My favorite app for children is Monkey Drum. A cute cartoon monkey sits behind a djembe. Children can play the drum, tap the monkey's mouth or head for funny sounds, or make him spin around. When they stop, the monkey plays back everything the child just did. It's so fun when a child realizes the monkey is imitating them! There are some other fun surprises that show up as you play which are sure to elicit giggles! A paid version is available with all options unlocked, and a free version where additional characters, songs, and instruments are unlocked as you play. I often use it as a reinforcer at the end of a session, while still working on skills like waiting and turn-taking. I've used it from infant to kindergarten, and it's a hit with them all!

Dana Bolton, MMT, MT-BC, Murfreesboro, Tennessee

The Boogie Bopper proved to be a highly useful app in my music therapy sessions, as it is engaging and motivating for the younger child, easy for the client (and music therapist!) to understand, and it incorporates several important goals all rolled into one. For example, the child chooses between two modes of play (one is more structured while the other mode is free-play) which helps foster choice-making skills and independence. Then, the child is required to press each colored dot that appears (finger dexterity/isolation, fine motor skills) in order to create and "play" the song (attention-to-task, rhythm skills for speech).  It is colorful, fun, and has a dancing dog – who could ask for more?  :)  This app is well-worth its $1.99 cost.

Rachel See Smith, MA, MT-BC

Austin, Texas

Songify is a free app that lets you record yourself talking into the microphone on your device. Then it "remixes" the spoken word “auto-tune style,” along to music. I have been using Songify to work on speech and language goals with my clients. They have never been more motivated to do so since I introduced this app! Not only do we work on specific speech sounds and target words, this app is also great for addressing reading skills. I have learned over the years that a child loves to hear the sound of his or her own voice, but now I know that even better is the sound of their voice AUTO-TUNED to music. I must admit, it's pretty funny not only to hear, but to watch a child react to it. But the best part is that they are doing their work and enjoying every minute.

Rachel Rambach, MM, MT-BC

Springfield, Illinois

SoundingBoard is my favorite communication app to use with children. First, it's free in comparison to other AAC apps that can cost hundreds of dollars. Second, the interface is simple and perfectly suited for music therapy. Create audio and visual choice boards by taking pictures of items or instruments with your device's camera.  Next, record the audio prompt to coordinate with the picture. TIP: When creating instrument choices, record the sound of the instrument and the name of the instrument for added auditory discrimination and engagement.  Whether creating boards with one to nine choices, SoundingBoard presents the choices vertically on the screen eliminating the dominant hand bias that some children might present if the choices were presented horizontally.  

Bonnie Hayhurst, MT-BC

Willoughby, Ohio

I absolutely adore using Cookie Maker 2 in sessions with my children! In fact, several of them ask for Cookie Maker all the time now. I have used it with children as young as five and as old as twelve and it is a big hit with all! The basis of the app is much like the title: Making cookies. You can choose from several different types of cookies and the ingredient pictures are incredibly realistic. This app is great for sequencing and memory recall, as you have to put in a series of 2-4 ingredients depending on the cookie. I often use it for impulse control purposes as well, as the child has to wait to put the ingredient into the bowl until I sing about that specific ingredient. At the end of the app, the children get to gobble up the cookie as they touch the screen and hear some rather humorous “eating” sounds. There is a free version of this app, but be warned it does have advertisements and only 2 types of cookies. You can also download 2 different paid versions: One entitled More Cookies and the other entitled Master Cookie Maker.

Jessica Pitts, MT-BC

Roswell, Georgia

My favorite app for children is Piano of Playfulness. This colorful keyboard can be played using different sounds (Grand Piano, Vibrophone, Synthi, Electric, and Harpsichord) depending on what the child likes. When the keys of the piano are “pressed” an alien jumps up from the keys. Little angel aliens jump up from the black keys. When the child touches the alien itself it will pop up and make a silly sound. I love using this with the kids to work on isolating their index fingers, color matching, color identification, and even as a simple accompaniment tool for easy songs

Becky Wellman, Ph.D., MT-BC, DT

Chicago, Illinois

One of my favorites apps for children is Talking Tom Cat. Tom is a hilarious comic cat that repeats and records what children sing or say with a very funny voice. He makes me and everyone else giggle and definitely reinforces vocal expression in young clients. Video recordings of Tom’s messages can be uploaded on YouTube, Facebook, or sent by email to family members and friends.

Petra Kern, Ph.D., MT-DMtG, MT-BC, MTA

Santa Barbara, California

My favorite App for Children is Itsy Bitsy Spider by Duck Duck Moose. This app incorporates a familiar song and pictures that when used together create a fun app for children of a variety of ages.  The music is continuous, but the words of the song are only sung when the spider is touched. The app gives the user the ability to change instrumentation, male vs. female singers and also an ability to record your own voice.  The app is also full of colorful pictures, that when pressed provide instant visual and/or audio feedback. At only $1.99, this app provides a variety of uses for the therapist, family and child! 

Meryl Brown MM, MT-BC, DT

Bloomington, IL

My favorite app to use with kids is Air Harp, a melody harp simulator. The app comes with song sheets that you place “behind the strings” just like the real thing. You tap the notes in a “connect-the-dots” fashion to play the song. At $0.99, it’s cheaper than the real instrument and never goes out of tune! It’s also easier for some children to play who can tap but who can’t pluck strings. I use it to develop fine motor coordination.

Kevin Bolton, MT-BC, Murfreesboro, Tennessee

The VAST video-modeling apps from SpeakinMotion were originally designed to be used with aphasia patients are great for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The apps feature close-up videos of just a mouth saying syllables, words, and phrases, and singing songs. They seem to immediately capture the attention of children with ASD, who often miss out on the visual information from lip reading due to lack of eye contact. One app, also available in Spanish, is specifically geared towards ASD, and features syllables, words, multi-syllabic words, and phrases. Another app includes videos of children performing various oral-motor exercises. There are also two songs apps, developed with a music therapist, that feature 22 common children’s and folk songs. The apps range in price from $4.99 to $14.99, and are well worth the investment. But watch for sales during April for Autism Awareness Month!

Dana Bolton, MEd, MMT, MT-BC

Murfreesboro, Tennessee