If you’re looking for a way to help your child with their language development or speaking skills, we’re here to help. These free language and speech development apps for kids are available on iPhone and iPad, so your little one can learn wherever you go.
Each app offers different features to assist your child, whether they have speech difficulties or are just learning the English language. Check out these features and try them out yourself to see which one would best suit your child.
Kids apps for language development on iOS
Articulation Station
A terrific app to start the journey with is Articulation Station. Created by a certified Speech Language Pathologist, the programs focus on sounds in the initial, medial, and final positions. You can also choose one of these for words, phrases, or complete sentences.
Articulation Station offers flashcards, a matching game, rotating and unique sentences, and stories. This helps to keep learning fresh and assist with additional skills like memory and recognition.
The app begins with a single sound program with others available through the in-app store. So you can try the first program and see how you and your child like and respond to the app before spending a dime.
- Availability: iPhone and iPad
- Cost: Free with in-app purchases for sound programs as well as a pro version
Lingokids – English For Kids
For children ages 2 though 8, Lingokids teaches topics to communicate in English as well as letters, numbers, shapes, and colors at the same time.
The Kids Area has activities for your child to practice pronunciations, spelling, sounds, writing, and motor skills. With cute and colorful helpers, your son or daughter will enjoy an upbeat and fun way to learn and can check out their Sticker Book for stickers they’ve earned.
The Parents Area gives you progress reports, a curriculum section, activity timeline, and more.
Lingokids offers a basic plan available for free that gives you three games, songs, or videos each day. This is a good way to check out the app and see how you like it. If you find that’s enough activities every day, then you can stick with the free plan. If you’d like a bit more, look at the unlimited plan.
- Availability: iPhone, iPad, and Android
- Cost: Free with a subscription for the unlimited version
Articulation Games Lite
Articulation Games Lite is another neat app that you should check out for your child. With four different games to pick from, flashcards, memory game, sweet spinner, and artic wheel, practicing articulation, sounds, and even spelling has never been more fun!
The app offers words, phrases, and sentences with initial, medial, and final sounds. You’ll also find nice images, big colorful buttons, and a speaker to hear everything clearly. Your little one can also record their own voice for each activity. This is awesome for practicing speech to see areas that need more help.
Articulation Games Lite lets you practice with the b-/b/ phoneme. If you like the app, the pro version offers features like tons of phonemes, backup and restore ability, detailed reporting, email reports, and image uploading.
- Availability: iPad
- Cost: Free with the pro version available
Bonus app: Astound – Voice & Speech Coach
If your child is a bit older, beyond elementary school, and the other language development apps on this list are a little young for them, check out Astound – Voice & Speech Coach. This app is ideal for older kids and adults.
With Astound, you can concentrate on those areas where you need to improve. Using both written and video instructions, you can warm up with exercises for each day. Then learn breathing techniques, controlling tempo, and articulation.
You can create your own recordings so that you can listen to how you speak which helps you to continue practicing on those trouble areas.
Again, Astound is not colorful and entertaining for small children like the other apps on this list. But is safe for those ages 4 and above, and a great speech improvement app for teens and adults.
- Availability: iPhone and iPad
- Cost: Free with subscription options for more workout packs and sessions, unlimited voice recordings, and feedback
Wrapping it up
If your child needs a little help developing their language skills, apps that make learning fun are a fantastic way to go. With these types of teaching tools, children don’t even realize that they are learning, practicing, and improving their skills.
Do you already use one of these apps or do you have a different one that your enjoys that you’d like to recommend? Let us know in the comments below!
For more, take a look at these iPhone and iPad math apps for kids too!