Mobile applications, or “apps” for short, can help children learn, according to an evaluation of two apps based on PBS Kids programs, according to a report about children’s use of mobile media.
The evaluation, one of three studies whose findings are cited in the report, is based on a sample of 90 children ages 3 to 7 who played with the apps for two weeks. They made gains on tests of vocabulary comprehension, letter identification, and rhyming after use of the apps, the study found.
Two-thirds of children ages 4 to 7 have used an iPhone or iPod Touch, most often when parents pass such devices to their children while in the car, the report says. Most are able to use the devices on their own without any trouble, according to the report, but some need a little help before becoming skilled with them.
The evaluation was released last week by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, in New York City and supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
