If you have found an app you feel has real educational merit for young children, feel free to add a comment to this page. I am happy for app developers to suggest their own apps here too, but I will only consider apps with educational merit. I am not interested in reviewing shoot-em-up games for example. Note: I don’t promise to review suggested apps, and I don’t promise to keep all the requests as comments on this page. But I certainly don’t claim to have found all the good apps yet, so if you find one feel free to share your experience with it!
If you want to find another app yourself, some techniques include:
- Start from one you like in iTunes then look at the “Customers also downloaded” section.
- In iTunes, the author’s company name can also be clicked on to show other apps produced by the same author.
- Do searches in iTunes for keywords of interest. Try different categories. Sometimes picking “all categories” hides the good apps in all the noise.
- Read the description and reviews of apps you like to see if there are extra words to search on that you might not have thought of yourself.
- Come back and visit my site frequently to see if new reviews are here!
Hello,
I have a new app out for toddlers called: Wacky Safari. If you like, I will be pleased to forward a free download code.
This is not your ordinary kid’s app, it is over the top wacky fun – and educational too.
Thanks for the look.
Becky
By: Becky Lambert on July 23, 2009
at 1:58 am
Hi Becky,
I am very sorry – just realized I never approved this comment. (I might remove it after I finish the review.) I have been bogged down with the real world and looking after 2 little boys so got a bit behind on the reviews. Will try to get to it very soon. Big-T now can be frequently repeating phrases from Wacky Phone, so its certainly made an impact!
Alan
By: alankent on September 12, 2009
at 2:45 pm
Hello,
My name is Mikhail Dvornikov and I’m one of the developers of game Pobs – beautiful logic game similar to Checkers or Reversi, but with unique game mechanics comparatively with that games. Based on old game Hexxagon (for MS-DOS), but with a lot of great stuff (six game modes, many levels, interesting opponents) and general features – very simple controlling and addictive gameplay.
We think this game is also suitable for kids and will evolves their logic, so I request that you play this game and write a review what you think about it.
Screenshots:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chipsteam/
Gameplay video:
iTunes link:
http://itunes.com/app/pobs
Official blog:
http://chipsteam.wordpress.com/
Best regards,
Mikhail Dvornikov.
By: chipsteam on September 6, 2009
at 11:00 pm
I will have a look, but it looks like it might be for children older than I am targeting with this site. Good luck with the app!
By: alankent on September 12, 2009
at 2:49 pm
I’m pleased to introduce “Color-Blocks”, a new game designed specifically for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
It doesn’t contain violence in any form
and suitable for children of all ages.
This is a highly addictive game which trains your brain while you have fun.
Game rules are very simple: arrange figures to form horizontal, vertical or diagonal lines containing 3 or more blocks of same color.
Once these lines removed your scores’re increased.
Higher scores can be gained by performing combos and chains of lines.
Gain as much scores as you can.
Hurry up to prevent glass overfilling!
Here’re the description and screenshots of game: http://www.hsa-online.com/cblocks
By: hsaonline on September 21, 2009
at 5:09 pm
At EnsenaSoft, we have created several apps for preschool age children. Several are Match’Em Up memory games focused on shapes, counting and the alphabet. Santa’s Village has several learning activities as well.
Check them all out at our site:
http://www.ensenasoft.com/Products.aspx
Let us know if you need promo codes for them. We are looking forward to your review(s).
Thanks,
Sam DenHartog
By: ensenasoft on October 5, 2009
at 8:42 am
Alan,
we have several apps for young kids out there, our “Baby’s Animal Show” is in the top 100 US kids charts since April, geared specifically at Toddlers with its full-screen tap or swipe.
Our “Animal Sound Chase” shows several tiles, makes a corresponding sound and the child needs to tap on the right animal. Featuring an endless mode for young ones or highscore play for older kids.
Finally, our “Super Memory Match” is a classic memory matching game featuring our animal pictures, we found young kids play the (easy) cartoons while we got several reviews from parents saying they finally enjoy one of the kids games themselves, as it gets challenging when playing it with real animal photos on the tiles.
