Aside from Talking Tom and its other Talking apps, the ones I downloaded for my son when we first got an iPad at the end of 2009 were the Duck Duck Mooses. From Wheels on the Bus and Itsy Bitsy Spider to Old MacDonald and Baa Baa Black Sheep, these apps gave my son hours of fun and stimulation.

It’s interesting to know that Steve Jobs, in his keynote announcing the iPad 2, he showed Wheels on the Bus!

But back to my latest Duck Duck Moose download – Kindergarten Learning.

It’s another very visual and fun app, with engaging sounds. It’s a little “old” for my toddler at the moment, and he’s not entirely ready for the basic reading learning skills, but together we’re having fun with the basics, and I’m sold on the app being a superb go-to tool for learning how to read.

The app features fun animals with nine different learning and reading activities. The phonics (the sounds of letters) game is based on something in the United States called the Common Core State Standards, the foundational skills of reading at kindergarten. The app was also thoroughly tested in classrooms by kids and teachers.

What’s more, there is a reporting tool built into the app, so that teachers and parents can check a child’s progress and see areas of growth and strength.

 

 

There is also a free downloadable workbook that you can download and print, which has 19 pages of fun learning and colouring-in activities.

Whether your child is close to reading, or is already a reader (or like mine – vaguely interested), then this app is “the one”. It’s also well priced at $0.99 on iPhone and $1.99 for iPad.

Here’s a sample video of the app, via the Duck Duck Moose website.