3 Great Apps for Teaching Touch Screen Skills in Preschool and Kindergarten

This app is one of our favorites! The app allows the children to pick from many different cookie recipes (all the recipes are ACTUAL cookie recipes which can be made after playing with the app, if desired!)

To “make” the cookie dough, the children must drag an ingredient into a virtual mixing bowl. As the children drag an ingredient into the bowl, the app places a check mark by the ingredient. Sometimes the children are asked to perform a specific task for an ingredient (ex: tap an egg to crack it). Parents or teachers will need to help the children the first few times through, but the children pick up on the touch skills necessary with ease. The children then roll the cookie dough with a virtual rolling pin and choose from a variety of cookie cutters.

To decorate the cookie, the children choose from a variety of frosting and piping colors. The app allows for a choice in tablecloths and plates to present the cookie before being EATEN! The children must tap the cookie to eat it…complete with crunching sounds!

The children can SAVE or EMAIL their cookie to show others their creations. The picture above shows just SOME of the cookies our own children have created using the COOKIE DOODLE app! It is a winner with our kids!

DONUT DOODLE

Shoe the Goose App

Donut Doodle is another Shoe the Goose App.  Donut Doodle revisits some of the touch screen skills offered in Cookie Doodle, but also adds different tasks for the children to complete.   The children are given a choice of six basic donut recipes to make either from “scratch” or from an instant mix.   Some of the donut recipes require rolling and some recipes use a donut maker with a variety of touch screen options (the cinnamon roll is a rolled yeast recipe where the children follow arrow prompts to “roll” the dough with their fingers – the french cruller is made by turning the handle of the donut maker in a circular fashion with a finger.)

Decorating options include choices for:   a frosting style, the color of frosting, sprinkles, and the toppers/flags.  The children can decorate an entire rack of donuts or just one.  Most children prefer to “EAT” them right away!

We love both the Cookie Doodle app and the Donut Doodle app!  Both of the apps offer a wide-range of options to keep the children interested while learning valuable skills!

LEGO 4+ App 

In the app (designed for children ages 4-7), the kids select a basic lego transportation vehicle to build.  The vehicle travels along a path to collect coins.  For coins earned, there is a Lego puzzle given as a reward at the end of the path.  To make the app more challenging, the children can build a helicopter and must use different skills to fly and collect the coins.  Watch out though, if the helicopter goes too high….the stars in the sky alert the children to fly lower to collect the coins!  The app is easy enough for 3 year olds once they are introduced the skills and sequence of the app.