Handwriting Heroes
© 2016 AppyTherapy
$2.99
929 MB, iPad
Ages: 3-8
Teaches: Letters, language, handwriting, phonics, zaner bloser, upper/lower case
Tagged for: Early Reading, Handwriting, Reading Skills, WOSU, ECE
CTR Review
07/14/2016
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Learning your letters? This innovative iPad app mixes ten seconds of simple storytelling with the letter tracing process, creating a clever way to help children remember the path required to make each letter. Note that this app takes nearly a GB of storage (929 MB).
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Learning your letters? This innovative iPad app mixes ten seconds of simple storytelling with the letter tracing process, creating a clever way to help children remember the path required to make each letter. Note that this app takes nearly a GB of storage (929 MB).
There are five types of heroes (skydivers, cannon pops, bouncers, skiers and surfers) on the main menu, each with a set of letters and a particular skill. The surfer appears in five of the curvy letters for example (s, u, f, e and z). When making the letter "S" the child hears a narrator say "S taps two clouds, then surfs away to escape the shark" as a skit is played out.
There are three steps to each lesson. The first is the introduction, with one sentence of narration. Children practice tracing the letter, first in the context of the letter and then with a few repetitions.
There's some good slapstick silliness to the narrated stories, which always reinforce the letters by including letters sounds. There are some limitations to note. There's only one font -- which looks like a modified version of Zaner-Bloser -- and the app doesn't remember which letters you've already learned. It's also not possible (or at least not obvious) how to select a particular letter. These are features that teachers will want.
Designed by Cheryl Bregman, an occupational therapist who worked with children with special needs. The app includes instructions for downloading supplemental worksheets.
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1/17/2021
Expert Reviews
1 Community Review
9/9/2016 4:23 PM
Rating: %
Hi Warren,
Thank-you so much for your kind review. It is wonderful to get feedback and I really appreciate the opportunity to respond as well. I have written my responses beneath your comments.
“There's only one font (Zaner-Bloser)”
Although somewhat similar, the font used in the app is not Zaner-Bloser. The font, Handwriting Heroes, differs from Zaner-Bloser in form and function – particularly for the letters containing round forms i.e. c, a, d, o g, q, b, and p. Zaner-Bloser has more rounded shapes for the “ball-and-stick” letters. For children prone to reversals, this can lead to confusion i.e. it is difficult for a student to know which to write first … the ball or the stick. In contrast, the Handwriting Heroes letters use a less circular form to encourage the use of a continuous stroke. I had considered other fonts, but in the end, my goal is to teach handwriting in the most efficient way possible for young children.
“the app doesn't remember which letters you've already learned”
Since handwriting is a motor skill, the more practice kids get – the better. And apps definitely go a long way in keeping kids, especially those who are averse to paper-pencil activities, engaged and motivated. The lack of tracking is intentional as I wanted students to open the app and practice the group(s) that their teacher directed them to or to “play” with the various letters over and over without feeling as though they have already reviewed / completed that level. Many of my own students need considerable amounts of repetition before they are able to make the letters fluently. Note that the app is only one part of my handwriting program (see https://appytherapy.com/handwriting-heroes/).
“It's also not possible (or at least not obvious) how to select a particular letter”
My goal is for students to complete the whole group. The letters are grouped kinesthetically and practicing the letters in their group reinforces the movement pattern and is essential to the program’s success. Therefore even though one can select an individual by tapping any of the moving letters on home screen, the app encourages the student to work through the whole group (by tapping anywhere on the top , home screen or double tapping on one of the icons beneath the top screen).
I hope I haven’t made you dizzy with details. This program is my absolute passion and I have spent over a decade crafting each part with very careful intent.
Cheryl Bregman (app publisher)