Like most SLP's out there, I have embraced using my iPad and educational apps both at home with my six year old and at work with several middle school clients. My favorite one for both age groups is, Story Wheel. I can't remember how I found it, but I know I was searching language apps, soon after getting my first iPad, when I stumbled upon this FREE gem! Well, almost free! You get a couple story themes for free and you can purchase additional categories for $.99 each.
The best feature about this app is the detailed explanation about how to develop a cohesive story. If you select the, "How to Tell a Story" section, it gives suggestions about how to start, continue, and conclude stories effectively. Just like the title insinuates, Story Wheel provides pictures positioned on a wheel similar to the one used for finalists on the famous game show, The Price is Right. You can select story categories like pirates, princesses, or space, and then spin the wheel until it stops on one picture. Next, you record a sentence about that picture and proceed in this manner for up to a dozen pictures. When you finish, your recordings play back as the pictures scroll through the sequence.
Just some of the target goals we SLPs can address with this app are: story sequencing, story telling, formulating sentences, using appropriate grammar, and building expressive vocabulary skills. Try the app for free and purchase additional story themes if you like, either way, this one won't disappoint!
