With the amount of exposure children have to these kinds of consumer electronics, it’s now probably a must for parents (and adults in general) to have apps that are not only fun and child-friendly but are also educational. Some great examples are interactive educational apps. Not only are they specifically designed and marketed for kids, they are also fun to use—even for adults! Here are some interactive apps you should try on your iPhone.
Complete Toddler Preschool
There are many things young children have to learn before officially starting school. There are lots of interactive apps that can actually help you prep your kid for school without the hefty budget. Consider Complete Toddler Preschool by Toddler Teasers, an app that helps kids learn all about colors, numbers, shapes, animals, letters, and even mundane things like food, transportation, and musical instruments! The great thing about this app is that while it’s highly educational, it presents simple lessons to kids in a very enjoyable way. It features games, quizzes, puzzles, and flashcards to help parents teach kids how to identify objects. The games and puzzles are so simple to use, kids could easily figure them out by themselves. Download: Complete Toddler Preschool [Android]
Nursery Jam
Some studies show that music can help accelerate children’s mental development. They not only learn music and rhythm, they also get to practice proper word pronunciation. Nursery Jam is a great way to start your kid’s love for music through your iPhone or iPod Touch. Unlike most nursery rhyme applications, Nursery Jam allows kids to interact with the graphics of the song showed on the screen. This not only teaches kids the basic nursery songs they would enjoy, it also shows them what each song actually means through pictures. Download: Nursery Jam [iOS]
Letter Writer Ocean
Gone are the days of scratch paper and big pencils for practicing writing. In this modern era (where writers like me would much rather type than actually write), parents can do much better teaching their kids how to write by using apps like Letter Writer Ocean. What makes the alphabet more fun to learn is that each letter actually features an underwater animal, thus broadening their knowledge of sea creatures at the same time. While teaching a kid how to write holding a pencil is still very important, practicing writing on an iPhone could always be handy when you need to distract your kid. Download: Letter Writer Oceans [iOS]
Make Me a Superhero/Princess
Interactive apps also serve as a great way to keep your kid busy while getting groceries or driving. For those times when you just want your kids to have a world of their own and be caught up in their imagination, you can try downloading Make Me a Superhero or Make Me a Princess. The app allows your kid to design his or her own costume and choose superpowers, looks, and hairstyles. They can even go as far as giving their characters wings, capes, or tiaras, giving it the ultimate superhero/princess feel. The UI looks like it came straight from a manga or a comic book! Download: Make Me a Superhero & Make Me a Princess [Android]
Doodle Find
Games with an art or hidden pictures theme is probably the best way to keep a child quiet during an event or a dinner party, and Doodle Find is no exception. The most fun part about this app is that it’s free and very enjoyable, even for adults. All you need to do is to find the doodle picture that matches the doodle on top of the screen in 90 seconds. This may sound like too much for a kid but it actually trains them to have better hand and eye coordination and teaches them picture-to-word associations. Another plus is that you can brag about their scores (and yours too) on Facebook! No matter how you use your iPhone for your kid, make sure they are learning using the most effective methods you know of. Whether it’s the high-tech or traditional way, at the end of the day it’s the fun you had with your kid and the new lessons you both learned that matter most. Have fun! Download: Doodle Find [iOS]
