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Monday, June 13, 2011

Apps for Kids


I wasn't sure what people used iPads for until we were given one (a very generous birthday gift for my husband), but I can't believe how much we use it. And of course the kids are all over it, but I have found it hard to figure out in the app store what games would be suitable for Miss 4. 

This week I discovered Toca Boca (via Li'l Magoolie and Meet Me at Mike's) and it is EXACTLY what I was looking for - cute, fun, a teensy bit educational, and completely intuitive for little hands, no instructions needed. Toca Boca have a range of games and the favourite in our house so far is the Toca Doctor puzzles (pictured above), but by far the cutest is the tea party - choose the tablecloth, plates, drinks and cakes for your tea party, lie the iPad flat then sit special toys around the place settings! So clever.

Toca Boca Tea Party

A friend of ours has launched another great game, Little Fingers Nursery Rhymes, which records voices so children can read a story and choose who will be reading it to them. Of course my daughter thinks recording and listening to her own voice is hilarious.

Little Fingers Nursery Rhymes

The other app that has been a hit so far is Park Math, a supercute puzzle game.

Park Math

Note: this is not a sponsored post, I am just an iPad convert! I would love an iPhone too (mainly because I am lazy and the thought of having an iPod/phone/camera/video camera all in one appeals!) but I don't think Mr Toddler and I can be trusted with one yet, I do like being able to throw my ageing phone in my handbag, and it surviving toddler-drops...

Do you have any iPad or iPhone apps you would recommend? I would really like some old-fashioned fairytale picturebooks but have only found ugly ones so far. I didn't know if I would enjoy reading a grownup book on the iPad but it has so many great features - you can change the brightness of the page, the size of the type, leave lots of bookmarks... and the best thing is downloading a book is so quick and easy - did you know Amazon now sells more digital books than hardbacks and paperbacks put together?