By Stephanie Chan

The summer has been flying by and soon enough your nieces and nephews will be starting their first day of school. We have compiled a list of five smart apps that will help get their brains ready and attentive before their first day back.

1. Endless Alphabet (1-5 years old)
Learning the alphabet will be the most fun it’s ever been with this app’s adorable artwork, strange creatures, and cool sound effects. Besides the alphabet, kids will learn how to spell and build their vocabulary. With each word comes an interactive puzzle and a short video to depict the definition.

2. Fit Brains for Kids: Sparky’s Adventures (2-8 years old)
Designed by award-winning neuroscientist Dr. Paul Nussbaum, this app is a great way to lay down an early childhood learning foundation. The app features a selection of mini games that start off easy, and then adjust accordingly to the child’s skill level - keeping it fun and challenging.

3. Brain Quest (1st through 5th grade)
The beloved Brain Quest cards have now been developed into America’s #1 education app! The questions are all curriculum based, so what they’re learning in the game, they’ll be learning about in more detail once classes start. With exciting and colorful graphics, the kids will be having so much fun that they’ll forget they’re even learning new vocabulary and math skills.

4. Stack the States (1st through 5th grade)
Make learning about the 50 states a fun experience with this app that contains five mini games. In this game, kids will learn to recognize state shapes, their capitals, abbreviations, neighboring states, flags, nicknames, and more! There are hundred of interactive questions to keep kids on their toes, and they’ll even be able to connect with their friends or other family members for a bit of friendly competition.

5. The Official SAT Question of the Day (ages 13-17)
If you have nieces or nephews in high school, or about to take the SAT, this app is a convenient way to help them get a feel of what questions will look like. After the student picks his or her answer, College Board will explain the answer, and why the others are incorrect. By answering the daily question, teenagers will soon learn which sections they excel in, and which they need to improve on.

Photo: Photostock
Published: August 4, 2014