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Listening and Spoken Language Applications

Listening and Spoken Language Applications

The following apps may be trialed to support your child’s speech-language development. They are designed to be used in an interactive manner with an adult in order to facilitate increased engagement and meaningful learning opportunities. They are not intended to be independent or passive activities.

Be sure your child can hear through the mobile device. If he or she cannot hear through the device’s internal speakers, other options include external speakers (e.g., docking station), good quality headphones that fit over hearing aid(s) or cochlear implant(s), connecting the device to a personal FM system via the transmitter auxiliary cable, and connecting the device directly to his or her cochlear implant(s) via the auxiliary cable.

Awareness of sounds and building object-sound associations

  • Sounds of Life Americas: This app allows you to take images with accompanying 10- second clips of sound. You can then play these clips and have your child guess what the sounds are or use them to create a virtual “listening walk.”
  • Peekaboo Barn: With this app, you can play the sound before the animal is shown in order to focus on listening as your child builds sound-object associations.
  • Listen Up Bear: As the bear in this app meets new animals, your child listens to the animal sound and selects the matching image before seeing the animal. This activity gives practice for making sound-object associations. The text and singing in the app is available in English, French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Italian, Mandarin, or Traditional Chinese (Cantonese).
  • Baby Play: Shake the mobile device to activate a sound. Then let your child pick the picture that matches the sound. Be sure to let your child to listen the sound before seeing the pictures to focus on auditory rather than visual input.
  • My PlayHome: Let your child explore the different sounds associated with actions (e.g., water running, the microwave, and the radio). Then touch one of the objects on the screen without him/her seeing it. See if your child responds and if he/she can label it. Lite and full versions are available.
  • Sounds: (Different Roads)- This app gives you a set of 3 pictures and then plays the sound and asks you to choose the picture which matches the sound. They are everyday familiar object and sounds (baby crying, dog barking, horn beeping, water running, etc.)

Listening at the word level

  • Word Success: This free app is for children (who can read) and teenagers to practice discriminating words. Stimuli is presented in 9 different levels, ranging from words that sound very different (eyes vs dalmatian) to words that sound very similar (back vs bat). Words can be presented individually or in sentences. Practice can occur in quiet or noise.
  • Little Finder: This app calls out the names of objects and then players touch the corresponding icons. Your child can play individually or compete against another player. Be sure that the sound is on to hear the words; however, you may consider turning off the sound effects to reduce extraneous noise that may interfere with your child’s performance. If your child can read, cover the word with a sticky note or piece of paper to make sure he or she is focused on listening.
  • Rhyming words (by Grasshopper Apps.com): Practice listening for small sound differences between words by naming items shown (without your child seeing your mouth) and then letting your child find the word that matches to make rhyming pairs.
  • Bitsboard: This app provides a variety of games that require the child to listen to words played. The “Photo Touch” game is recommended for listening. You can create your own boards or download ones created by other users.
  • Minimal Pairs: Varied apps from free to $20.00 to help hear small sound differences in words with picture cues for both readers and nonreaders.
  • Hear Coach: Provides structured practice for listening in noise. The tasks become increasingly more complex as the user progresses through the app.

Following directions

  • One-Step Two-Step can be used to practice implementing strategies to follow directions (e.g., subvocalizing and visualizing) and to increase your child’s ability to complete commands. Your child can practice following pre-recorded one-step and two-step directions as he or she decorates coloring pages. The directions can be played again if repetitions are needed.
  • Splingo: Use the “customize” settings to increase the difficulty level as your child’s listening skills develop. Specific language targets and the number of direction components can be selected.
  • My Scene: Can be used to practice following directions. You can begin with basic directions, such as “Give the balloon to the boy,” to more complex, multi-step directions, such as “Give the balloon to the boy, the ball the girl, and then have the boy jump on the trampoline.” Encourage your child to ask for repetitions or clarifications when needed and to use recall strategies targeted in therapy.
  • Listening Adventures is designed to practice following directions with two key words with small sound differences through several reinforcing two-player games. 
  • VocAB Scenes can be used to practice following directions to place item(s) in particular location(s) on six different picture scenes.

Cochlear HOPE Words App: The resources section provides a variety of parent-friendly, everyday activities related to practicing specific speech sounds. There are also flashcards sorted by sound (for vowels and consonants).

Caution: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) discourages media use by children less than two years of age. For older children and teens, use of electronic devices and media should be limited to one to two hours per day. All of this content should be high quality. The passive use of technology, such as just watching apps or videos should be eliminated or substantially minimized. Instead activities should be interactive and incorporate other people into the fun.

For more information, visit the AAP’s website.

Additional resources