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iParent12 kid-friendly iPhone apps for toddlers and young kids
- 29 April, 2009
- 24 comments
Update & Saliva Warning: I took my iPhone in for a repair this week and was told my warranty was void because a small paper tab Apple implants in each iPhone showed the phone had been exposed to liquid. Since this phone has never gotten wet, we suspect that the moisture detector (which is just inside the dock port) was triggered by excess saliva from the kids playing Ocarina and Balloonimals, both of which involve blowing into the phone. If your kids are still at the drooly stage, you may want to avoid iPhone games that involve mouth-to-iPhone contact.
You may think of your iPhone as a communications device, a productivity tool, an iPod or even a babe magnet. But if that's all an iPhone is to you, you're missing its most extraordinary power: the ability to keep a preschooler silent and occupied for the length of time it takes a grown-up to eat a meal in a restaurant with actual tablecloths.
We discovered the awesome child-pacifying powers of our iPhones last summer, while on a leadership retreat at the Hollyhock Centre. Hollyhock is almost the last place on earth you want to be outed as an over-technologized parent, but we decided we'd rather be the freaks whose kids can't be separated from the small screen, than the freaks whose kids are incredibly noisy and disrupt everybody's dinner (though there were some nights when we got to be both).
At first, we treated the iPhones as very tiny TV screens, capable of amusing our kids with downloaded Diego and Dora episodes. But within a few weeks of his second birthday, our little guy had already mastered the art of unlocking a sleeping iPhone, navigating to the iPod player, and getting Diego up and running. From this we inferred that the kids might be up for something more interactive, and tried out a variety of educational -- and not so educational -- games over the following months.
The opportunity to download a new iPhone app is now the second-most-requested privilege in our house: ahead of junk food, but still behind the lure of a new arts & crafts project. (Phew!) Saturday is "you get to buy a new app from the iTunes store" day, and our elder kid now has her sights set on an iPhone (or iPod touch) of her own.
Here are some of the apps that have been consistent hits in our house. I'd love to hear about other iPhone apps that appeal to the 3-5 set.
Fairies Fly: If you're the kind of parent who refuses to take your kid to Disney movies on principle, this is not the application for you. If, on the other hand, you are a five-year-old girl, you will think that steering Tinkerbell and other Disney fairies through trees, clouds and insects is pretty much the best thing that has ever happened in the entire history of the world.- Zippo Lighter: On the one hand, it seems like an extraordinarily poor idea to encourage a small kid to play with fire. On the other hand, it seems to have completed displaced the fascination with REAL matches and lighters that I associate with small children.
The Wheels on the Bus: This interactive version of the kids' song is genuinely awesome; your kid can sing along in English, French, Spanish or several other languages, or record his own voice and listen to himself sing. No downsides except for the remarkable ethnic homogeneity of the bus riders & townspeople, which I can excuse on the grounds that this version seems to be set in a small French village (why, I couldn't tell you.)- Cylon Detector: If you're geeky enough to think that an iPhone is an appropriate kid toy, you probably share our eagerness to induct your children into sci-fi geekdom as early as possible. The Battlestar Galactica Cylon Detector lets you or your kid snap a photo, and then find out whether the subject is a Cylon. Our kids love the composited photos of themselves and their friends in BSG garb; we love them getting groovy with Captain Adama et al.
- Subway Shuffle Lite: Move the obstacles so the train can move from one station to the other. A very simple logic game that can be modestly challenging for adults, and is a good brain-builder for kids who fight it engaging.
- Tappy Tunes: Unless you're ready to start nagging your kids about piano practice, Tappy Tunes is the easiest way to get them playing music that sounds like, well, music. The kids tap the screen, and it plays the notes of a song, in order; your kid basically controls the pace, but not the tune.
Ocarina: An iPhone version of the wind instrument: blow into your iPhone's mike while you tap the appropriate spots on the screen, and you can play your iPhone ocarina like a real instrument. The kids love the challenge of modulating their breath and coordinating with the taps on screen. - Scoops: Tilt the iPhone to slide your ice cream cone back and forth across the screen, catching more ice scream scoops and avoiding the tomatoes and onions. Simple, quiet and enjoyable.
- Balloonimals: Blow into the mike to inflate a balloon, then shake the phone to make a balloon animal. The resulting 3-D animals each perform a few different motions depending on where you tap. It's all in the execution, here; nice images and animations make for a great experience.
- Bugdom: Help your bug navigate through a garden, zapping bees and catching butterflies.
- Toddler Teasers: Basic toddler challenges, like shape and colour identification. The instructions are spoken out loud, instead of written, which is something more kid-oriented games should think of!
