10 Great Apps for Speech and Language Development

These days, kids can work an iPad or iPhone before they even say their first words, and they can definitely navigate technology better than Grandma or Grandpa can. There are a number of benefits to using apps for speech and language development. First and foremost, kids love using the iPad. It’s shiny, animated, and it makes noise. It can help them maintain attention to an activity or speech and language task that they otherwise might not be interested in. And, it’s highly portable. However, the most important thing to remember when turning to the iPad for speech and language work, is that the iPad itself will NOT teach your child. Your interaction and engagement with your child and the application will be where the magic happens.

Here is a list of 10 great applications for speech and language development:

 

Name	Age Range	Focus	Cost
Peekaboo Barn	6 months to 3 years	Spatial concepts, vocabulary, animal sounds, turn-taking etc.	Lite version or $1.99
Duck Duck Moose (10 different apps)	6 months +	Interactive apps, spatial concepts, vocabulary, categories, turn-taking etc.	$1.99
Articulation Station	All ages	Speech sounds in words, sentences, stories	Free download, sound packages are $2.99
Easy-Bake Treats	3+	“Wh-” questions, turn-taking, concepts, categories	Free
Speech with Milo (15 different apps)	3+	Varied. Apps include focus on sequencing, articulation, prepositions, etc.	$2.99
Sentence Creator	4+	Syntax (sentence structure)	Free
Toca Boca (over 15 different apps)	3+	Dependent on app. Mostly play-based but these apps are great for turn-taking, concepts, “wh-“ questions, categories, vocabulary, etc.	Free – $2.99
Super Duper – Name that Category	3+	Categorization	$3.99
Super Duper – Making Inferences	4+	Inferencing, answering “wh-” questions, reading, reasoning	$3.99
Super Duper – Practicing Pragmatics	5+	Social language skills (i.e. politeness, solving problems, feelings, requesting, etc.)	$3.99