1. Bugs and Buttons 2 by Little Bit Studio, LLC ($2.99 for iOS/Google Play, Ages 4+)

  This app has two games with different motor challenges. One involves using your thumb and pointer finger to “stretch” a rubber band to protect bugs from falling buttons as they crawl across the screen. The other requires both hands to control two remote controls (think doing one thing with one hand and another thing with the other) in order to drive a remote control car. Two totally entertaining games but sort of limited for an app you have to pay for. Some of the sounds in this app might be off-putting to some (think loud engine noise!) and I also felt like the games were a little long!     2. Dexteria Jr by BinaryLabs, Inc ($3.99 for iOS, Ages 4+)     Dexteria Jr. includes pre-writing, fine pinch, tracing, and beginner-level maze activities. These activities can help build foundational skills needed for writing. “Pinch the Pepper” requires the ability to pinch a moving target on the screen. A well-developed pincer grasp supports functional pencil grasp. Squish the squash works on finger isolation as well as hand/eye coordination and visual tracking. The prewriting forms and mazes build foundational prewriting skills and can be done with the finger or a stylus.

2. Broom Broom by Atech inc (Free for iOS, Ages 4+)

Full disclosure, there’s not much to this app but it’s FREE and I’ve found it be motivating for some kids that avoid pre-writing strokes. Basically, you draw any sort of line and it turns it into a  little road with cars driving on it. Let’s call this a quick and free tool for parents and therapists working with young kids on strokes like vertical/horizontal lines and circles. Once you’ve created an understanding of “make a road down”, “make a road across”, and “make a circle road that loops around” you can apply this same cueing to whiteboards, paper, etc.     

3. Kids Doodle by Zhao Chen (Free for iOS and Google Play, Ages 4+)

Same scenario as the Broom Broom app but with much more freedom to draw anything, including letters and numbers. I once had a student on my caseload that would almost ALWAYS refuse to practice letters but would practice on this app. The different brushes are super cool and the best part (in my opinion) is that you can save what they did to the gallery and email it to yourself! Work samples galore!  

4. Faces iMake by iMagine Machine Israel LTD ($2.99 for iOS, Ages 4+)

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this app. A lot of the children I serve in elementary school have a really hard time drawing a face or a person even if they can do basic shapes and lines and it’s developmentally appropriate. This app is so cool because you create pictures, faces, etc. out of everyday objects (Fruit, flowers, random household items, etc). This gives plenty of opportunities to learn about object shapes, orientation, etc. There are tutorials and visual supports as well. In terms of fine motor development, this app allows you to pinch or expand items to change the size as well as use two fingers to turn items. Lots of good opportunities to work on using that thumb and pointer finger together!  

5. Matrix Game by MyFirstApp Ltd. (Free to try for iOS $4.99 for the full version, Ages 4+) 

    This is a great app for working on visual perceptual skills. The point of the game is to correctly place objects based on what two forms they are a combination of. So, for example, if your form is a combination of a square and a rectangle, you would place it in the spot on the matrix where the square and rectangle would meet. Unlike some of the other apps that serve as a tool for teaching skills, this app could allow for some independent time once the child understands what they need to do. They simply click and drag the objects until the matrix is full! Use a stylus for working on pencil grasp and visual perceptual skills all at once!  

6. OokiiSquiggles by Baby First & Lazoo ($1.99 for iOS, Ages 4+)

1. 1. a. From an Apple product: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ookii-squiggles-by-baby-first-lazoo/id951145828
   2. b.Android – search the app by name in Play Store

This is a great app for little ones that aren’t super motivated to draw. When they add their squiggles it animates the picture! A very fun and interactive way to work on making lines as well as placing them on a picture. For example, one picture is a car and you have to draw a squiggle line behind the car for it to go. If they draw too far away from the target, it will prompt them to “draw somewhere else” before animating. Also, a great time to work with that stylus!  

7. Homeschool Montessori Puzzle by MyFirstApp, LTD (Free to try then $2.99 for iOS, Ages 4+) 

Have you ever tried working with a child on connecting the dots activities to quickly realize they don’t understand the concept of connecting the dots? Then this is the app for you! The app uses color cues to prompt which dots to connect and then provides a nice straight line no matter how all over the place they are! There’s also a little auditory cue when they make the connection. You get two free pictures then it’s $2.99 to unlock the rest.   

8. RelationShapes by VizuVizu LLC (Free for iOS)

Here is the final app on the list, complete with a boatload of accolades, from VizuVizu. On their website, the creators claim “our open-ended approach to playful learning encourages children to explore and discover visual-spatial relationships, or how objects relate to one another, in a fun and interactive way. Children move through eight levels of cumulative, progressively challenging activities designed to encourage flexible thinking and creativity. As they drag, scale, and rotate both abstract and figurative elements, they are exercising their spatial reasoning skills – which build a strong foundation for mathematics, problem-solving, and creative expression”.  This app, based on the Agam Method, is similar to the Faces iMake app but uses basic shapes and progresses through different levels that the creators claim to build upon one another to develop reasoning and thinking skills. There are a couple of studies cited on the website that the creators say supports this claim. One thing I like about this app is that it supports “co-play” or the use of the app by the child and another person (parent, teacher, etc.). Co-play and co-viewing of digital media are encouraged as much as possible for early technology users. Considering this app is FREE, I think it is a must for parents, therapists, and educators that want to use device time to work on visual-spatial skills. The app website even has resources for educators!    Thanks for reading all about these great apps, some of which have been on my therapy iPad for some time! Just make sure to consider the age of the child you are working with and how much screen time they are getting through their day. With appropriate limits in place, these apps can serve as a wonderful addition to a day of active play and learning!

9. Dexteria Jr.

This app is great for kids that are pre-writing. It also works on fine pinch, tracing, beginner level maze activities.  The pre-writing forms and mazes build foundational skills and can be done with the finger or a stylus.  It works on finger isolation as well as hand/eye coordination and visual tracking. Great for kids 4 and up, and is available for purchase on iOS for $3.99.

10. Broom Broom

Search for free app on Android or iOS; perfect for kids 4 and up. Quick and free tool for parents and therapists working with young kids on strokes like vertical/horizontal lines and circles. The app is motivation for some kids that avoid pre-writing strokes.

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