ipad apps specifically for spelling and handwriting?...

[Badvoc]

..are there any?

Had a very quick look (ds1 is getting an ipad for his b day tomorrow) and cant really find anything suitable...he will be 9 tomorrrow and needs help with spelling and phase 5 and 6 phonics

TIA

No idea but can't you see the irony in you asking for an iPad app to improve his handwriting?!

.......um........perhaps a pencil & paper might be best for handwriting?.........[runs away to hide]....

sigh.

No I dont see the irony at all. He uses a paper and pencil ALL DAY at school and at weekends when we do his homework.

I though an app might make it a bit more fun, god forbid.

fgs.

sigh.

No I dont see the irony at all. He uses a paper and pencil ALL DAY at school and at weekends when we do his homework.

I though an app might make it a bit more fun, god forbid.

fgs.

My son has sen. He doesnt fine holding a pencil easy at the best of times, but hey, thanks for making me feel like an idiot.

Much appreciated!

an iPad will be useless for handwriting practise. You need paper and pencil for that.

I have used an iPad to take notes and you simply can not write normally and properly on it in the same way as on paper.

In order to even vaguely be like proper writing you'd need to use a stylus which is just like holding a pencil.... thus if your DS struggles with this, you're better off with pen and paper.

There will be phonics stuff for spelling etc though. DD has played with quite a few from the age of 4 but they were simple ones for v young children.

I am using apples and pear for spelling.

I will check out the phonics stuff.

I would take a look at the Pocketphonics App - it is good for learning sounds, blending sounds into words and showing children how to write letters. There is a review of it here

How bad is his handwriting - just untidy - or incorrect letter formation. If the latter - then maybe there is a Montessori style app tracing the shape of the letters in cursive - only based on theory that they have them drawing with their fingers in sand - and that's analagous to drawing on an ipad (ish!).

If its just untidy / uncoordinated - maybe an app for drawing as that would at least help fine motor skills. Incidentally the french kids have amazing cursive handwriting very young (6-7), and they do loads of filling in drawings with different types of squiggles and loads of forced repetition aged 4-6.

I'm assuming that you are wanting him to do more, and are desperate to find anything that he will think is fun enough to do for more than 5 seconds ...... I don't blame you for being hopeful - but for handwriting I'd go for giving him different pens and pencils and different grips so that he can find something that is comfortable.

By the way I think I saw a thread on here ages ago about how to improve older primary school kids handwriting.