10 top apps for kids
— -- If you are contemplating buying a tablet for your family this holiday, it's a great option if you have kids over age 2. The big touchable screen entices kids to explore. And the world of apps is full of education and fun. If you can afford an iPad, it is the best way to go, because it is tied to the iTunes App store, which houses more apps than any of the Android marketplaces. Plus, for kid apps, most developers initially release their new apps in iTunes. It can take months for top-rated apps to make it to the Android marketplace.
And here's a little tip: since the iPad 2 is now the hot tablet, people who had the first generation iPads are now dumping them for the newer technology. But for a family wanting a tablet for kid apps, the original iPad is fine. Check out the used market.
To help you load up a smartphone or an iPad with great kid apps, we have downloaded and played hundreds of apps. While most are just average, here is a list of 10 that stand out from the rest, because they create a magical experience for kids.
Where's My Water?
Disney, for ages 6-up, $.99, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
The best new puzzle game of the year, this humorously brainy app will appeal to all ages. Swampy the Alligator, a Disney original character, stars in the over 120 puzzles. This toothy guy loves to get clean by showering, but other alligators are wreaking havoc in the underground sewer system. The puzzles challenge you to use your finger to draw a path through an obstacle-ridden sewer so that clean water and rubber duckies can swoosh down into Swampy's Shower. With life-like water physics and a cute story tying all the puzzles together, prepare to be charmed by this adorable gator.
Doodlecast for Kids
zinc Roe, for ages 3-7, $1.99, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
This app's magic is that it turns a child's drawing into an animated, narrated story. By recording the sounds children make when they draw, as well as the visual step-by-step marks made on the screen, the app turns the simple process of drawing a picture into a story-telling video. The videos can be shared with family via email or uploaded onto You Tube. By providing both written and visual prompts, any child can become the animator of his own story.
Peek-a-Zoo - by Duck Duck Moose
Duck Duck Moose, for ages 2-5, $.99, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
This app's special appeal is that it teaches kids about emotions. Using adorable animated zoo animals in search-and-find games, kids learn to look for details about the 19 featured animals. In addition to the animals' names, kids will learn to look for visual cues that show if someone is angry, surprised, crying or happy, or whether they are waving, winking, sleeping and eating. This is a great conversation-started for parents and can lead to hilarious games about shaping your face into different emotions.
Bartleby's Book of Buttons Vol. 2: The Button at the Bottom of the Sea
From Monster Costume Inc., $2.99, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
