For Kiddos

The minute our 30-month old daughter picked up the iPad, we knew we were history: she turned it on and flipped directly to the Game section and opened the Bubble game my husband downloaded (boring).

That's when we understood it was time we looked for more kid-friendly apps. And boy, we were not disappointed. My favorite ones all involve animals, and there are zillions of them on animals - food for thought. 

Anyway, our oldest is now unbeatable whenever we travel to the countryside or the seaside: she immediately points at sheep and cows and gives you their names. 

Traveling will never be boring again.

I have a soft spot for apps that manage to combine the virtual and the real worlds: anything is possible, especially with Drawnimal. The deal is to place a large white sheet of paper under the iPad or smartphone and hand a pencil or pen to your kid who will draw (or not) as indicated on the screen the missing parts of the animal in what looks like perfect minimalistic fashion - always a plus if you ask me (and see image above).

The next one on my fave list is Peek-a-zoo. There are various versions of it, the train, the sea... It is totally addictive, completely intuitive and fun. A hit if our daughter and the assurance with which she points at the images and tries to unhide the characters is anything to go by. Everytime the hidden animal is revealed, its name is spoken out. The drawings are colorful, engaging and, the icing on the cake, it is now multilingual.

I have found very detailed and professional reviews of these apps on this blog - be sure to check their pages regularly for useful guidelines on apps for the young ones.

So, who wants to play?

Credits: Peekazoo and Drawnimal