Here are some ideas for teaching about the topic of the home using apps and mobile devices. The ideas are aimed at the EFL/ESL young learner classroom but can be adapted to other contexts.

1. 5 ideas for teaching about the home using
apps and mobile devices
Kim Ashmore, Director and Co-Founder, LearnAhead Ltd
© Copyright 2011, LearnAhead

2. 5 ideas for teaching about the home using
apps and mobile devices
Here are some ideas for teaching about the home
using apps and mobile devices. The ideas are aimed at
the EFL/ESL young learner classroom but can be
adapted to other contexts.
1. Vocabulary – household objects and furniture
2. Design a home – Elin’s house
3. Activities around the home – My PlayHome
4. Household tasks – Toca House
5. Read and listen to a story
2 © Copyright 2011, LearnAhead

3. 1. Vocabulary – Household objects and furniture
Most mobile phones these days come with a camera, and
here is an activity you can use with older learners who might
have their own mobile phones. Ask learners to take some
photos of objects around the home, for example:
• Take photos of five things in your home you would save
from a fire
• Take photos of objects that you think other students won’t
have in their homes
• Take photos of everyday household objects from a strange
angle (for other students to guess)
Learners bring the photos to school and show the photos in
groups – the activities could be used to learn and recycle
vocabulary of household objects, and could also lead to
some interesting discussions.
3 © Copyright 2011, LearnAhead

4. 1. Vocabulary – Household items and furniture
Word Carrot is an app that will help learners of all ages spell
ten basic words for household objects and furniture. Learners
see the word, hear the word, and choose the right letters to
spell it. You could use it as a game to play on the IWB, or
students can use it to practise words outside the classroom.
Here is an activity you can print for learners to practise the
words further.
The Home Worksheet
App: Word Carrot
Platform: iOS
Cost: Free
4 © Copyright 2011, LearnAhead

5. 2. Design a home – Elin’s House
There are a number of ‘dolls house’ apps on the market and this
post will look at three of them – all language free. First of
all, Elin’s House. This is an interesting one as it’s a) free b)
available for both iOS and Android, and c) particularly useful for
EFL/ESL learners. With this app, users choose a house, and can
then decorate and furnish each room however they like. The
graphics are not wonderful, but it is quite simple to use, and could
be very useful for all kinds of activities.
Note: Watch out for in-app purchases with this app, and make
sure that the functionality is disabled before using with learners.
App: Elin’s House
Platform: iOS/Android
Cost: Free
5 © Copyright 2011, LearnAhead

6. 2. Design a home – Elin’s House
Here are four suggestions for using Elin’s House in the classroom:
• You could decorate a room, but add strange things into it (for
example, flowers in the bedroom; or a lamp in the garden). Show the picture
to your students, and ask them to say what’s wrong with it.
• Use it to get students speaking and listening in English. Ask your students to
tell you what to put in each room, and where to put it (Paint the room green;
put a table in the middle of the room; put three chairs next to the
table etc), and then follow their instructions. Or students could do the activity
in pairs: one student gives instructions, the other follows them. This would be
great for practising vocabulary, and also good for practising giving instructions
and talking about position/location.
• Use it for writing practice. Children could design a room, and
then write about it.
• Ask students to try to create their ideal room using the items in the app. Can
they do it? What items are missing?
6 © Copyright 2011, LearnAhead

7. 3. Activities around the home – My PlayHome
The second ‘dolls house’ app to be featured is My
PlayHome. This is a virtual, interactive play house, and
allows children to role-play typical activities that take
place around the home, such as having a meal, having a
shower, going to bed and so on. There is also a free
version My PlayHome Lite which offers full interactivity
for two rooms: the kitchen and living room.
App: My Playhome Lite
Platform: iOS
Cost: Free
App: My Playhome
Platform: iOS
Cost: £2.49/$3.99
7 © Copyright 2011, LearnAhead

8. 3. Activities around the home – My PlayHome
Lisa Johnson has some great ideas for using My PlayHome in the
classroom on her excellent blog TechChef4u. Here are two of her ideas:
•Take screenshots of a room and have students label the picture using an
app such as Doodle Buddy
•Have students compare and contrast
a room in the app with a room at home
These ideas could be used with other
play home apps of course.
8 © Copyright 2011, LearnAhead

9. 4. Household tasks – Toca House
And the third ‘dolls house’ app is Toca House. The app features five floors of a
house which children can explore. They meet different characters on each
floor, and complete 10 household chores each time they play, such as
mopping the floor, washing the dishes, or mowing the lawn. As with the other
featured apps, there is no language, so it can be used to present language
related to household tasks, and can lead to discussions about who does what
around the home.
App: Toca House
Platform: iOS
Cost: £1.49/$1.99
9 © Copyright 2011, LearnAhead

10. 5. Read and listen to a story
I don’t know how many children’s book and story apps
are out there – but I do know that there a lot. Many of
these stories would work well with the theme of the
home, and I am just going to focus on one here: The
Three Little Pigs – Nosy Crow animated
storybook. This is a useful story for children learning
English as a second/foreign language: it may be well
known to them already; and the language is relatively
simple – and in this app the story is supported by
great animations and actions.
App: The Three Little Pigs – Nosy Crow animated
storybook
Platform: iOS (iphone and ipad)
Cost: £3.99/$5.99
10 © Copyright 2011, LearnAhead

11. 5. Read and listen to a story
The Three Little Pigs presents three modes: read and play;
read to me; read by myself. ‘Read and play’ would be a great
place to start in the classroom, and would be ideal with a
small group of children, who could interact with the
story. The story makes the most of the ipad’s technical
capabilities, for example, children can blow into the
microphone to blow the house down, and they can interact
with the characters and objects by touching the screen.
This app is a little more expensive, but could be used again
and again to inspire lots of classroom-based activities relating
to topics from the home (for example, making houses out of
different materials), to pigs (making puppets). Or children
could make their own books. See this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YMbh5TZCps
11 © Copyright 2011, LearnAhead

12. 5 ideas for teaching about the home using
apps and mobile devices
Have you got any more ideas to share? Then share
them at :
http://wordcarrot.com/5-ideas-for-teaching-about-
the-home-and-furniture-using-apps-and-mobile-
devices/
Thank you!
12 © Copyright 2011, LearnAhead