Apps to keep kids ‘appy!
Our favourite apps for kids (and parents)
Thursday, 11 Oct 2012
How did we survive before apps? When the kids are going crazy and all else fails, iPhones and iPads provide the ideal distraction, so you can avoid mammoth meltdowns. Here’s some of our favourite apps to entertain (and maybe even educate) kids.
Babies
Sound Shaker is a highly intuitive app that will get tiny tots giggling. They can create and play with sounds by simple tapping and tilting. It’s a 21st century rattle. $2.58
Kitty Says Hello is simple, fun and educational (what more could you ask for?). Bubbas love tapping the cute animals on the screen to hear their sounds. $1.28
Itsy Bitsy Spider by Duck Duck Moose is interactive, engaging and a real hit with tiny tots. Watch them squeal as they poke and prod the screen to see what happens. $2.58
Happy Babies Baby Touch, based on the best-selling Ladybird books, is brightly coloured with gentle music and sounds effects, ideal for little ears and little fingers. $3.98
Toddlers
Do you have trouble putting your little ones to sleep? Put the farm animals to sleep and turn off the lights in the fabulous Nighty Night, The Bedtime Book app, and they’ll soon be sleeping soundly. $1.28
Seek & Find: My Animals will amuse and entertain tots. Little explorers can search for amusing animations in this beautifully illustrated, interactive activity book. $1.28
Little Fox Music Box is an adorable app that gets kids tapping and singing along to well-known nursery rhymes, with animations, interactivity and a plenty of charm. $3.98
Pip and Posy Fun and Games is based on Axel Scheffler’s popular picture book. It’s got gorgeous illustrations, games and a bucketful of charm. $3.98
Preschool
Weetwoo is pure genius. Your little ones can watch videos of their favourite TV programmes downloaded from YouTube without you worrying about less than desirable content. $4.98
Doodlecast for Kids is a clever app that brings drawings to life, turning your child’s art and voice into cool movies. Share them with the grandparents too for maximum brownie points! $2.58
Toca Boca have taken the app world by storm. Kids can rock out with their latest app Toca Band. Mix beats and sounds, and create some noise! $2.58
What better way to cool down with Ice Box Doodle, an app that let’s kids create endless frozen treats. Loads of fun but no mess! $1.28
Primary School
Where’s Wally? The Fantastic Journey is the ultimate search and find adventure for all ages. Kids will love scouring the virtual globe in search of Wally and his friends. We found it very addictive too. $1.28
Bobo Explores Light is a super cool app that teaches curious children all about light in an exciting and hands-on way that will keep them enthralled and inspired. $5.98
The new Wizard of Oz app is a pop-up book with amazing 3D graphics, and original sound effects and music. Kids will enjoy Dorothy’s adventure from Kansas to Oz. Free
Playtime Theater (iPad only) provides kids with a world of make believe, story telling and drama where they can create their very own puppet show. $3.98
We’ve snuck in one last app that’s more for us parents. Artkive is a great way to store, share or print your kids’ art. Never again feel guilty about throwing away their pictures… It’s FREE too (for now).
