Special Promotion: The Pete and Sneakers Bath and Bedtime Show
I believe it is important to help out app developers who are truly vested in creating apps that educate and entertain.
Erin Davis, contacted me about promoting her iPad and iPhone app: The Pete and Sneakers Bath and Bedtime Show.
She provided me with 10 promo codes, so what normally costs $1.99 will be free for you. Of course, promo codes are first come, first served--so act now if you are interested.
Here is the video she provided--see if this app is right for your child:
The promo codes are on our site Kids Best iPad Apps. Simply check out the right column for the promo codes. If one does not work, try the next one.
Monkeys in My Head: Helping Kids With Low Self-Esteem
"Monkeys in My Head" is one of the more interesting iPad apps I've come across. The reason is that it takes on a disturbing, real life issue that many kids face, and it does so in a kid-friendly and effective way.
All kids come across people who criticize them and put them down. Family, friends, school mates and even strangers can say things to a kid like:
"You aren't good enough!"
"It's all your fault!"
"You can't do anything!"
"Nobody likes you!"
These negative comments do damage as a child internalizes them and they become bigger than life. A child's sense of worth and self-esteem is hurt.
In "Monkeys in My Head," a little girl has monkeys in her head telling her all these negative comments. To conquer them, she puts these thoughts/monkeys in a cage and watches them shrink to mice.
The moral of the story is that every child has the power to cage their negative thoughts and turn them into harmless words.
If you have a little one and want to get a little help with potty training, you should consider the iPad app, Potty Time with Elmo.
As you know, Elmo is that lovable character from Sesame Street. And, this app is going to be fun for your toddler and should help you potty train your child.
In this app, there is Baby David who Elmo helps learn how to use the potty. In the process, there are songs, games, puzzles and rewards. It's upbeat, positive, and it's high quality because it comes from Sesame Street.
I believe this app will be a help to parents. One thing for sure, it can't hurt.
Here is the video we did of the app in use. To read the review and download it, check out our Potty Time with Elmo app review.
I have used a few hundreds kids, educational iPad apps, so I have a great perspective on which apps stand-out from the crowd.
Of course, a list of the best educational apps can not be boring for kids. Otherwise, what would be the point of a downloading an app that won't be used by your child? That's why all of these apps are both the best in terms of being fun and educational.
While the list will give you a sense of what each app provides, you will find a review and a video of each of these apps in use, on my website Kids Best iPad Apps. The videos will make it easier for you to decide if the app is right for your child.
Here is an example of one of the videos: App: Motion Math: Wings.
Best Educational Apps: Free iPad Apps
1 year old:
My First Words-Flashcards (Innovative Mobile Apps)
- Helps babies and toddlers to learn more than 200 common words
3 years old:
Jake's Never Land Pirate School (Disney). Free
-It's cool and engaging to pick up and physically use the iPad to play this app. Kids will enjoy the different activities in this app as they learn shapes, counting, and identifying sounds.
Let's Color (Lazoo). Free
-It's a coloring book where a kids drawing in a scene comes to life with a press of a button. Lazoo also does another excellent app, called Squiggles.
Little Writer-The Tracing App (Innovative Mobile Apps). Free
-Tracing may seem like a boring way to learn, but that is not the case here. This app makes it a lot more fun and helps young kids learn how to write letters and numbers.
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Road Rally appisode (Disney). Free
-This is so exceptional your kid will think he or she is in the TV show. It is that real looking. It's fun and kids have to count and solve simple problems to help Mickey win a race.
Preschool Memory Match (Darren Murtha Design). Free
-Simple and fun app where toddlers and preschool kids have to use their concentration and memory to match objects. There are over 200 matching items.
4 years old
PLAY123 (CJ Educations). Free
-This app uses a distinctive approach to helping young kids learn colors, numbers and shapes. The app is fun to play as your kid will stack shapes, draw lines, and respond to the direction from the female voice over.
5 years old
Feel Electric! (Sesame Street) Free
-This is from "The Electric Company" TV Show and the app uses the characters to help kids explore their emotions. It's fun. It's professional. And, it's educational.
National Geographic Explorer (Cengage Learning, National Geographic). Free-first issue only
-This app selects topics that young kids love and make them fascinating to explore using video, audio, photos and text. It's from National Geographic so the stories and visuals are top-notch.
7 years old
Motion Math: Wings (Motion Math). Free
-Every time I come across an app from Motion Math, I am so impressed. They know how to make all things math, fun! In this app, your kid will be using the iPad to guide a bird in flight by answering multiplication questions. But, it is done conceptually rather than your typical memorization of tables.
NASA Visualization Explorer (NASA). Free
-This is a superb app that will either encourage your kid's interest in space or even spark it. Since it's from NASA, you will get the best in visuals and stories--even on whether DNA has extraterrestrial origins.
8 years old
BrainPOP Featured Movie (BrainPOP). Free-but full version in-app purchase for $6.99
-This app provides entertaining and educational movies for kids on a full range of subjects. Your kid is given a quiz at the end.
10 years old
Khan Academy (Khan Academy). Free
-This app provides access to an educational library of over 2,700 videos that cover biology, chemistry, the humanities, history, and more.
Scribble Press (Scribble Press). Free
-This app helps kids tell a story using an incredible range of tools to make it happen--including templates, drawing tools, photo library, markers and more.
If you have any apps you think are excellent, please let me know. The search for the kids best iPad apps continues...
