The Value of Content in Children’s Memory Apps
From the moment they are born, children absorb information from the world around them and use that information for learned behaviors. Often stimulated by bright colors, interesting sounds, movement, and so forth, children from their perceptions and develop their interests based on what they experience and observe. Mobile phone, tablet, and computer apps have expanded the breadth of developmental educational materials available to parents.
The Top 5 Apps
Not all apps designed for children’s cognitive development get created equally. Some apps appear to be capable of having positive cognitive impacts because they incorporate music or are vivid and animated. However, without substance or content, these apps fall short of being robust memory aids critical to a child’s development. The best apps for little and older children are those supported by meaningful content. In context, meaningful means being able to attract children’s attention and support one or more of the following cognitive functions:
Cause and Effect, Imitation, Number Sense, Problem Solving, Spatial Reasoning, Memory, Classification, Symbolic Play, Attention Maintenance
NACD Cognitive Coach App
The National Association for Child Development (NACD) has both a line of speech therapy apps as well as the Cognitive Coach App intended for toddlers through age 3. Subtitled the “Simply Smarter Sequential Processing App,” this app is designed to help stimulate young children’s memory skills and their ability to add memories or to steadily increase the amount of information the child is able to retain and reuse. This app challenges children by:
- Using verbal prompts for image selection
- Requiring them to identify images
- Prompting them to choose images
- Incorporating multiple images into the process
This app has six levels for children to complete and allows children to retry levels where they struggled or if they are not ready to advance. Or, of course, if they or you just want to review. The positive feedback that encourages the learning process rewards the child’s efforts.
Memory Game Spelling Words Application
Targeted toward elementary school children, the Memory Game Spelling Words Application by @Reks creates a fun, stimulating environment for children to learn to spell. The app contains more than 600 common elementary school spelling words. The app promotes the development of:
- Memory
- Perception
- Reasoning
- Concentration
Shape Puzzle HD – Word Learning Game for Kids
This interactive jigsaw puzzle will draw children in with beautiful animations and engaging colors; once complete, puzzles come to life. With different backgrounds and scenery to choose from, it is highly unlikely children will get bored with this stimulating activity app. Ideal for ages 2-6, children enhance both their visual memory and their word bank with this incredibly popular cognitive development app.
One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish
Intended for ages 2-6, children can interact with the eponymous Dr. Seuss classic to learn new words, engage with characters, and build story personalization and narration features. Parents are also able to do voice recordings using this app. All that helps little ones take an active part adventuring through a beloved story.
Math Racer 2.0
This popular math speed testing app challenges children’s memory of their addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division tables. With highest score boards, children can engage with mathematics while challenging themselves to beat their personal best records. Educators have reported that children particularly enjoy the competitive aspects of this app.
Any parent who has tried to search for something useful and fun for their kids knows it’s a never-ending journey. Again, it is always important for parents to ensure the apps they get for their children’s cognitive memory development are content-rich and will support ongoing education.
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