The latter two apps also come as free versions and those are actually both in the Top 50 US Kids Charts (free).
Ping me anytime if you want to review, I should have some promo codes left, info (at) windmillapps (dot) com, would be great to get in touch.
By: Markus Nigrin on October 20, 2009
at 4:01 am
Hi Alan,
We have just released three preschool apps (Sound Shaker, Sort Slider and Count Caddy) and would love it if you would review one of them.
You can check out our website http://www.tickletapapps.com for screenshots and gameplay videos.
If you are interested in reviewing send me an email back at vleggett (at) zincroe (dot) com and I will send you promo codes.
Thanks for your time!
Sound Shaker
Sound Shaker is a delightful and hilarious sound making game. Children create and play with chime, whistle, drum, barnyard animal and mystery sounds simply by tapping and tilting.
Count Caddy
Count Caddy makes counting rewarding. Children count by ones with Jinja the cat and quickly progress to counting by twos with Robin the bird and counting by threes with Harvey the dog.
Sort Slider
Sort Slider is a mesmerizing shape matching game. Children tilt the device to match objects with silhouettes while Harvey the dog pops up for plenty of encouragement.
-zinc Roe Games
http://www.twitter.com/zincroegames
http://www.youtube.com/user/TickleTapApps
By: vleggett on November 11, 2009
at 6:12 am
Sorry all, I got busy with work for sometime and have not given this site much attention for a bit. Also it did not email me when the comments were added (!). So thank you for the application suggestions – I will try to have a look in the not too distant future and get some more reviews up.
I am actually thinking of reworking the site to make it more useful – maybe shorter reviews (so I can do more of them), but more oriented around age groups and learning benefits (rather than ordered purely by star ratings like at present). I have been reading up a bit on what concepts are best to teach children at different ages – and its been quite interesting. But I need to map it back to something consumable and useful on this web site.
Anyway, something for the future. Its my eldest’s first day at 3yo Kindergarten tomorrow and I need to get up early to be ready one time!
By: alankent on February 1, 2010
at 9:51 pm
New iPhone App for Preschoolers from Cricket Magazine Group!
Since its founding in 1973, Cricket Magazine Group has long been the standard for quality children’s literature. Now the company is joining the exciting age of the iPhone with a new storybook app for preschoolers, Ladybug’s Bookshelf.
Drawing from the beautifully illustrated stories for preschoolers found in Ladybug Magazine for ages 3-6, the initial download of Ladybug’s Bookshelf includes a free barnyard tale, “Three O’Clock on the Farm.” With interactive elements on every screen, toddlers and young children will love exploring the energetic animations and animal sounds. At the end of the story is a fun sound game where your child can create a symphony of animal noises.
Each additional “storypack” available for Ladybug’s Bookshelf is priced at 2.99 and presents a range of stories, poems, jokes, and interactive activities, from coloring pages to matching games. Narrated by real kids and featuring the rich, colorful artwork of Ladybug Magazine, now animated for the iPhone, these storypacks will delight both young children and their parents. The first available storypack includes a poetic nature walk full of touchable hidden treasures; a collection of jokes told by Ladybug and her pals; and a sweet story of friendship by the revered children’s illustrator Valeri Gorbachev.
Ladybug’s Bookshelf was developed in partnership with Ethervision, a leader in iPhone & iPad application development which has been featured by Apple seventeen times both on the front page of iTunes and in Apple Retail stores all over the world.
The app and the first story, “Three O’Clock on the Farm,” is now available for free download on the App store!
By: babybugmag on October 1, 2010
at 6:42 am
I found another educational app for iphone and ipad.
Learn German by reading and writing German words.
The level of difficulty can be changed from easy to hard.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/abcland-german-deutsch-hd/id425650951?mt=8
Similar games like that are spell that http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/spell-that/id379829614?mt=8 and ABC Tracer. Both are only english at the moment.
They are all an easy way for kids between 4 and 8 to learn to spell and write.
By: jkdata on March 30, 2011
at 11:48 pm