an event near you and make your voice heard!

#FEDUP #notonemore #dosomething #useyourvoice #bethechange #momsdemandaction
View
Open
I am #FEDUP and I am doing something about it. 

Tomorrow I will spend time with fellow @MomsDemand volunteers & survivors to demand our lawmakers take action on gun safety. 

Join me & turn your anger into action by texting FED UP to 644-33. #FedUp #MDpolitics

#notonemore #dosomething #useyourvoice

Copyright © 2023 · teach mama media, llc · All Rights Reserved

  • 44
13.3K shares