What is the ANTON app?
The ANTON app is a free educational application for children starting at about 4 years of age. It covers the content that is usually part of elementary and middle school curricula in Germany across the following subject areas:
- German,
- Math,
- Biology,
- Sachunterricht,
- Musik, and
- Deutsch als Zweitsprache.
There are different levels for each subject. Overall, though, the app features about 100,000 activities across 200 different activity types. Children can collect stars and trophies as they complete activities. Additionally, there are interactive games and explanations.You can even create groups—a function that works for families as well as teachers who would like to use the app in the classroom. You can create a code for each group so only those who have the code can join.
The app is available for smartphone, tablet and computer. It is commercial free and financially supported and endorsed by the European Union.
My personal experiences with the ANTON app
From my own experience, I found that my almost 4-year old daughter can do some (not all) activities for Deutsch Klasse 1 and Math Klasse 1. For example, Deutsch Klasse 1 has activities that are geared toward the basics of learning how to write and select the right letters. The activities pretty much mirror what they do in pre-schools in the United States. For instance, in one activity there are a bunch of letters on the screen and the child has to tap on all “E/e” letters. Another activity requires children to use their finger and follow an arrow that guides them how to write a certain letter. Other activities are more reading based and thus still beyond her reach. For instance, exercises that require her to form words out of syllables or to identify where in a word the given letter is (front, middle, or back) are still too challenging.
Why the ANTON app?
Overall, though, it’s an app that is interactive, fun to use, and holds educational value. Plus, it provides positive and reinforcing feedback. Personally, I find that it allows me to accompany my daughter’s U.S. school curriculum by providing parallel experiences in German.
Source for images: https://www.news4teachers.de/2019/04/anton-die-lern-app-fuer-die-schule/