Peekaboo Barn: Guess which animal you're hearing through the barn doors before the barn opens. It's the adorable illustrations that make this game so charming; our toddler was delighted each time a new animal was revealed.
Last but most essential: the Clarifi case, useful for sharpening your iPhone's camera so you can take great shots of your kids. And even more useful when those tiny, techie fingers let your $299 iPhone drop on the restaurant floor.
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About Alexandra Samuel
Social Signal CEO, Harvard Ph.D. and compulsive adopter of online task management and collaboration tools.
Comments
Dethe Elza says
Alex, where do you get these? My kids are older, but I wanted the Cylon detector for myself (I would share it with them). When I tried to get it, I was told it is not available from the Canadian iTunes Store. Do you have a secret Yankee iPhone?
Jason Gordon says
My app, "BumperCars" launched in the App store about a week ago (its been in the top 70 in the "Kids Games" category for the past few days), and the feedback has been really positive so far. It's great for kids (or all ages, really), non-violent, has great music and is a simple and easy to use time waster.
The link to the App store is below - Check it out everyone!
Direct App Store Link:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftwareid=313260518&mt=8
anusen says
We have few apps catered mostly towards toddlers and younger kids. We developed these games to have fun at the same time kids learn. Our apps focuses ono two areas
1. Help kids to learn Words
Word Magic, Sight Words & Digraphs, Match 'em up - Words are few of them helping kids to learn and pick up words.
2. Help kids to learn Math
Math Magic, Math Series, Match Magic and Math 'em up - Math are few of them to help kids to pick up their math skills
We hope parents and kids have fun with our apps
Anusen - team of 3 Daddy, Mommy and 5 year old :)
anusen says
Ops. Forgot to mention the link: http://ax.search.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZSearch.woa/wa/search?entity=software&media=all&submit=seeAllLockups&term=anusen
Bon Voyage | Norton Today says
[...] Kid-friendly iPhone Apps – For the actual trip, if you’re traveling with kids consider getting some kid-friendly apps. They can keep young ones entertained on long car-rides, or provide “eBooks” for your web-savvy preschooler. If you’re looking for landmarks, you might like this Landmark Finder. Tags: Flickr, friendly, Google, iPhone App, kids, travel RSS Feed [...]
Jason says
My company recently released Animal Fun Time to help kids learn about animals in a fun new way. My nephews and nieces love it and all feedback has been good. It is in the top 50 in education for iPhone currently and I am trying my best to get the word out to parents who would benefit from it.
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=321592228&mt=8
Any feedback would be appreciated tremendously!
Anonymous says
Also, check out Happy Baby - Alphabet learning tool
- English alphabets are displayed sequentially (like flash cards).
- Alphabets are pronounced (Optional switch).
- Pause button to stop at an alphabet
- Reset button to start over
- Timer can be adjusted to delay display of alphabets
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=324385183&mt=8
Twitter Trackbacks for 12 kid-friendly iPhone apps for todd says
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Joe Johnson says
We just launched MonsterABC - yes, yet another ABC game - but we think this one is different.
Let us know what you think.
MonsterABC $.99
www.monsterabc.com
Tim says
Take a look at Morgan Moody's Math adventure. It is great for children who are learning how to count all the way up to children who are leaning how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide.
Link to the game on the itunes store: http://bit.ly/s4GIH
bity says
Thup has just launched a fun game for toddlers:
Monkey Preschool Lunchbox-
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=328205875&mt=8
theRab says
Also you'll find sounding pictures for kiddies on http://www.Winzki.de
This is the iTunes App Store link: Click here
These very nice apps have been specifically designed for the use by young children. (And you don't need to blow into the phone ;-) ) For example: If you swipe, it even works when another finger rests on the display. My boy taught me that to keep his frustration low ;-)
Of course, there's a "Lite Winzki" for free, so you can try it out. More themes are "Farm Winzki", "Home Winzki", "Build Winzki", "Cute Winzki" and possibly even more...
Have fun!
lukeca says
Check out AWazDat, it's a great new app for toddlers with fun pictures, sounds, and colors!
http://www.awazdat.com
AyshMom says
My 18 month old loves "Peekaboo Barn" - He can name the animals form the sounds before he taps on the barn to reveal which animal it is. the little girl's voice in the app is absolutely adorable and my little one completely mimics her !
However, I do think the number of options are way limited for a $1.99 app !
Erich says
Try TowerSmash! Most of the supposedly kid-friendly apps still have little buttons sprinkled around that are too easy for kids to accidentally touch, and they bring up alerts or end the game or clear the screen or what not.
