First Phrases

From SmartAppsforKids.com: "In my opinion, the full version is a must-have for parents of children working on increasing expressive vocabulary, as well as the therapists and teachers who support their learning. First Phrases is creative, utilizes the iPad’s features in effective ways, and is engaging for young children. Highly recommended."

This interactive, beautifully illustrated and animated app for the iPHONE is perfect for the toddler or speech-delayed child who is learning how to put two or three words together or any child who is learning basic English phrases. It provides many opportunities to both hear (receptive), see, and say/record (expressive) 72 different verb + noun combinations, such as: eat the carrot, blow the bubble, ride the bike, throw the ball, sleep on the bed, put away the toys, and more. Check out our YouTube video for a demonstration of this app (iPad version) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXw4WPlrmwg

With different characters performing them, there are 456 possible animations so your child will never be bored!


PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A HUGE APP DUE TO THE MANY ANIMATIONS, PICTURES AND VOICE RECORDINGS CONTAINED IN IT. IT SHOULD BE DOWNLOADED THROUGH A DIRECT OR WI-FI CONNECTION. DOWNLOADING IT VIA A PHONE CONNECTION MAY RESULT IN AN INCOMPLETE INSTALLATION, WHICH MEANS IT WILL NOT WORK RIGHT.

There are 17 simple verbs such as drink, eat, wash, and 12 verb + preposition forms such as jump on, take off or turn on. Each verb form is paired with various nouns to make a logical phrase. It is also a great way to teach the article “the” in a meaningful phrase context. In addition, it includes user settings for up to 15 children, making it an excellent choice for professional use by a speech-language pathologist or special needs classroom at a fraction of the cost of traditional educational software, with no additional “professional” version fees.

How you play: Tell the cute animals what to do! By touching the illustrated parts of the phrases in order (verb+ object forms: “eat the carrot”) the child hears the pre-recorded spoken phrase modeled. The user has the option to repeat this action once, twice or three times in the settings for maximum auditory input.

The child then watches the animal of their choice (bear, mouse or cat) perform the command to help associate the words with their meaning. Now it’s the child’s turn to say it and tell the animal what to do! Touch the microphone and record, listen again, and watch the animal follow your direction. Use the optional visual support to help your child remember what to say!

This format is especially powerful for children with speech delays and autism spectrum disorders who need strong visual support with as little background clutter as possible, and for use in speech therapy sessions. The format also is a terrific way to support early literacy for left to right orientation, reading (with text on feature) and word boundaries. Options include text on/text off, recording feature on/off, girl or boy voice models, presentation of the phrase in 3 segments (verb + the + object) or 2 segments (verb + the object).

PRIVACY POLICY: We do NOT collect personal data from our users and have no ads! Personal data regarding user performance on the tasks on this app are self-contained and not transmitted in any way. This app does include an in-app purchase.

Developed by noted speech-language pathologist and author of Childhood Speech, Language & Listening Problems: What Every Parent Should Know, Patti Hamaguchi, M.A., CCC-SLP.

To find out more about this app and our other upcoming projects, visit our website: www.hamaguchiapps.com