Apps For Toddlers

A few commenters (thank you for your comments, they make me happy!) asked me for some toddler app recommendations.  Here are my favorites so far, I'm sure we'll discover more! (please add yours in the comments as well).

First, a tip I just recently learned for the iPad.  The most annoying thing about toddler apps is that your toddler keeps accidentally closing the window or hitting an ad button.  Apparently, you can keep this from happening by going to Settings--> General --> Accessibility --> Guided Access.  Turn guided access on; then when you go to an app, click the start button three times, and you can decide which parts of the screen are "active"- otherwise, the app will stay on that page, so there's no way little toddler fingers can accidentally close it!  Wahoo!

GREAT:

1) Magic Fingers Lite.  The Lite version is free, or you can pay $0.99 to get rid of the ads (worth it, IMO).  This is a strangely addicting game for kids, and beautiful to view.  It really shows off how cool the iPad is!  At Thanksgiving this year, it mesmerized kids from 1-6 years old for like an hour.  I think it's probably most enjoyable for the 2-5 year old range, as Nora still finds it a little boring, but it's probably my favorite game of hers.

2) Endless Alphabet.  This game is currently *free* and it's really cool.  Ok, it can get a little obnoxious after awhile, but the design is beautiful and Nora picked up on touching and pulling the letters to the correct spot very fast.  Most of the words are pretty big words, but I like that it gets her to recognize the letters.  And it's cute!  I like that each letter makes a funny sound/dance.

3) Play 1-2-3.  Another free app that is super creative.  It's also a bit all over the place, but maybe that's better for toddler attention spans.  Nora can't do all the things in this app yet, but she can still do a lot of the activities.

4) Abby Basic Skills Preschool. My sister- and brother-in-law recommended this app.  I would definitely pay for the full version instead of the lite version, which has too many annoying ads.  This is Nora's favorite game.  Again, she doesn't understand all the puzzles yet but she does a great job with dragging the pieces to the train, and she loves picking out her "sticker" at the end of each section.

GOOD:

1) Elmo loves ABCs (lite). I haven't quite bit the bullet to buy the full version ($4.99) but I am seriously considering it because Nora loves this app and only having access to A, B, and C in the lite version is a little annoying.  But basically there are a ton of videos about each letter (from Sesame Street). 

2) Peekaboo goes Camping Game.  Nora loves this game (and it's free), but I wish they had more pages than just one, or varied the hiding places a little more. 

3) PeekaZoo. The full version of this game is $2.99- I think it might be worth more like $0.99.  But, the images of the animals are visually appealing and Nora seems to enjoy it.  The lite version is free but only has a few animals.

4) Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Road Rally.  It's pretty impressive that this game is free.  But, it's more like watching a TV show than being very interactive, though there are some interactive parts.  Nora doesn't have the attention span yet for more than the opening part, but she does like that part a lot!  I think she'll really like this in a couple more years.

OKAY:

1) Peekaboo HD.   Free, fine, fun for a few minutes.

2) Adventure Farm.  Free (at least in part).  You touch animals and other objects and they make sounds.  That's pretty much it.  Fun for a few minutes.

3) Super Shape Puzzles.  Free, but the ads are super annoying.  However, Nora likes putting the pieces in the spots and then it's an interactive puzzle once you're done.

4) Shuffle Fun.  Cute free app, Nora seems a little bored by it.


I frequently try new apps so if I find any more I love, I'll let you know!