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?

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Friday Night is Family Game Night ...

... and not because a tv commercial told us so :) Friday night is game night because that is when Meaghan comes "home". And Meaghan loves games. She recognizes that a good game brings us all together in laughter and playful competition. Games help her to feel better connected to us ... and I think that must be true of anyone who plays games with their loved ones.

So, because I have shared some of our favorite movies and books this week, I thought I might also share some of our favorite family games. It is the holiday season after all ... and perhaps you might find some gift-giving ideas from such a list. (If you click on their titles, you can see their Amazon.com descriptions & reviews.)

Here they are:

Apples to Apples ~ apparently this is the most popular game in America now, but we've been playing it for quite some time. And it can get downright hilarious! Best to play with kids of reading age who also have some knowledge of popular culture. There is also a junior edition available that can be fun, but no where near as fun as the party version. Click link to see a video about the game.

Cranium Cadoo ~ what other game has you playing with clay, acting out secret words, making pictionary style drawings, etc...etc... This game has it all. Though adults will certainly have an edge ( I win almost every game) ... it is so much fun to play, that it isn't really about winning, but about enjoying each other during the playing.

Loot ~ Our family may not be into violence, but we have a weakness for pirates. I offer no defense for this. It just "is". And this pirate game is our absolute favorite card game. We take over one another's merchant ships with wild gluttonous abandon. I am told that the maker of this game, Gamewright, consistently wins "Toy of the Year" awards for their card games. We certainly plan to buy more to add to our game collection.

Clue Jr. ~ Just like the classic game Clue, minus the murder :) Instead, you are trying to find out who took the missing piece of cake. Yum. Find those crumbs, and you'll know who did it. Now you just have to figure out which room they ate it in, what time they did so, and with what kind of beverage! Fun for adults too.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Card Game ~ This game was one of Meaghan's firsts ... and is really good for introducing card games to the younger crowd. I figure that Isaac (who is 4 months shy of 3 years old) will be ready for it soon.

The Enchanted Forest ~ This is probably my personal favorite. It is both a memory game and a strategy game. You need to memorize components of the game, watch your opponent closely, and strategize how to out-wit them. I love that it is a fairly multi-layered game. And it helps that it has a fairy tale theme ... giving it some added interest.

We keep some other games as well, but these have tended to be our favorites. So, again, please share some of your faves too ... I would love to add more to our collection!

Love,

Jodi

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