Kids should be outside in the sun playing with their friends, yeah I know... But what if they don’t want to, and instead are choosing to play games on the iPhone or iPad? Is that such a bad thing? And you as a parent, can you really control that after letting them play with these devices? Isn’t it actually nice to have options? Something we couldn't have had at their age..
Alright then, so I’m not a mom (yet), but I do have nephews and I can see they have time for both playground and iPad so I don’t see what is wrong with that. In fact, I personally encourage them to play with educational apps so it is
also contribute to the child's development as far as I see it.
Over the last two days I was searching for the best apps on the iPad appstore that are:
- Completely free
- Interactive
- Educational
- Looks great and suitable for kids (meaning, zero ads)
I roughly divided the app list to group of ages, so all you need to do is to create a folder on your iPad, you can call it: “Free & Awesome”, and throw all my recommendations in :)
iPad games for
Toddlers (1-2 years old)
Lullaby Night Light Soother:
This is just a wonderful app when you can close the light, open the app, leave the iPad on your new born room and it will play a pleasant melody while changing colors on the background app. Very useful since the app won’t stop until you deiced to close it, so the melody keeps on going..
Baby Finger:
This app is suitable for toddlers and kids with disabilities. It allows them to touch on the screen in order to create shapes and sounds. Very easy and addictive for the little ones.
My Scene:
I found this set of great apps created by a company called
MyFirstApp - All of their apps are drag & drop based with beautiful interface. I was kind of amazed every single one of them is free. On this one your kid can drag relevant elements to familiar scene such as: The Sea, The Park, etc.
(wish it had sound though)
Kid’s songs:
Quite a treasure I must say, it is the only app I found that will let you play a great list of kid's songs for free. It is also built like a karaoke machine so your kids can see the lyrics and repeat the words playing.
Monster Chorus:
A bunch of cute monsters singing in a chorus when clicking on them, your kids will love it!
Awesome Xylophone:
A clean xylophone (no hiding ads) that is fun to bang on, and listen to its magical sound.
Forest Friends:
One of the cutest app, allowing your kids to paint, play the piano, watch a movie, listen to a story, and meet the forest animal friends.
(3-5 years old)
Build it Up:
An educational app for the young ones, allowing them to drag elements in order to build a complete object such a birthday cake, a play-toy, and more.
Match it Up:
Another educational app that allows children to match things up together. There are three different apps in the store for that - all are very colorful and helpful.
A Sunny Day:
If your kid is going to a kindergarten it will be nice to go over all his daily activities so he’ll remember them easily - this is what this app do: Visualize a day in a kid life
Singing Fingers:
Wouldn't it be great to sing while drawing something, then listen to it? Well now you can! Moreover, it is a wonderful way to save your child voice recorded.
Four Seasons:
A magical and interactive storybook for children of all ages, celebrating Earth Day and the gifts of nature. (by Israel-based
http://www.itabtale.com/)
AnimalPuzzle:
You probably familiar with the wood puzzle games where you need to combine few pieces to make the puzzle complete. AnimalPuzzle based on a similar idea, allowing your kids to make animals out of wood-like puzzle pieces.
Farm Flip:
A nicely done memory game designed for the young ones - with animal sound and lovely pictures.
Balloons:
An e-learning application that lets its small users the ability to show their knowledge in a fun and interactive way.
(6-7 years old)
Math Tap:
Related app to Balloons, Math-Tap gives older kids an easy way to answer math problems.
Egg a Sketch:
Have you ever tried to paint over an egg?
You can start practice on this app first..
Lets create pottery HD lite:
One of the amazing apps I’ve ever tested on the iPad. I already bought the full version but the lite one is good enough to start with. Closer to realistic way to create pottery art, decorate it, then sell it, get virtual money and buy more decorations for your next artwork. Fun for all the family.
EmmaZoo:
Find the differences in a colorful animation set.
Connect Master Classic:
Connect Master Classic is a fun puzzle game. Player needs to match a same per of picture that go through the same clear line. Good exercises for the brain (all ages)
Update! Adding
Jigsaw Junior to the list: A great way to play with jigsaw made out of your own kids pictures. (free for limited time)
Get these apps:
