Cursive Touch and Write vs ELSB for Older Students Lite
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Cursive Touch and Write
This app teaches children cursive handwriting using fun, tactile textures like shaving cream and frosting. It offers single letter and whole word practice modes, with the ability to create custom word lists for personalized learning.
- 18+ writing textures (shaving cream, frosting, etc.)
- 35+ writing papers with classroom-style lines
- Single Letter and Whole Word practice modes
- Create custom word and name lists
- Real-time letter formation comparison
- Adjustable learning rewards
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Kids love learning to write cursive - especially when they can use shaving cream, paint, and jello! "Cursive Touch and Write" was developed by teachers, and recreates the fun and effective teaching strategy used in classrooms every day: learning writing with shaving cream, jello, finger paint, and more! Practice single letters in "Single Letter Mode" for more support, then switch to "Whole Word Mode" to write entire words with connected letters! (Note: "Whole Word Mode" is only available for the iPad version.) "Cursive Touch and Write" allows you easily to create your own lists of children's names, spelling lists and favorite words so that you can individualize the learning experience! FEATURES: ‣Comes with 18 different writing textures: shaving cream, ketchup, lime gelatin, chocolate frosting, chalk, pencil, blue pen, lemon gelatin, chocolate pudding, syrup, grape jelly, whipped cream, pumpkin pie, red paint, and vanilla pudding! iPhone/iPod Touch version comes with 16 textures. ‣Comes with 35 different writing papers, including different line patterns children are most likely to find in real classrooms, food papers, animal papers, nature papers, and papers for children with visual impairments! iPhone/iPod Touch version comes with 28 papers. ‣Children can practice writing their own names and create individualized lists of spelling words or favorite words. ‣Comes with the following word lists: ABC Countries of the World (and 1 City), 50 States, The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over the Lazy Dog, ABC Words, Palindromes, Alphabet Letters, Numbers – and of course you may add as many of your own lists as you like! ‣As children write, their actual letter formation is displayed next to a standard letter, so children can compare and work to improve their cursive. ‣Brief reward at the end of each word reinforces learning and motivates children, without becoming a distraction. You may change the length of this reward or remove it altogether on the "Settings" page. ‣Created by practicing classroom teachers – based on best teaching practices! Please contact us at fizzbrain@gmail.com with any questions, problems, or suggestions. We will get right back to you – we listen to our customers! And if you have additional textures or papers you would like to see included in an update, let us know!
ELSB for Older Students Lite
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Teach early literacy skills to your older students using age-appropriate materials Note: This free version comes with level 1 - Lesson 1 and Level 5 - lesson 1. Full levels can be purchased from the in-app store. Meet Sam! She's the adolescent character featured in our Early Literacy Skills Builder for Older Students curriculum. Your older students with significant intellectual disability or autism, who still need to develop the foundations of literacy, will have Sam to help them along the way. Using the same scope and sequence as ELSB, this version was specifically designed to give older students who have not been exposed to foundational reading skills, age-appropriate activities to learn them. Seven levels present skills in 14 objectives including the conventions of print, phonemic awareness, letter-sound correspondence, listening comprehension, vocabulary, and writing. Skills increase in difficulty as students progress from Level 1 to Level 7. The app incorporates the best practices of systematic and direct instruction. The app directs the student, provides feedback, and gathers data on the student's performance. Instruction can be conducted with individual students or with groups. Students love creating an avatar to represent them. Avatars also appear on screen to interact with Sam. Sam Stories, describing the adventures of Sam, her family, and her friends, are read to students in the software. They can follow along using the spiral bound book provided. A writing activity focuses on new vocabulary. End-of-level assessments determine when students move to the next level.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: ELSB for Older Students Lite at Free against Cursive Touch and Write's $2.99. ELSB for Older Students Lite also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 18 months). Cursive Touch and Write's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7) and device support (3 vs 1). On ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
ELSB for Older Students Lite is free to download; Cursive Touch and Write costs $2.99 up front. ELSB for Older Students Lite sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Cursive Touch and Write asks for nothing beyond the download.
Cursive Touch and Write ships an update every 18 months, ELSB for Older Students Lite every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Cursive Touch and Write | ELSB for Older Students Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Positive reviews | 46.2% of reviews | — |
| Update frequency | Every 18 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.2 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 69 MB | 244 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | FIZZBRAIN LLC | Attainment Company |
In-app purchases
Cursive Touch and Write
No in-app purchases
ELSB for Older Students Lite
- Level 1$21.99
- Level 2$21.99
- Level 3$21.99
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- Level 4$21.99
- Level 5$21.99
- Level 6$21.99
- Level 7$21.99
Questions
Is Cursive Touch and Write free?
Is ELSB for Older Students Lite free?
Do Cursive Touch and Write or ELSB for Older Students Lite have ads?
Which is updated more often, Cursive Touch and Write or ELSB for Older Students Lite?
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