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Which apps help boost language skills?

There are many apps to help kids boost their language skills, and they often offer different levels for different abilities. Lessons range from early phonics to letter recognition to story comprehension. Parents can track a child's progress on many of the apps. Here are a few of our favorites:

Endless Alphabet (iOS, Android). Engaging animations demonstrate the meanings of words in an unforgettable way.

Elmo Loves ABCs for iPad (iOS). Teaches the alphabet with tracing, puzzles, videos, and songs. Offers several modes of play for different learning styles.

Starfall ABCs (iOS, Android). An in-depth alphabet-teaching app that presents each letter in a wide variety of ways: visually, audibly, and within words and sentences.

Speech with Milo: Interactive Storybook (iOS). Created by a speech therapist, this app encourages kids to interact with the story and be creative in developing stories of their own.

Monkey Preschool Lunchbox (iOS, Android). Kids can learn basic preschool concepts such as colors, shapes, fruits, counting, bigger/smaller, and solving simple puzzles.

Kids ABC Phonics (Android). Helps early readers practice letter recognition by matching the letter they identify to the proper phonetic sound in a fun bubble-popping game.

Vicki Windman contributed to this article.

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