Gamification at Its Finest: 4 Learning Apps for Tweens

While your tween may only like to use the iPad for talking to their friends, watching videos and playing Minecraft, there are plenty of educational opportunities they will find equally entertaining. From interactive 3D imagery of the human body to games that teach vocabulary, U.S. history and math, there are endless possibilities. Here are some educational apps to download onto the iPad to maximize your child's learning experience outside of school hours.

Math Bingo

Bring out your child's competitive spirit with a twist on the classic game of Bingo. In Math Bingo, players can select to play using addition, subtraction, multiplication or division problems in three levels difficulty: easy, medium and hard. Players are given a math problem, and then select the answer from the bingo card. When a correct answer is recorded on the bingo card, a bug appears. To complete a game, you must get a pattern of five bugs in a row just like in regular Bingo. Games are scored by the number of correct answers and lowest time of completion. Your tweens will love competing with themselves to achieve their personal best, all while developing more nimble math skills.
Availability & Price: Available for iOS and Android for $0.99.

The Human Body

This visually stunning app is based on the reference book of the same name by Dorling Kindersley. The Human Body provides a highly detailed and accurate perspective of the human body. Designed specifically for use on the iPad, this app takes full advantage of the tablet's technology, featuring over 270 zoomable, high-resolution images that detail the body's 12 systems. Every image has in-depth annotations and explanatory text to provide thorough information about the body's elaborate inner workings. There also are videos to illustrate various bodily processes such as nerve impulse, inflammatory response and the heart beat. This is a must-have app for any tween with an interest in the medical field, or for visual learners who are struggling with biology or anatomy in school.
Availability & Price: Available for iOS for $6.99.

World's Worst Pet

Are you looking for engaging and fun ways to help your tweens expand their vocabulary? World's Worst Pet is an iPad game that focuses on building a rich vocabulary through exposure to over 1,000 Tier Two words for grade levels 4–8. With four unique activities using word context, antonyms, synonyms and word sorting, students can develop a clear understanding of definitions through detailed explanations and easy-to-understand examples that are targeted by age level. The framework of this app was developed in alignment with the Common Core standards, and each word is repeated through the various games to ensure a more complete understanding. Whether your student is gifted in language arts or struggling to learn their vocabulary words, World's Worst Pet can help them reach new heights by making it entertaining to master new words.
Availability & Price: Available for iOS for free.

Presidents vs. Aliens

Presidents vs. Aliens makes learning presidential history a lot less boring through classic gamification. Players can review stats on each of the 44 United States presidents featured in the app using an interactive flashcard system. Then, players use the information learned from the flash cards to defeat the aliens as they try to take over our nation's capital. The game can be tailored for tweens at a range of learning levels. You can customize the types of questions from as simple as president identification to more complex ones about quotes and historical events. There also are two bonus games included within this app—Heads of State and Executive Order—which help diversify your tween's learning experience.
Availability & Price: Available for iOS and Android for $0.99.