There are several apps that tweens can reach for to fight boredom over the break – and build their brains at the same time – so they have a leg-up when starting school in the fall.

“If you, as a parent, find it difficult to limit your child to a two-hour per day period to play games on a tablet, you’re not alone,” Kim Bellini, owner and director of The Woodlands LearningRx said. “If your tween can’t keep their eyes off of their tablet, finding apps worthy of their time is the next best thing.”

Bellini says most young people experience learning losses when they do not engage in educational activities during the summer.

“While it is important for your children to keep their brains active over the summer, it can still be fun with the right apps,” she said.

Here are seven free and educational apps that Bellini has rounded up for your tween:

1. Word Stack Free by MochiBits -- Stack and match associated words, synonyms, antonyms, compound words, or words that are just related in some way. The stacks get progressively harder. The free version comes with 40 free stacks and you have the option to buy more.

2. Flow Free by Big Duck Games -- For kids who like Tetris, this game will be a blast. Pair matching colors with pipes to create a flow, covering the board to solve the puzzle. Race against a timer or play freely through hundreds of levels.

3. Left Vs. Right: A Brain Game by MochiBits -- Although the myth of “right-brained” vs. “left-brained” people has been debunked, this game still provides a fun and brain-building workout. Match written words (like “orange”) with the perceived colors. It’s harder than it sounds!

4. Clockwork Brain by Total Eclipse -- Named one of the 500 Best Apps in the World by The London Times, this app includes a variety of games to test memory, visual/spatial ability, language processing and logic.

5. Conundra by Sarah Pierce -- If you like Scrabble, Boggle and Hangman, this anagram game is right up your alley. The anagrams are from 6-10 letters long and there are three free levels.

6. Mathdoku+ by Tapps Tecnologia da Informacao -- Like Sudoku? Love math? This game combines them to create 700 levels of entertainment to build reasoning, logic, and math skills.

7. 4 Pics 1 Word Puzzle: What’s That Word? By Second Gear Games -- This visually challenging game shows four pictures – revealed one at a time--that all represent the same word. Guess the word with fewer photos being shown and you earn coins. There are 10 levels with 250 words.

Finding fun ways to build cognitive skills is The Woodlands LearningRx’s mission. The brain-training center transforms a student’s ability to learn at a core, cognitive level – developing individualized programs to strengthen attention, memory, processing speed and problem solving. To learn more about The Woodlands LearningRX, visit learningrx.com/the-woodlands.



About LearningRx

LearningRx specializes in identifying and correcting the underlying cognitive skill deficiencies that keep people from achieving their full potential in school, business or life. The program was pioneered by Dr. Ken Gibson. Using a comprehensive skills assessment test and intensive one-on-one training, certified trainers quickly and effectively enhance weak cognitive skills such as attention, memory, processing speed, and problem solving. To learn more about The Woodlands LearningRx, visit their web site www.learningrx.com/the-woodlands.