What it is and what you do with it: animated alphabet flashcards (capital letters) with animals plus 6 alphabet mini-games.

What we liked: the concept. Great variety of letter/word activities and mini-games. Excellent artwork & animations with fun animal characters. Humor and fun factor. Ease of use. Sounds and sound backgrounds. Overall quality of the app.

What we didn't like: only capital letters.

Appysmarts

What it is: a set of animated alphabet puzzles.

What you do with it: each letter is illustrated with a simple collage representing an object, whose name begins with this letter (e.g. the airplane for 'A', the lamp for 'L' etc.). The collages are composed of fruit, vegetables, everyday materials (e.g. the Owl is made out of a potato, bananas, forks, magnifying glass, green pepper etc). Tap the object and it will break up - the task is to put it back together.

What we liked: the concept (and very creative approach to presenting the 'ABCs' subject), excellent illustrations, subtle animations, funny narration and sounds, spoken instructions, fun factor, ease of use, good educational value.

What we didn't like: only uppercase letters included.

Appysmarts

Please note that the overall score and ratings refer to the full version of the app!

What it is/what you do with it: letter writing/spelling practice with friendly monsters/Halloween theme.

3 activities: - letter forming/tracing (lowercase, uppercase and 2 types of cursive) - dot-2-dot puzzle activity - word building

Trace the letter then solve a simple dot-2-dot puzzle to unveil a monster whose name starts with the given letter (or - depending on the mode - spell out the name).

What we liked: good set of activities for letter tracing practice. Lowercase/uppercase/cursive formats included. Fun, kid friendly monster characters. Ease of use. Visual clues for both letter tracing and dot-2-dot activity. Multiple student accounts.

What we didn't like: we wish there was was some sort of progress tracking.

Appysmarts

What it is and what you do with it: animated alphabet flashcards with tracing activity.

Trace a letter to discover the animal whose name starts with the given letter.

What we liked: the concept. Funny animations illustrating each letter/animal. Good for introducing the alphabet to younger kids and for hand-eye coordination practice. Ease of use. Sound backgrounds and sounds. No ads or other distracting features.

What we didn't like: only uppercase letters.

Appysmarts

What it is and what you do with it: set of 'train' themed activities introducing preschoolers to the alphabet and letter sounds.

Activities include: lowercase/uppercase alphabet, letter tracing, letter recognition, letter sounds and letter matching.

E.g. in the 'Learn The Alphabet' activity your kid will be asked to connect the dots in the correct order to build a train track between stations with different alphabet letters.

What we liked: the concept. Good variety of simple activities introducing kids to the alphabet, letters and their sounds. Fun kid-friendly illustrations. Simple rewards system with stickers and unlockable trains. Narration and spoken instructions. No ads or other distracting features.

What we didn't like: only linear navigation, you can choose material to practice. Some of the activities offer more variety and engagement than others.

Appysmarts

What it is/what you do with it: a pinball-style game introducing kid to the letters of the alphabet (plus: each letters is represented by a friendly monster).

Make your way through the alphabet by a series of pinball-styled boards. Earn enough points by directing the ball to appropriate spots by placing little balloon 'helpers'.

What we liked: the concept: combination of a pinball-game and a set of puzzles. Simple visuals. Fun gameplay. Ease game controls.

What we didn't like: ads. No narration or spoken instructions.

Appysmarts

Please note that the overall score and ratings refer to the full version of the app!

What it is/what you do with it: a set of of 26 alphabet flashcards with sounds.

What we liked: the concept. Fun illustrations and animal sounds. Multiple play modes. Very easy to use.

What we didn't like: no progress tracking, only random play mode.

Appysmarts

Please note that the overall score and ratings refer to the full version of the app!

What it is/what you do with it: a set of of 26 alphabet flashcards with sounds.

What we liked: the concept. Fun illustrations and animal sounds. Multiple play modes. Very easy to use.

What we didn't like: no progress tracking, only random play mode.

Appysmarts

What it is/what you do with it: a pinball-style game introducing kid to the letters of the alphabet (plus: each letters is represented by a friendly monster).

Make your way through the alphabet by a series of pinball-styled boards. Earn enough points by directing the ball to appropriate spots by placing little balloon 'helpers'.

What we liked: the concept: combination of a pinball-game and a set of puzzles. Simple visuals. Fun gameplay. Ease game controls.

What we didn't like: ads. No narration or spoken instructions.

Appysmarts

What is it and what do you do with it: a set of alphabet flashcards (uppercase and lowercase letters).

Tap the letter to hear its name and see animations illustrating words starting with the given letter.

What we liked: ease of use. Fun animations. No ads or other distracting features.

What we didn't like: animations are displayed in a small window. No phonics.

Appysmarts