Adrian Houston: Popular Apps for Pre-Kindergarten

Students

An educator for more than two decades, Adrian Houston currently serves as a Technology

Resource Teacher for prekindergarten through eighth grade. In this role, Houston collaborates with

classroom teachers to create student-centric technology programming that supports the curriculum.

One highly recommended app, Starfall ABCs, comes from the widely popular Starfall website. The site teaches young children reading and literacy with a

step-by-step, phonics-centered approach. The Starfall ABCs app offers the website's alphabet learning

component in a mobile format. Appropriate for pre-readers, the app teaches letter naming and sounds

through interactive pictures and simple games.

For those seeking an approach that incorporates both math and reading, the TeachMe: Kindergarten app

offers a good variety of activities. The Kindergarten app teaches such subjects as addition, subtraction, sight

words, and spelling. For children at different development levels, the TeachMe: Toddler and

TeachMe: First Grade apps offer alternative curricula.

Also widely recommended is the Monkey Preschool Lunchbox, which teaches letters, counting, shapes, colors, and patterns. The app features an engaging monkey character that asks for the child's help in counting, sorting, and naming fruit. Similar to the

TeachMe app, the Monkey Preschool Lunchbox offers reward stickers for correct answers.