Do you want your tiny toddler to grow up into a sharp kid who is well-aware of their surroundings? Then you must consider using digital games as a means to let them play and learn. In fact, you may also be shocked to find out that apps are one of the most trending learning techniques used.
While we would not recommend children between the ages of 12-18 spending long periods of time on apps or other screen-based software. However, if you are keen to let your child try them for a few minutes at a time at this age here are some great apps that can entertain and support development in various areas.
1. Fiete – mini-games for kids 1+
Fiete is a friendly sailor who lives on an island in the sea. In this interactive picture-book, children between the ages of 1 to 3 years old can explore Fiete’s island and help him with his daily chores.
The game has a total of 19 levels where you can prepare sandwiches, fry eggs sunny side up, hang socks on the clothesline, pick apples, change tires, load ships, make balloons burst and much more.
2. Little Fox Music Box
A sing-along songbook with more than 100 interactive elements in 3 songs and the little fox music studio where you can make your own music! Brought to you by the team that created the bestselling App “Nighty Night”! Great for Toddlers and kids of all ages.
3. Supermarket – Fruits Vs Veggies Kids Shopping Game
In this fun supermarket, kids of all ages — girls and boys – can shop ‘til they drop! As the kids play this fun supermarket game, they can go wild and litter the store with fruits and veggies. Or they can play it neat and pack up their carts like pros! As we said, there is something for everyone in this fun shopping game for kids!
4. Zoo Alphabet for kids
An extensive app that introduces kids to 63 animals, including more exotic ones such as emu, meerkat, and viper. Every page is interactive, with some pages allowing kids to partake in activities such as tracing, counting, and musical play.
5. Goodnight Mo
A soothing storybook to accompany toddlers as they get ready for bed. The app follows Mo as he goes through his nightly routines, such as taking a bath and brushing his teeth. Kids can tap on objects on the screen to make them yawn. The calm background music and narration help wind the kids down to prepare for sleep.
6. Nursery Rhymes DJ – KinToons – DJ game for kids
This baby-friendly DJ Nursery Rhymes game for kids is unlike any ordinary cat/kitten simulator. In fact, this game is even unlike the ABCD/alphabet games for kids where they just diddle away their free time. This app is a place where a pre-school toddler can simply sing, dance, and enjoy while learning at the same time.
7. Nampa Forest
A collection of mini-games with no specific rules or objectives. Instead, kids discover silly surprises that will make them, and even grown-ups, smile.
This app is a fun and interactive alternative to film clip watching, without ads or in-app purchases! The award-winning Nampa Forest is a fantastic beginners app with no text or talk. There is no risk of failing and even if you do, every game ends with disco dancing.
8. Kapu Bloom Tunes
A cute toy that lets kids paint and grow musical flowers. Parents can use this app to introduce kids to the musical scale and the concept of symmetry. It’s simple and easy to use interface makes it suitable for small children.
Kapu Bloom Tunes not only combines the two of the most awesome pastimes, creating music and painting, but it also teaches users the basics of how melodies and tunes are crafted in a fun and surprising way.
9. Even Monsters Get Sick
Even Monsters Get Sick is a storybook app that has helped me many times with persuading my kids to take their medicine. The protagonist shows them why they need doctors and medicines to recover from their sickness. They will also love the scene where the boy reads a bedtime story to his pet monster.
10. LetterSchool – Learn to Write
Featuring lively animations and sound effects, this intuitive app teaches kids to write letters and numbers. It supports three different handwriting styles: D’Nealian, Handwriting Without Tears, and Zaner-Bloser.
These were just the name of the top games, here are the benefits of such game which you will realize over a period of time as a parent:
- Fast Strategic Understanding and Thinking – These games require children to think quickly and utilize their logic in order to think three steps ahead in order to solve problems and complete levels. This is great because it is something which helps children in later life as they develop their logic, their accuracy, and their ability to think on their feet and outside of the box.
- Better Eye-Hand Coordination – The touch screen games help develop an increased hand-eye coordination. This makes them more active and prepared for future actions.
- Enhanced Memory – Games often revolve around the utilization of memorization This not only relates to games whereby children have to remember aspects in order to solve the game, memorize critical sequences, or track narrative elements.
- Skill Building – A lot of games contain certain aspects which help children with specific skills. For example, a lot of mystery and adventure games contain maps which children will have to read. This obviously helps their map reading skills and practical thinking.
- Dynamic Nature Learning – Mobile learning apps encompass a wide form of learning systems, such as text-based learning, videos, infographics, animated graphics, audio-narration, multiple-choice questions, and much more.
- Beneficial Specifically for Children with Attention Disorders – Research has revealed that online games can actually help children who experience attention disorders. This was concluded by a professor at Nottingham University and is a notion which has been repeated by many in related studies.
- Portability – Mobile learning apps are free from any space constraints. Android, as well as iPhone devices, have emerged as steady travel companion of parents as well as their kids. They are carried by them wherever they go, especially during the long flight or train journeys.
You can download these fund Android apps and Apple apps on Google Play and Apple Store. Go ahead and try them now!