Apps so Your Kids Can | iPad for Kids

Lets your kids loose on these great apps. You may wonder why, when you already have enough trouble wrestling your iPad from your kid’s grasp, you’d want to tempt them with more apps. We have news for you: you’ve lost that battle. The second they first experienced the touchscreen interface and the range of possibilities at their fingertips, you were destined to share the device with them.

The best you can do now is make sure that when the do spend time on your iPad, it’s productive and entertaining and maybe even educational. That’s we’ve scoured the App Store looking for the best apps we can find for your kids. Some are educational, some inspire creativity, while others provide an entertaining hour’s diversion from homework. Here are best apps for kids:

Interactive Alphabet – ABC Flash Cards

Flash cards are tried and tested method to help children recognise letter and number shapes. This app brings them to life by adding animation, sound and music. Tap on letter A and you are taken picture to a picture of an apple, with a voice sounding the letter. Tap the apple and a bite is taken, with a crunchy sound effect.

There’s also an auto-advance mode for very young children. Letter sounds are limited to single letters, however, and the app doesn’t cover phonics.

The Cat in The Hat

Dr Seuss’s unique combination of rhyme and illustration has been a favorite for decades. Several of his books are now available for the iPad, but The Cat in The Hat is the place to start.

The book include the original words and pictures, and narrated. There’s also background audio. Touch a picture and words zoom up and are spoken; tap on word an the word is highlighted and spoken aloud.

In addition to the narrated version, you have the option to read the book yourself, or to play it like a movie.

PlayTime Theater

Every child loves putting on a show. PlayTime Theater allows children to create, record and play back virtual puppet shows on an iPad. It has a stage with moving parts, a cast of digital actors whose costumes you can change, as well as props, sound effects and cinematic music.

Thanks to the iPad’s touchscreen interface, choosing the characters and props is as simple as dragging a finger around the screen. A customisable button bar along the bottom of the screen allows access to the props, sound effects an so on. Terrific fun.

Build a Story

Getting children to put pen to paper to record the creations that their incredible imaginations produce can be incredibly tough. Build A Story might just help. It’s a template-driven story-creation tools that should make the prospect of writing much less daunting.

Start with a theme, such as the jungle, then add characters from the hundreds available. Choose from pre-drawn pages, add characters to create scenes, write down what’s happening on each page and add speech bubbles for the characters. Hes presto! You very own illustrated story.

Bloom HD

Bloom was in the first wave of iPhone apps to be released, and it’s now been joined by iPad version. Co-designed by Brian Eno, it can be used as a live instrument, a composition tool or an ambient music generator. It’s interface is stunning and the control system makes it easy to build musical patterns or create melodies. Leave it idle and it starts creating its own music. You can even set a sleep timer so you can drift off to Bloom’s ambient background music. Audio is only half the story, though – Bloom’s on-screen visualisations are gorgeous.

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