Are you gifting your children with a tablet this holiday season? Pre-load the tablet with some fun, kid friendly apps before you wrap up their gift. I’m sharing some of my kids’ favorite apps that you can download onto your iPad or Android tablet (one even works on your Windows PC!).
These apps will keep them busy and some of them are educational too! Don’t forget to enter the giveaway at the end of the post!
- Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey’s Wildlife Count Along (iOS): Do you have a Disney fan at home? This app is a great way for preschooler’s to practice their counting skills as they count along with Mickey, who needs help finding the right number of animals for various tasks in his adventure. Cost is $1.99 GIVEAWAY ITEM
- Toca Boca Band , Toca Boca Tailor Fairy Tales & Toca Boca Store (iOS): We love Toca Boca so much, they are in their own special folder. The apps are easy to navigate and my kids play them over and over. My son’s favorite is the Toca Boca Store, where he can set up shop and sell dolls, lollipop, juice and more. Toca Boca apps range from free to $2.99.
- Storia by Scholastic (iOS, Android & Windows PC): Scholastic introduced Storia, its ereading app, earlier this year. With this app, you can customize your children’s bookshelf and track their progress. You can even have multiple accounts, one for each child. Some ebooks are enhanced, meaning their are enriched, meaning there are quizzes and activities throughout the book. The Storia app is free and comes with five free books when you create an account. Bonus: For every Storia ebook you purchase, Scholastic will donate a book to a child in need, especially kids who lost their home libraries in Hurricane Sandy. GIVEAWAY ITEM
- Angry Birds Star Wars (iOS & Android): You probably know about this app already but I’m mentioning it. Thanks to Angry Birds, my kids are engrossed by Star Wars. We haven’t introduced them to the movie yet (I hate Jar-Jar Binks), but I love listening to my husband explaining all the characters. Plus, Princess Leia Bird totally kicks butt. Available in free and paid (ad-free) versions for both platforms.
- Rick Ranger Jr Appventures: Lions (iOS): Did you grow up reading Rick Ranger magazines? Now you can pass on your love of science to yours! Geared towards ages 4-7, this app lets your child explore and create their own animal adventures. Maybe you can buy them a ranger hat to wear as they explore! Appventures: Lions is $4.99.
- Bag It! (iOS & Android): This is a surprisingly addictive game for both the kids and me. Bagging groceries might not sound exciting, but when the eggs cower because you’re holding a watermelon over them, it’s hilarious and scary at the same time. There’s even a level where the point is to crush as many items as you can. I think that’s my favorite level. Cost: $1.99
That should be enough to get you started. Ahem, I mean the kids. Seriously, the Bag It! game will suck you in.
Ready to win either a $25 Giftcard to the Storia eBook Store courtesy of Scholastic or the Mickey’s Wildlife Count Along app? Leave a comment below and share what your child’s favorite app is!
Don’t forget to download Storia to your tablet. It’s free and you get 5 free ebooks to try it out! Plus, for every Storia ebook you purchase, Scholastic will donate a book to a child in need, especially kids who lost their home libraries in Hurricane Sandy. (That’s so awsome, I had to say it again.)
Giveaway will have four winners. Grand prize: One (1) Storia giftcard and (1) Mickey’s Wildlife Count Along app; Three (3) runners up will win the Mickey’s Wildlife Count Along app. Giveaway ends Dec 15 at 11:59PM ET. Winners will be contacted via email and will have 24 hours to respond and claim their prize. I received review copies of some apps while others were personally purchased. Photo courtesy of Scholastic.
Thien-Kim chronicles her love-hate relationship with squash on My Cup of Creativi-Tea, wishing she got paid to nanny her own children at I’m Not the Nanny and sneaking time to read books at From Left to Write.
