Virtual learning is here to stay!  I’ve posted many apps that are geared toward younger children, but what about our Middle School kiddos?  Here are some occupational therapy friendly 

How to Draw by Gorasiya Vishal Nanjibhai (Free for iOS and Google Play; in-app purchases and ads, Ages 4+)

This app provides step-by-step tracing lines for kids to copy a drawing. Lots of different drawings but somewhat limited in what they can do with it once it’s done. This would be ideal for a kid who always says they “can’t draw” therefore won’t even try. Lots of kid favorites including Minecraft, Super Heros, and Pokemon.

How to Draw Everything Step-by-Step by Thien Nguyen (Free for iOS with ads, $3.99 ad-free; Ages 4+)

Similar to the How to Draw app but this one doesn’t have tracing. You choose a picture (everything from anime celebrities to band logos to angry birds) and you follow the step by step guide to copy the drawing onto paper. Another great option for those kids that want to draw but don’t know where to begin. This app does require they be able to copy somewhat complex figures but depends a lot on what they want to draw).

Origami Paper Art 3D by Thien Nguyen (Free for iOS, need origami paper)

You’re obviously going to need some origami paper for this app.

Visual Attention Therapy by Tactus Therapy Solutions LTD ($9.99 for iOS, free Lite version available). The lite version of this app is pretty limited but it does give you a taste of what the full app does, which is to provide assessment and treatment for issues with visual scanning. It’s very clinical (it was developed for stroke rehab) so it would be more appropriate for older kids with scanning issues impacting reading and writing.

KanDo: Fine Motor Skills Measurement Tool by Interactive Mindware LLC (free for iOS). This could be a fun app for older kids to challenge themselves (or friends) on various motor skills including tracing accuracy, hand steadiness and reaction time.

Google Read&Write for iPad by TextHelp Ltd. (free for iOS with in-app purchases). Though this app doesn’t work on improving visual motor deficits, I think it is important to support literacy and writing for those older students that still struggle with visual-motor impairments. This app works with other apps (ex. Google Docs, Safari, Webmail) to provide reading and writing support like text-to-speech, talk typing, word prediction, picture dictionary, and more. There’s a 30-day trial but check with their school district as many have a district-wide license.

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