Bonus Post: Spanish-language apps (Part 1)

2/24/2023 Comments

Bonus Post: Spanish-language apps (Part 1)

After six months of living in Mexico, I've finally figured out that the last Friday of every month is a professional development day, which means no school for kiddos, so we spent February's last Friday reviewing educational apps for Spanish language learners (SLLs). We only made it through 6 apps, but there are many more available, especially if you consider apps developed for native-Spanish speaking children. We'll have to do a Part 2 on the last Friday of March.

If the 6 apps we reviewed are any indication, there are fewer options available as children become older, more proficient in Spanish, and stronger readers. For example, none of these apps were a great fit for my 9 year old with high-intermediate Spanish proficiency and advanced literacy skills. If you have teens or preteens with intermediate to advanced Spanish proficiency, read no further, this post is not for you. Well, read one more sentence: since I have a vested interest in finding better options for my 9 year old, we'll focus on older children the next time we do this. For now, here is our review of the following six apps (all available for iOS and Android: Canticos ($6.99 monthly; $58 yearly) Sésamo (Free), Sopa de Sílabas (first levels free; Full Version $3.99), Endless Spanish (first levels free; Full Version $11.99, Gus on the Go (Free), and Gus on the Go Stories (First two story packs are free; additional stories packs available for $1.99) Scroll past the chart if you just want recommendations based on your child's age, Spanish proficiency, and literacy level.

App	Reviews
Canticos: Developed with bilingual toddlers in mind. The app offers culturally relevant nursery rhymes, songs, and books with a read-to-me option, and vocabulary-building games. All features available in Spanish and English.	The vocabulary-building games are for toddlers and absolute beginners. The songs and stories are really nice, and worth the monthly fee (in my opinion) for as long for as long as it holds a kid's attention. Downside: a child can easily change the language on their own. 5 yr old: It's pretty good, actually, I love it! 9 yr old: It's ok, but pretty babyish
Sésamo: Developed for Spanish speaking preschool-aged kids, but great for SLLs with at least some Spanish. This app offers videos, games, and read-to-me books with the classic Sesame Street characters and themes. Topics include letters and numbers, but also 'real world' and emotional skills.	Mine: In another post I said there's nothing I like less than children's TV, but all things Sesame Street is the exception. The app is unique for being broader than academic skills. For what it's worth, this is also the go-to learning app for families in my 5 year old's kindergarten class in Mexico. Some features of the app are available in English, so help your kid avoid those. 5 yr old: ¡Muy bien! ¡Lo mejor de lo mejor! ¡Me gusta mucho! ¡Increíble! 9 yr old: Babyish, but if I were at a laundromat without a book, I'd use it. The narrators speak unnaturally slowly.
Sopa de Sílabas Developed for Spanish-speaking school-aged children. The idea is to find syllables in a 'word search' style activity and then combine them into words. Words appear in isolation, i.e. no sentences are given.	Mine: Best for SLLs who already have a substantial vocabulary or willingness to use a dictionary in addition to some (but not too much) Spanish literacy. Children will need help from an adult to get started (instructions are written, so if kids are at the right level to use the app, they won't be able to read the instructions). 5 yr old: Too hard. 9 yr old: I like the space theme, but the reading is too easy, and I don't want to look up words I don't know.
Endless Spanish: Developed specifically for SLLs with alphabetic fluency. The child drags letters to form a word (while hearing the sounds of the letters and their names), and then drags the target word into a context sentence. You chose between Spanish only and Spanish with translation.	Mine: The graphics are clever enough to make the translation feature unnecessary. All of the sentences are in past tense and third person subjects (both singular and plural) which means those are the verb forms the user will practice. The app would be better for teaching Spanish literacy if it broke words into syllables. I can imagine a beginning SLL enjoying this app into their preteen years though. 5 yr old: I like it! 9 yr old: Amusing, but I knew all the words and could easily translate all the sentences.
Gus on the Go: Developed for SLLs. Children engage with vocabulary (picture, audio, written) and then play games to encourage memorization. Each 'level' is organized around building vocabulary around a theme. Games repeat vocabulary from earlier levels.	Mine: This is a good app for beginners building one kind of vocabulary: concrete nouns, i.e. objects and animals. Vocabulary is thematic, but not shown in the context of sentences. It's functionality relies on intuition instead of written or verbal instructions, so your kid should be able to use this app independently pretty quickly. 5 yr old: I know these words. The games are ok, but I don't want to play it. 9 yr old: I agree.
Gus on the Go Stories: Developed for SLLs. Children with at least some reading readiness will get the most out of the app, but literacy is not the objective. Each level is organized around building vocabulary in the context of pictures and sentences and then listening to and interacting with a story that includes that vocabulary. Games ensure basic comprehension.	Mine: This is a great app to use with Gus on the Go or alone. Instructions are minimal, so make sure that your kid figures out all its functionality. Sentences are in present tense with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person subjects, which means a variety of verb forms are used. If your child has a large Spanish vocabulary, strong comprehension skills, and readings skills, then they likely won't get much out of using this app. 5 yr old: Pretty good. 9 yr old: It's too easy for me, but it isn't babyish.

See which of these apps I recommend for your kid according to the axolotl rating system below (because why not). Language proficiency (hearts) should be considered relative to the child's age. If they are close to age-level proficiency, i.e. similar language skills to Spanish-dominant children of the same age, they are 'advanced'. For literacy skills, decide whether your child is a 'non-reader' (maybe they know alphabet), a new reader who knows 'words and patterns', or an 'independent' reader.

Axolotl rating system

2-4 years old

5-10 years old

11-18 years old

Beginner

Intermediary

Advanced

Non-reader

Words and patterns

Independent

Recommendations according to age, proficiency (relative to age), and literacy level

Canticos, Gus on the Go, Gus on the Go Stories

Canticos, Sésamo, Gus on the Go Stories

Canticos, Sésamo, Endless Spanish, Gus on the Go, Gus on the Go Stories

Endless Spanish, Gus on the Go, Gus on the Go Stories

Endless Spanish, Gus on the Go, Gus on the Go Stories,

Canticos, Sésamo, Gus on the Go, Gus on the Go Stories

Canticos, Endless Spanish, Gus on the Go, Gus on the Go Stories

Canticos, Endless Spanish, Sésamo, Gus on the Go Stories

Endless Spanish, Gus on the Go, Gus on the Go Stories

Endless Spanish, Gus on the Go Stories, Sopa de Sílabas

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Lauren Clemens

I'm a professor of linguistics with a lifelong passion for multilingualism and language learning. As a parenting coach, I combine theoretical expertise and practical experience to support you on your journey of raising a bilingual child.