TowerSmash is simply a simulation of a favorite kid toy - wooden blocks. You tap to stack them up and tap to throw balls to knock them down, and that's it! Simple, educational, and toddlers love it! Even 6 and 8 years olds fight to play it :-)
http://brattonbrothers.com/towersmash/
Harry says
Dress Jinjee
What is Dress Jinjee?
Children’s App On The iPhone For The Festive Season Which Allows Dressing & Decorating The Gingerbread Man And Sharing It With Loved Ones
App Description:
For this festival season, Punflay presents the gingerbread man fresh out of the pan for you. Give Jinjee ( as we call him) a sticky coating and some sugary frosting. Add a few gum drop buttons that will have him smilin'!
Once Jinjee is ready, choose from a fun selection of wallpapers, record a greeting, and send your creation to family and friends!!
Do you want to let someone know you miss them this holiday season? Or pass on a smile and some love? Then Jinjee is the man (or the woman) for the job!
Visit us at http://www.punflay.com/dress-jinjee.html
★★★ FEATURES ★★★
• Drag your favourite colored frosting and gum drop buttons onto Jinjee.
• A fun selection of wallpapers to choose from.
• Customize the card with your voice
• Share it as a postcard
Screenshots:
Demo Video URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9-iMUxwGxY
Download Link: http://www.punflay.com/dress-jinjee-appstore.html
Linda says
Give this one a try if the kids like a good story that they can interact with. For iPhone and iPod touch.
Mystic Maggie and the Road to Ruin is an educational tool cleverly disguised as a funny and entertaining adventure.
Maggie takes on the Grand Witch Nimble Merry with the help of her opera singing cat, Beardsley, flatulent hound, Roosevelt Louie and her mouthy crow , Dirty Gwendolyn. Written as a “read to me” story for children, its wit and quirky humor make it fun for adults as well.
The first 10 pages are free, the remaining 30 pages and a Mystic Maggie trivia quiz can be purchased for $0.99. (no further download required after the initial download)
Features:
- On/Off narration
- 40 fully illustrated and animated pages
- Almost 100 interactive vocabulary words
- Sound effects
- A Mystic Maggie Trivia Quiz
Little video link here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k_OL9MVY7o
Paul Schreiber says
Cookies love being dunked in milk so drag the cookie in the milk using your finger and watch the splash! The cookie will shout with joy when you dunk it. Simple and entertaining fun.Here is a link and a couple of promo codes.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cookie-dunk/id349881216?mt=8
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Harry says
Dress Jinjee version 1.3 is ready for Valentine The updated version of Dress JinJee is ready for the Valentine’s Day. We have updated the Dress Jinjee (Coming Soon on Store) to make your Valentine Day special with Dress Jinjee postcard. Features of Valentine Dress Jinjee: 1. Option to choose a boy or girl 2. Option to select background from photo library 3. Custom card for Valentine’s Day.
http://punflay.com/dress-jinjee-appstore.html
Michelani says
Dr. Seuss iPhone apps are now available from Oceanhouse Media. Learn more here... http://www.oceanhousemedia.com/drseuss
Anonymous says
To all the developers posting on this board:
Many of you are producing great apps, but many of you aren't offering any free/lite versions for trial. Sorry, I'm not going to shell out $1.99 for an app until I can test it. There's too much junk on iTunes -- I'll just move on to something else.
But if it's a good app, I have no problem paying for it. Just need to be able to test first.
PawPaw says
We've developed an app called Farm Idol which is great (we think!) for kids. It's full of farm animals that can be made to make little tunes (a different note depending on what angle your iPhone is tilted).
Farm Idol on iTunes
There's also a "Lite" version on iTunes featuring just the farmer and cow if you want to try it out. We hope you (well, your kids!) like it - and we welcome feedback so let us know what you think!
Anonymous says
iCountCats is a great app for teaching young children numbers and colours to rhyming sentences. It is just like a kids rhyming book on an iphone. My experience with young kids is that they love rhyming and it is a great aid for learning. The app has audio so kids can listen to it as well. The audio is only in english but the general content is in french, spanish and german.
Jane says
iTouchiLearn Words teaches toddlers and preschool kids 0 - 5 about words through entertaining, funny animations and word games. Each animation features a series of related words which are used in two word games: Touch the Word and Touch the Picture. This app is filled with fun and educational value. Kids receive virtual rewards for correct answers.
Website: http://www.staytoooned.com
App Store: http://itunes.com/apps/itouchilearnwords
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