Available in the App Store

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First Words International HD is a toddler-centric app designed to help kids learn new words through repetition, visual and audio cues and practice games. This title is an international delight and perfect for parents trying to teach impressionable toddlers another language. Its entire word library is supported in English, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Hindi, Japanese and French.

As parent-friendly apps go, First Words International HD is top notch. Not only is the app pure educational gold for toddlers working on word acquisition, it also makes every step customizable and traceable. That’s music to this parent’s ears. I’m also a big fan of the hands-on approach the app calls for. You cannot simply had this app to your child and ignore them. Learning is a group process, and this app functions under the assumption that you can and will help your child grow by adjusting which parts of First Words International HD are active at any given time: learn the word, find the word or say the word. You can even choose the exact words they’ll be practicing from the app’s word library.

On the down side, I do wish First Words International HD had a wider selection of words, or an option to add your own words, complete with recording. It’s also a pretty pricy application, coming in at $9.99. Again, I think this app is wonderfully made, simply presented (which is great for children on the autistic spectrum) and effective at language acquisition. I just think the price could be a bit more reasonable.

Bottom line

First Words International HD is a well-crafted, language acquisition app for toddlers that could use an expanded library of words and a pared down price tag.

Apple! Manzana! Pomme! How many ways can you say it? This beautifully illustrated and photographed, multi-language app is perfect for the toddler or child who is learning the names of basic objects in any of the following 7 languages: English, Chinese, Spanish, French, Japanese, Hindi and Russian. Just select the language of your choice and start playing! For a demonstration of this app, check out the HamaguchiApps YouTube channel: http://youtu.be/RBzNWYevfNo

The app has a core of 50 objects, which are shown 10 or more ways so the child can more readily generalize their meaning. For example, “chair” is shown as a wooden chair, a blue plastic lawn chair, an overstuffed upholstered chair, a rolling desk chair, and even a plastic toy pink chair.

There are 3 activities: Learn the Word, Find the Word (receptive vocabulary) and Say the Word (expressive vocabulary).

We hope you enjoy the app! Regular Price: $9.99