What's New

iOS 13 Support

App Description

Based on the proven Montessori learning method, Montessori Crosswords helps kids develop their reading, writing, and spelling skills by building words from a set of 320 word-image-audio-phonics combinations using a phonics-enabled movable alphabet.

• Editor's Choice Award ( 4.8 stars out of 5 ) "It is an extremely powerful early reading experience." - Children's Technology Review
• "Best literacy app in my opinion" - Sue, National Board Certified Teacher
• Featured by Apple in "Apps for Learning to Read" & "Apps for Learning to Write"
• Commonsensemedia.org - “Montessori Crosswords is a great way for kids to develop literacy in an engaging way that feels like play."

• More than 280,000 units sold!
• Used in schools to learn phonics and spelling (65,000 units sold to schools)

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Montessori Crosswords helps kids learn and understand two fundamental concepts:

• First, the app helps kids understand that words are made up of sounds or phonemes (phonemic awareness). For each word, your kids can touch the empty rectangles where letters must be dragged to complete the word, and hear the sound the corresponding letter produces.

• Secondly, the app helps kids memorize the phonics associated with letters by providing a phonics-enabled alphabet where kids can touch each letter and hear the associated phonic.

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Montessori Crosswords allows you to select words according to their difficulty or sound categories:

• Level 1 displays a three-letter word with no difficulty for beginning readers (CVC words)
• Levels 2, 3 & 4 offer more complex words that contain more complex phonics (as long vowels sounds or blends), and also offer the option to automatically create multi-word crosswords in tens of thousands of different combinations
• Alternately, you can choose from 44 sound categories (i.e. choose words that contain a specific sound (for example, long a, “k” sound, and so on).
• You can also create custom word lists based on letter clusters
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To create an enjoyable experience, the app also includes sounds, animations, and interactive visual effects that are displayed after a word is completed.
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More Features:

• Digraph Support : "oo", "th",... are displayed as a whole unit
• R-Controlled vowels support ("car","horn",...)
• Capital, lower-case, or cursive letter display
• Setting to show only letters are in the word to spell (great for beginners!)
• Setting to force spelling from left to right
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Users & Reports

• Create any number of users
• Check and export activity for each user in the Reports section
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Common Core State Standard (CCSS):
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.K.1b Recognize that spoken words are represented in written language by specific sequences of letters.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.K.2 & CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.1.2 Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.K.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
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More reviews:

• Wired's GeekDad - "5 Favorite Apps for Elementary School iPads" - "An excellent tool for learning spelling and early literacy (...) It can build from simple to more complex words making it usable by students from prep through to grade 3 or 4"

• Teachers' Reviews:
-Sue on Iear.org - "I just have to say I love Montessori Crosswords both as a parent (to 2, 7, and 8 year olds) and K teacher. I like that the app is appropriate for the developmental levels of my students and all three of my kids"
-Cindy - "This is one of my favorite educational apps. I highly recommend it for the children who are learning to read and spell. The kids also love the interactive artwork."
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Email questions or suggestions to [email protected].

iPhone Screenshots

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Montessori Crosswords for Kids screenshot 1 Montessori Crosswords for Kids screenshot 2 Montessori Crosswords for Kids screenshot 3 Montessori Crosswords for Kids screenshot 4 Montessori Crosswords for Kids screenshot 5

iPad Screenshots

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Montessori Crosswords for Kids screenshot 6 Montessori Crosswords for Kids screenshot 7 Montessori Crosswords for Kids screenshot 8 Montessori Crosswords for Kids screenshot 9 Montessori Crosswords for Kids screenshot 10

App Changes

  • June 24, 2011 New version 3.0
  • July 05, 2011 Price increase: $1.99 -> $2.99
  • October 15, 2011 Price decrease: $2.99 -> $1.99
  • October 17, 2011 Price increase: $1.99 -> $2.99
  • October 23, 2011 Price decrease: $2.99 -> $1.99
  • October 27, 2011 Price increase: $1.99 -> $2.99
  • October 30, 2011 Price decrease: $2.99 -> $1.99
  • November 09, 2011 Price increase: $1.99 -> $2.99
  • December 16, 2011 New version 3.5
  • December 17, 2011 Price decrease: $2.99 -> $0.99
  • December 19, 2011 Price increase: $0.99 -> $2.99
  • December 20, 2011 Price decrease: $2.99 -> $0.99
  • December 21, 2011 Price increase: $0.99 -> $2.99
  • January 04, 2012 Price decrease: $2.99 -> $0.99
  • January 06, 2012 Price increase: $0.99 -> $2.99
  • January 13, 2012 Price decrease: $2.99 -> $0.99
  • January 14, 2012 Price increase: $0.99 -> $2.99
  • February 18, 2012 Price decrease: $2.99 -> $0.99
  • February 19, 2012 Price increase: $0.99 -> $1.99
  • February 20, 2012 Price increase: $1.99 -> $2.99
  • March 16, 2012 New version 3.6
  • June 11, 2012 Price decrease: $2.99 -> $1.99
  • June 14, 2012 Price increase: $1.99 -> $2.99
  • December 19, 2012 Price decrease: $2.99 -> $0.99
  • December 21, 2012 Price increase: $0.99 -> $2.99
  • October 05, 2013 New version 4.7
  • April 29, 2014 New version 5.0
  • July 07, 2014 New version 5.0.1
  • June 14, 2019 New version 5.1
  • October 22, 2019 New version 5.2