The Felt-Board Mother Goose on the Loose app, developed by Software Smoothie, is available for free download from iTunes. This app utilizes the “Listen, Like, Learn” approach by having the recorded nursery rhymes available to help child learn the rhymes (and build vocabulary), then they can recite the rhyme, and then use the nursery characters to create their own stories exercising narrative skills and using the imagination. Designed to be used by children with the important adults in their lives, a button on the upper right corner of the screen can be held down for a fairly long time and will take users to pages for adults. A tab for parents suggests ways that the rhymes can be acted out at home. For instance, after the child learns “Hickory Dickory Dock” parents can spread a piece of yarn on the living room floor, ask the children to pretend that the yarn is a clock and the children are mice. As the parents recite the rhyme, the mice can scamper up and down the clock. The app is available for .99 for iPads only.
Click here to see a video of Betsy playing with the app, showing how it can be used to create narratives and inspire imaginative storytelling.