Apps to turn your class into iPad game developers!

Whether you teach KS1 or KS2, there are apps that will have your class totally enthralled as they create their own iPad games. As a great cross curricular tool, these apps will have the creative juices truly flowing as your children design their own games.

If you teach Key Stage 1 - the app Tiny Tap is a superb child friendly app that allows children to make quiz like games from photos, pictures from the web or drawings. The app allows the children to either take a photo using the iPad camera or search the internet or use the in build drawing tool to capture a picture. The children can then record themselves asking a question before circling the correct answer on the picture. They can also add a soundtrack and share their quizzes with each other. 

When I first used this app, I let the children make a quiz about themselves to really get themselves used to the app. However using this app can really incorporate cross curricular subjects. Quizzes on the children's history/geography topic can be used as the focus or a storybook for children to showcase their understanding of a story. I feel if children can create their own quizzes on a topic they clearly show their understanding. I have used this app with Year 1 and Year 2 children and used Numeracy as a focus, a great way of checking the children's understanding of certain aspects of their maths. You can read about the lesson here. 

With older children the app "Sketch Nation Studio" combines both the children's ICT and Art skills for them to create their own iPad games. The app can be used to link in with any classroom topic or literacy focus and provides a superb basis for some excellent writing opportunities. Persuasive adverts, reviews, or even recounts about the gameplay could be used after the children have made their games. Children can use either the in built drawing tool or use the camera to take pictures of the children's own artwork on paper to make characters, backgrounds, enemies etc but make sure you follow the instructions as it can be quite temperamental. Here is a video explaining the potential of the app:

I have used this app with a Year 5 class to make games relating to their topic about the Michael Morpurgo book "Kensuke's Kingdom," you can read about the lesson here. As mentioned before using this app can spark many different learning opportunities here is an example of some speaking and listening and a movie trailer the children made from using the app iMovie. 

Kensuke's Kingdom game explanations from Davyhulme Primary School on Vimeo.

Kensuke's Kingdom Game Trailer from Davyhulme Primary School on Vimeo.