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Top iPad Apps To Improve Pre-writing & Writing Skills (With Videos)
Have you ever heard the term FOMO?
FOMO is the:
Fear
Of
Missing
Out
And with 2.2 million plus apps on the app store, how can you not experience at least a bit of FOMO? Especially when you realize new apps are being added everyday! I mean, I’ve had my ipad for more than 4 years, and I still download new apps a few times a month that I feel could benefit my students.
Aside from having a FOMO on new apps, my other biggest fear is paying for an app and then never using it. Yeah, they may only cost a dollar or two, sometimes ten, but it adds up.
That’s why I decided to put together this resource of apps that work on the foundational skills needed for writing.
Here, you will find the apps I use specifically for treatment. Along with the name of the App, I have also made a video of the app so you know exactly what to expect when you purchase and/or download it.
So, I hope these videos help you decide where to spend your time and energy.
Quick note: Links included are Affiliate links. This means that the OT School House may earn a small commision from paid apps at no additional cost to you. We appreciate your support by using our links.
Let’s get started.
Price: Free
Montezuma Puzzle, like many of the games below, is a great reward game that still works on many valuable skills such as problem solving and planning. Add in a stylus and you can also work on pre-writing skills and a pencil grasp.
Price: Free
OTL is a fantastic game to work on pencil and visual-motor skills with a stylus. Super simple, just stay in the white area while the screen moves downward. I have sped the video up here for times sake, but it is very child friendly. Highly recommend this one.
Price: $6.99
Free "lite" version also available Here
Letter school is my first go to for a letter formation learning app. Students (and adults for that matter) really love the challenge of the "ghost letters" as I call the 3rd step in the letter writing process. Check out the video to see how the app progresses from teaching the starting points, to tracing, to independently writing each letter and number. Be sure to use a stylus! (Noticing a trend with a stylus)
Need a stylus?
Click on the picture to the right to get a pack of 10 for about $5. That way you have extras when give them out to teachers =)
Price: $4.99
To mix up the writing apps for my students, I also use Writing Wizard. What is great about this app is it's ability to customize settings and words. You can put the student's name in or even their entire spelling list. Like Letter School, Writing Wizard keeps the students very interested in writing. Stylus, you ask? Of course!
5) SnapType Pro
Price: $4.99
Free Version Here
Snap Type provides a great alternative to those students who are limited by their writing and can type more efficiently than they can write. Snap Type allows the user to take a picture of anything, click anywhere on the picture, and begin typing. Pair a Bluetooth keyboard for even more functionality.
Forget SnapChat, Get SnapType Pro!
Price: Free
Little Finder ABC provides a fun way to assess and practice letter recognition. I often get referrals for students who can copy but can't write letters without a model. I refer this game to teachers to help the student identify letters before we start working on writing without a model. Check out the video.
Price: $9.99
At first I was turned off by this app, but as I learned how powerful it is, I fell in love with it. It is so adaptable and the settings can be changed to make it fit your needs. It also keeds data for you so you can see progress made by your student.
8) Dexteria Jr.
Price: $3.99
Dexteria Jr. is my favorite Pre-writing skills app. After the student completes tracing and erasing the lines, they get to take a SELFIE! And not just any selfie, a distorted selfie that is so much fun! Along with the pre-writing skills, there are also two fine motor games: Squish the Squash & Pinch the Pepper game. Check out the video!
9) Dexteria
Price: $4.99
On to Dexteria (senior). I'm not the biggest fan of their tracing game, but the Tap it finger separation and sequencing game is very cool. Keep your thumb on the blue circle and tap the triangles in the correct sequence with your other four fingers.
10) Vision Tap
Price: Free with in-app purchase available
Another one that confused me at first with it's several games, Vision Tap has a lot of great things going for it. It may look a little dry, but it is powerful as a vision skills assessment and tracking tool. Good for those students who you think has some poor ocular-motor skills.
Price: Free with in-app purchases available for more levels
Possibly my favorite of the 12 games, Spatial Line Puzzles is simple to learn and fun to master. Start with connecting dots to match the sample and move on to memorizing a picture to copy when there are no dots. check out the video to get the best idea of why I like it.
12) Piko's Blocks
Price: Free
Piko's Blocks is another visual spatial game, but in 3D. Better for the older kids, they like it because it reminds them of Minecraft. Not only do you have to match in this game, but you also have to create a mirrored image, which can be a tricky, but necessary skill.
So that's it, my Twelve favorite apps for working on visual motor and spatials skills related to handwriting. Oh and don't forget the Stylus
Let me know what you think of my list. I tried to make sure there were some free ones in there, but some of the 3, 5, even the $10 one pays off in my opinion. I wouldn't recommend them if I didn't think they would help your students.
What Apps do you use? Did I miss any good ones?
Do you know someone that could benefit from this list? please share us with them. We love to help as many people as we can!
Thanks for visiting!
-Jayson