I know, I know. The blog is supposed to be about middle school classroom tips and tricks, but let’s face it. Lots of teachers are moms, and as a mom, I can tell you it is hard to find good information about technology appropriate for my babies! So let me tell you my story…We were heading to Florida to visit my in-laws and wanted to fly with the girls. (Are you getting anxiety already for me?) Although I had a backpack, diaper bag, and purse filled with books, toys, and snacks, I also knew that I needed a good last resort: the iPad!I tried to do research and find apps that would be fitting for my two year old and infant, but it was difficult! After hours of searching, I finally have a solid list. I filled up the iPad with a variety of apps, and the girls were GREAT! And I shall share my life-saving apps for toddlers with you here! ******************************
1. Peek-a-Boo Party: This app is $4.99 and well worth it! The graphics are adorable, the sound effects not nearly as annoying as they could be, and best part? It’s educational! Ellie’s favorite when she was younger was Peekaboo Barn! An animated barn comes on the screen. The viewer hears knocking and an animal sound as the barn door shakes. When the kid taps the door, it opens to reveal the animal making the noise, the word for the animal and it says the word, too!2. Infant Zoo: Emmeline loves this app! When we were on the plane, my poor little one was so bored. She loves walking around and looking at new things, so traveling all day was not her cup of tea. This app saved us (and our fellow passengers) from a cranky cranky baby! You can either WATCH or PLAY the app; Emmeline watches. The screen has a blank circle with a high contrast screen, it shakes, confetti is flying, and then it POPS and changes into an animal face! She was laughing and smiling the whole time! Absolutely adorable. And the Lite version will suffice! 3. Memory Train: This $0.99 app is adorable. I wanted to start getting apps that would stimulate Ellie and make her think! This one worked. Basically, you follow the elephant’s POV as he sits on a train and watches shapes go by. Then he stops to think. A thought bubble comes up, and the child has to pick either the shape or the color of the shape that passed. She got very competitive! Wonder where she gets it… 4. TinyHands Sorting: TinyHands has several versions of this Free app, and all of them are great! The images are colorful and the games are easy! This kids have to sort different items into its appropriate spot. For example, one of the games has various sized clothes, and the child needs to sort the clothes to the correct person (either the adult koala bear or the baby koala bear)!5. Endless Reader: These Endless apps are so amazing!!!! I cannot say enough about them. They offer free versions, but I definitely recommend paying for them. They have one for learning the alphabet, one for numbers, and this one for reading sight words. The word comes up on the screen, the speaker says the word, then, a crowd RUNS through the word scattering the letters everywhere! The child clicks each letter (which says its name the whole time its being held) and must put the letters back in place. Then, the word is used in a sentence which the crowd destroys again and the child must put select words back in place. 6. Toca Band: Ellie has so much fun with this app – it’s not educational, but it’s so cute. There’s a stage with spots for singers. The bottom of the screen has all different singers, think aliens, balloons, yodelers, and grandmas. The child selects singers, puts them on the stage and they begin to sing. The child adds singers to add to the harmony and create music. It’s amazing… but can be slightly annoying. Invest in headphones 🙂 7. Elmo Calls: This one’s on my iPhone. Kids can FaceTime Elmo (or Cookie Monster)! They hit the telephone, it rings, and Elmo answers! Sometimes he plays pretend, others he’s on a farm, but all the time, the kids are having fun!8. Sesame Street GO! A free app FILLED with short video clips from Sesame Street. There are games on the app as well, but they’re not too great. The videos are the best part. You can select videos based on character, topic, or skill. They also have a lot of classics, like C is for Cookie!9. The Monster at the End of This Book: Growing up, this was my favorite book, so naturally I spent the $4.99 on the app for my chickies. It’s interactive, the words are read aloud and highlighted, and it’s just great. Grover reads the whole book, but the kids have to tackle the obstacles themselves. At one part, the kids have to hammer down a brick wall! I hope this list helps you find appropriate, fun, and educational apps for your little ones!
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1. Peek-a-Boo Party: This app is $4.99 and well worth it! The graphics are adorable, the sound effects not nearly as annoying as they could be, and best part? It’s educational! Ellie’s favorite when she was younger was Peekaboo Barn! An animated barn comes on the screen. The viewer hears knocking and an animal sound as the barn door shakes. When the kid taps the door, it opens to reveal the animal making the noise, the word for the animal and it says the word, too!
