Monthly Archives: January 2012

I love my iPad.  Love it. Before I had my son, I would have put on my most judgmental hat and proclaimed that my child would never, ever play games on it.  That was then, and this is reality:  the iPad has some fantastic educational games for toddlers. I’m a firm believer that things done well and done in moderation are healthy, and that includes some game playing.

Finding great apps hasn’t been easy.  Amid the quality, there are plenty of duds (and I’ll review one of those at the end of this post, too!).  And now, on to the quality apps!

Books

Is The Going to Bed Book a staple at your house, too?  The Going to Bed Book app ($3.99) is a brilliantly animated version of the book with charming narration.  Equally amazing is another Sandra Boynton favorite, Barnyard Dance ($3.99).  Other beloved Boynton titles such as Moo, Baa, La La La and Blue Hat, Green Hat are also available for the diehard Boynton fan, but are far inferior products for the same price.

Read Me Stories – Children’s Books (App is free; books are priced individually) is a great talking picture book that allows children to listen to the story or read it himself.  With a huge library of books available, there’s a lot of mileage to be had out of this app.

Counting and Vocabulary Games

Toddler Counting

Toddler Counting ($.99) is a huge favorite at our house.  The premise is simple:  a number of objects appear on the screen.  As the child touches each object, a brightly colored number appears on it to assist him in learning to count.  The “easy” setting uses lower numbers, while the advanced setting assists in counting up to twenty.

Voice Toddler Cards ($1.99) is a great vocabulary flashcard program.  Words are sorted into categories: numbers, colors, animals, foods, and a random category that draws words from each.  Each card features the word, an illustration, and an audio reading of the word.

Just for Fun

Color Drops (Free) is the rare app that is equally fun on the iPad and the iPhone.   The screen becomes a canvas for little fingers to experiment with bright colors, and the animation and sounds make it compelling for the young artist.  I found it incredible that this app is a freebie.

KidsAPP HD:  The Farm ($1.99) is an extremely versatile app, featuring coloring,

The Farm

puzzles, and picture exploration.  The illustrations are cute and the sounds are perfect.

Among all of the great apps, I’ve found my share of awful programs too.  Among them, I Hear Ewe wins the award for the most wasted potential.   It is a flashcard app featuring animals and vehicles, but its usefulness is hampered by its own set up.  Rather than simply saying the name of the word when your child touches the picture, the narrator says “This is what a cow says:  moo. “  It would have been much better if it just said “cow” and played the sound effect.   There’s an option to turn off the narration, but that limits the educational value of the app.

Readers, do you have any app recommendations?