Every night when I get home, one of my wonderful kids steals my iPhone for a few minutes. My son is 3 and is currently in preschool, and my daughter is 6 and is in Kindergarten. My son will even take the iPhone into the bathroom while he is sitting on the toilet (don't tell him I told you.) I don't condone kids playing games on the iPhone, but it has been interesting watching their interaction with it. I think there are some really good learning games. I am pretty amazed at what they can do with the iPhone!
One note - If kids are to use an iPhone, I think there needs to be some 'kids user mode' that can turn off my email, browser and Dad's bad games that the kids don't need to be touching. Who would have thought... user modes for an iPhone. I also don't take any responsibility if you try one of these games and your kids throws your iPhone through the wall.
So here is the official list of the Top 10 iPhone and iPod Touch Applications for Preschool and Kindergarten Age Kids.
1) Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart3D - My daughter really likes this game and was able to figure it out in 60 seconds. Being able to turn the iPhone and have it steer works for her. My son isn't able to handle it quite as well. At $5.99 it is worth it (and I like it too!) I won't put a link to their website since that really sucks and they don't even list the iPhone as a platform. Buy it via iTunes.
2) Jelly Car -My son absolutely LOVES this game. I don't think he knows it is a 3D physics model simulation game (maybe he does?!) He does love running the car off into the middle of nowhere, or having the little car get squished over and over. The music is cute and he gets the car into spots I have never seen! Best of all... it is FREE so give it a try. Here is a video that you can see it at.
3) Animal Match- The sounds in this one are GREAT! This is just perfect for my son at preschool age. My daughter is able to whip through this fairly easily. It REALLY amazes me just how good their memories are and can remember where those animals are hiding!! Poor old Dad must just be losing it!
4) Preschool Adventure - My son loves this one. The simple learning exercises and games are great! Right on the money with colors, sounds, matching and shapes. I didn't know you could move the head of a pig and put it on a fox or a croc. Too funny! It is really simple and easy to use. It is $.99 at the iTunes store, but worth the price.
5) Ocarina - My kids BOTH love this! Music on an iPhone! They love blowing into the iPhone and tapping their fingers away. They both love music and this is really cool. They have made sounds and music out of this I didn't know was possible! Luckily there is a volume on the iPhone. Since there is no microphone on the iPod Touch, you are out of luck unless you have a Gen2 with a headset mic. Hearing what other people are playing in the world seems to amaze all of us as well. $.99 seems a value deal for this app.
6 ) Moosentration - Lite - A good but harder matching game. Perfect for the Kindergarten age kids.
7) MotionX-Dice. Another simple one that both my kids like. All the different dice patterns are fun with them, but being able to shake it up really gets them going. I really seems to be a good learning tool to count with visual objects.8) Lightsaber - My kids have never seen StarWars, but they really like pulling out the Lightsaber complete with sounds. This HAS to be the scariest game for me to watch as they swings my iPhone around. For some reason I don't trust my 3 year old swinging my $xxx iPhone around. I think I will be taking it off! Luckily they don't play with it much any more.
9) Tap Tap Revenge. Both my kids really enjoy this one. I don't know if they understand it but they sure enjoy taping on the screen! I think I need to find some new music as the standard easy songs get annoying to the parents after a while.
10) Cannon Challenge. This is one my son plays every now and then. I think he just likes the sounds it makes - BOOM! He can't figure out the controls but he sure knows how to fire it! Interesting this is made by the discovery channel.
If you have other suggestions, want to add apps that your kids like, or want to send me iTunes dollars to try purchased apps, please send an email or post them in the comments below! P.s . feel free to check out my photography as well at John Harrison Photography.
3 comments:
My 4 kids (ages 9yr, 7yr, 4.5yr, and 1yr) will happily sit for many quiet minutes watching the throbbing pin move along the green line, after I explained that the blue dot was our car and the green line was the freeway we were zooming along. They could identify when we got off the freeway and at what point I should turn to get on our own street. Maps is a very handy and EDUCATIONAL "app" and it's on the iphone--no additional purchase necessary!
Only problem is--all four of them want to hold the iphone and NOT take turns....sigh!
I completely agree with you about having a "kid mode" for the iPhone. My 2 year old daughter has a knack for deleting things and changing my screen saver. Argh!
I want to point you towards a game I wrote that is similar to the Preschool Adventure and Animal Match games you mention, but focuses more on teaching 2-4 year old children new words. The game is called "I See Ewe", and you can find more at:
http://www.ISeeEwe.com/
The game can initially be set to have verbal instructions, which will allow the younger kids to learn the names for shapes and objects. Then as the child masters that, you can turn the verbal instructions off so that the preschooler can start learning their sight words.
Check it out!
Love your blog and you make us locals proud. Would love for you to join our Bay Area blogger network on facebook. We're hoping to get everyone to meet up at the end of the summer.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=81379964792&ref=mf
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