The best spelling apps for kids

If you’re looking for awesome spelling apps for your beginning speller, you’re in the right place!

(This post contains affiliate links.)

Are you looking for an app to help your beginning speller?  You may not know where to begin.  How are you to know which of the gazillion apps is the worth your money? And, more importantly, your child’s time?

The best spelling apps for kids

Meet This Reading Mama’s Word Study Apps.  Designed by a reading specialist, they were created using the principles of word study, a research-based approach to teaching spelling.

 Alphabet sounds app Short vowel sounds app Long vowel sounds app

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What is word study?

I’ve written a 5-part series on word study, but I’ll assume you’re here for the quick version.  So I’ll sum up!

Word study is a hands-on, thoughtful approach to spelling instruction based on the book Words Their Way.  No writing words five times each.  No endless workbook pages.

• Children learn to spell words in this sequence:
  • one-syllable short vowel words (mop, hat, flip)
  • one-syllable long vowel words (bike, say, field)
  • multi-syllable words which may include prefixes and suffixes (funny, dresses, careful)
  • words whose spellings are related to the words they’re derived from (criticize, confident, and dependable).

• Children learn to spell words by sorting them and doing other hands-on activities.

• Rather than memorize rules which are often broken, children discover patterns in words.

• In a classroom, kids aren’t all taught the same word study lessons.  Instead, children learn according to their level of development.

Can my child use the apps if he’s not learning to spell with word study?

Yes, yes!  And here’s how you know if the apps are right for your child.

• Is your child learning beginning, middle, or ending sounds – or ready to learn blends and digraphs?  She needs the alphabet sounds app.  (Get it here.)

• Is your child reading short vowel words (cat, map, jam) and starting to include vowels in her spellings?   She needs the Short Vowel Word Study App.  Often, this applies to children in kindergarten or first grade.  (Get it here.)

• Is your child reading and spelling short vowel words consistently (even stand and thump), but confusing long vowel spellings (wate for wait,  or cralled for crawled)? Then she’s ready for the Long Vowel Word Study App.  (Get it here.)

The Alphabet Sounds app

The Alphabet Sounds app has four levels of play.

1. Beginning Sounds {single consonant sounds}
2. Ending Sounds {single consonant sounds}
3. Middle Sounds {short vowel sounds}
4. Digraph and Blends Sounds {featuring more difficult sounds like st-, pl-, ch-, or sh-}

Within each level are four different activities (pictured below).

The Short Vowel Sounds app

The Alphabet Sounds app has three levels of play.

1. Short vowel word families
2. Short vowel words
3. Longer words

Within each level are four different activities (pictured below).

Sort it.

Children sort the words according to their pattern.  The first level in the Short Vowel Word Study App uses pictures for extra support.

The higher level sorts look like this one.

Find it.

Which word is unlike the others? To find out, your child will need to read each word aloud. The oddball may be different because of how it sounds or because of how it’s spelled. In the above example, “mind” is different because it makes the long i sound even though it has the same spelling patterns as the other words.

Talk about something to make your kid think!

Spell it.

In “spell it,” move the tiles to make the word.

Write it.

Use your finger to trace or write the word.  Compare your spelling to the correct spelling when you’re done.

Bonus Games

My son, a beginning reader, loved finding the words as they were called in the BINGO game.  My older son loves Slingshot.

Long Vowel App

This app has eight levels!

• Level 1- review of short vowel patterns, long vowel patterns with silent e and ee {no blends or digraphs added to long vowel words}
• Level 2- review of short vowel patterns, long vowel patterns with silent e, ee, and long oo {with blends and digraphs added to long vowels}
• Level 3- review of short vowel patterns, long vowel patterns with silent e and other vowel patterns such as ai, ee, ea, igh, oa, and oo
• Level 4- ai, ay, ee, ea, ie {long e}, ie {long i}, igh, final y, o_e, oa, ow, oo, & ue
• Level 5- a_e, ai, ay, ee, ea {long e}, ea {short e}, short i, single i, igh, oa, ow, single o, u_e, ui, & ew
• Level 6- short a, ar, are, short e, er, eer, ie, igh, final y, ow, other ow, ou, oo, ew, & ui
• Level 7- ar, air, are, er, ear, ear {er sound}, ire, ier, ir, or, ore, oar, ue, ur, & ure
• Level 8- or, ar, w+_r, oi, oy, two sounds of oo, al, au, & aw

These apps are PACKED with great learning activities.  You’ll love that the games are colorful, bright, and straightforward.  (No annoying music, just fun sound effects!)

Click on the links below to get the apps for your speller.  Have fun!

 Alphabet sounds app Short vowel sounds app Long vowel sounds app

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(Disclosure: I received a free app in exchange for an honest review.  I’d recommend these apps no matter what!)

© 2015 – 2016, Anna G. All rights reserved.