Apps for Socio-Emotional Learning

By: Katie McCormack, EC-SEAT Scholar

Emotionary by Me. Mu. is an emotional journal for the ipad. It would be best used by children who have basic reading skills, so that they can be more independent in using it (although I definitely think educators could help children to use it as well). This app allows children to understand and track their emotions. On the home page, you are given the option to create a new entry or view past entries. When you create a new entry, you are prompted with “Today, I feel…” and can select one of six different emotions. Once you select an emotion, which is paired with a face, you take your own picture showing that emotion. You can then add a voice recording, a text entry and other picture entries to help explain and describe why you’re feeling a certain way. I think this is a beneficial app for children who struggle to differentiate between emotions, especially because it provides visual feedback to the child using his or her own face. This app would also be useful in a classroom setting where children may have to share iPads, as it allows you to create profiles that are password protected.

iLearn with Poko: Emotions and Colors is directed at children who are between the ages of 4 and 6 and focuses on emotions and colors. After clicking on the emotions button, the child is shown videos of different scenarios. For example, the example in the screen shot said “Poko is upset that [his dog] got in the way. How does Poko feel?” The child then selects one of the faces at the top of the screen and drags it into the correct spot. Eventually, you can increase the level according to the child’s understanding, which provides a larger choice of emotions as well as the option to label all the character’s emotions rather than just one character’s emotion. This app is both useful for children just beginning to recognize emotions, and for those who may struggle with perspective taking and theory of mind. In the settings, the educator or parent has the ability to track the progress of the child, allowing the educator or parent to understand the emotions the child may not yet understand.