Technology plays an important part in the field of education these days, with the iPad revolutionising learning by introducing an extensive library of educational apps for children. Here are our favourite apps for prep students.

There are thousands of apps that fall under the ‘Education’ category but how are you to know which ones are worth your time and money?

With the new school year well underway and many little ones doing their Prep year at home, this is their first taste of what “big school” will be like. We have assembled a collection of recommended apps for children in this age range, to give them a subtle headstart for what lies ahead. These apps offer them interactive and interesting opportunities to learn, and allow them to have some fun in the process. The recommended apps cover some of the basics of early learning including reading, writing and maths, and are designed to engage, entertain, and of course, educate!

Here are the top apps for prep students:

School Writing by Australian-based developer demografix pty ltd is a fully-customizable and feature-packed app that provides students with plenty of practice to perfect their writing of letters and numbers using their school font on the iPad. (AU$8.99)

Bugs and Bubbles by Little Bit Studio provides beautiful music, advanced interactivity, 18 games and activities all set in Uncle Bob’s Bubble Factory, stickers to earn, graduated stages within the app, multiple user profiles, “adaptive play”, multi-touch interaction, visual instructions and more.  Skills addressed in the app include: shapes, colors, patterns, balance, counting, pinching, sorting, tracking, balance and more. (AU$4.49)

Endless Alphabet
From the creators of Sesame Street’s The Monster at the End of This Book comes Endless Alphabet, where monsters help kids learn the alphabet and build vocabulary through animations and puzzles. Kids choose a word from the glossary, spell it out by dragging letters to the correct place and watch as one of the monsters acts out the definition. (iPhone/iPad —$7.49, Android — free (more content available for purchase).

Crazy Gears
Are you ready to watch your child kick their learning into high-gear? Crazy Gears is a new-aged digital puzzle game, designed with a real mechanical engine and with children’s critical thinking skills in mind! Hours of fun guaranteed for everyone who is up for the challenge, yes, even you Mom & Dad! (AU$4.49).

Love to Count By Pirate Trio
Love to Count by Pirate Trio aims to encourage your child to discover and understand maths, rather than learn it by heart. Solving these logical puzzles will play an important part in your child’s development and help build their confidence at this early stage of schooling. (AU$5.99)

Tic Toc Time
Are you a parent or educator in search of a UNIQUE, FUN, EASY and EFFECTIVE way to teach young learners aged 5-8 how to read a clock face and tell time?
Then you’ll love Tic Toc Time: Break Down the Day to Learn How to Tell Time! (AU$5.99)

Robot School: Programming For Kids
Players hone their programming skills over various levels by helping a robot get to his crashed spaceship. (AU$5.99)

What are your favourite apps for prep students? Tell us in the comments below.