// Our Top 7 iPad Apps For Toddlers

It might sound silly to say, but our iPad plays a pretty integral role in our family. Not only does it allow us to watch Netflix on the go (!!!), but it also let's Toby learn when he thinks he's simply playing. I'm a huge fan of the whole "playing with purpose" mindset and we work pretty hard to ensure that he gets a nice balance of work and play. I mentioned last week that Toby has to do "schoolwork" to earn his outdoor/video game time and we're pretty strict about that. Each morning he wakes up, eats breakfast, then works on writing his alphabet. After he makes it all the way through his 26 letters he's able to either go outside and play with his go-kart/gator, or play on the iPad. We repeat this step later in the evening before he gets ready for bed, too. 

While he loves games like Minion Rush and Temple Run, we're pretty fortunate that he thinks a lot of educational games are fun, too. I thought it'd be nice to compile a little list of some of his favorites to share since I've received several inquiries about the specific apps we use. This is far from a comprehensive list of course, and we're constantly discovering new (better!) apps to use. These apps are targeted toward the upper end of the toddler spectrum but it's never too early to start letting your kid play around on things like this! We were so amazed at how quickly he picked up how to use an iPad last year. Now he knows that thing better than we do. Please feel free to leave your app suggestions in the comments below, too! We'd love to hear what your littles are using! Here are some of our favorites... in no particular order.

Top 7 iPad Apps For Toddlers
Letter Quiz App - For Toddlers - Kaelah Bee
LETTER QUIZ
Toby really loves this app because there are 4 different ways to play. He can use the "cards" or pick out the next letter in the sequence. He can also match the uppercase and lowercase letters and write them, too. I think out of all of them this one is my favorite simply due to the variety. (I'm just not sure why the little dude in the screengrab looks so sad! haha) ($1.99 for full version, Lite version available for free)
ABC Alphabet App - For Toddlers - Kaelah Bee
ABC ALPHABET PHONICS
This app is a great tool for quickly identifying the letters. Anywhere from 2 to 9 letters will pop up on the screen and the narrator will prompt the child to choose the correct one. This app has really helped Toby recognize the letters since he can become forgetful if he's just tracing/writing them. You can also add your own voice for the letters so your child can learn from your own speech. You can turn on various "styles" of letters" and the app will mix them all together for added challenge once your child masters uppercase letters. (Free!)
Peek-A-Boo Underwater - iPad App For Toddlers - Kaelah Bee
Peek-A-Zoo Underwater
I was first turned onto this app when I downloaded the Peek-A-Boo Barn version. I couldn't help but snagging the underwater version because, duh, underwater creatures! Not only do I love that it teaches Toby about the animals in our oceans, but I also really love the illustration style. Hey, that matters right?!  ($2.99 for full version)
ELMO LOVES ABCs - iPad App For Toddlers - Kaelah Bee
ELMO LOVES ABCs - iPad App For Toddlers - Kaelah Bee
ELMO LOVES ABCs
This was one of the very first ABC apps I downloaded for Toby, and it remains one of the most used. We only have the Lite version right now and honestly, it's more than served its purpose. I haven't found enough of a "need" to download the full $4.99 version, but I do keep an eye on the pricing so that if it dips down I can snag it for cheap. ($4.99 for full version, Lite version available for free)
PEEK-A-BOO BARN
Much like the Peek-A-Zoo Underwater version, this game is all about recognizing animals and their sounds. You can record your own voice if you want, and you can even get this app in various languages. If you're trying to teach your child to be bilingual, this is a great way to start! ($1.99 for full version)

MICKEY'S WILDLIFE COUNT ALONG
Toby thinks this one is totally a video game so he's all about it. In this app the child will count animals in various settings, and then match them with their natural habitat. It only counts up to 10, but it gives it a realistic spin and makes it more interaction and fun for the child. ($3.99 for full version)
TeachMe - Toddler iPad App - Kaelah Bee
TEACH ME
I put off downloading this app for quite a while simply because I thought the graphics were sub-par and dated. Once I spent more time researching it I noticed that they had various levels of the app and it'd be a great way to have Toby "graduate" to the next level! It also tracks how your child does so you can see an actual assessment of their achievements. I think it's well worth it! ($0.99 for full version)

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There's an emphasis on the alphabet in our list simply because we've been hard at that one for a while. Toby can do basic addition and subtraction, recognize and write his numbers and (almost) count all the way to 100, but he still gets hung up on a few of his letters. We try to let him play various ABC games so he can have multiple ways to learn and remember each letter. My mom bought Toby something to help him with his writing/identifying the letters and we've noticed a huge improvement in just 3 days use! I'll be sure to share more about that once we're more familiar with it.

You can get free/"Lite" versions of many of these apps, but if you're in the market to buy some paid apps, be sure to download the "App Shopper" app! You can track the prices of apps and see when they tend to go on sale. Sometimes the developers will offer up their apps for free for a short time so stay on top of things like that if you want to save cash! I hate spending money on an app only to find out that it's a total bust! (You can get some of these on Android, too!)

Does your tot play any of these? Or do you have any others you'd like to suggest? I'd love to share more as he progresses! I think we'll be moving into more math-based apps before long. Happy Wednesday! xo

14 comments:

  1. You know, as an elementary teacher, I am super impressed with what Toby is already able to do! Wow!

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  2. I don't have a little one, but I work at a library where there are a LOT of kids. I think being able to recommend these apps to the mommies who come through will be really helpful!

    And aside from that, it's good to know about the App Shopper! I hope they have it (or something like it) for Android, because I totally need it, haha!

    http://cuddlyasacactus.wordpress.com/

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  3. Peekaboo Wild is a big hit at our house, and I didn't know there were other ones! My daughter is only 16 months old, so we just recently started getting into the toddler apps, but Fisher Price has some awesome baby ones. Also, Nighty Night! is a favorite for bedtime. Little ones get to turn off the lights for the animals in a farm house. Toby might be too old, but I think it's really sweet.

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  4. Great list of apps - Pinned to my Kidlets board :)

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  5. Have you seen the Toca Boca apps?!!! They're my favorite! The band one might be the best, but we also have Toca Kitchen, Toca Kitchen, Toca Hair Salon, Toca Robot Builder... not a bad one in the bunch. Toca band was free for awhile - might still be - worth a look!

    Link to all of them: http://tocaboca.com/

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  6. This is a great literacy app with animals and nice design as well!

    http://learnwithhomer.com

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  7. This is so awesome! No kids yet, but my dog and I read with kids as part of our volunteer work and being able to identify letters and sound out words are a HUGE part of their improvement. Better reading = better student = happier student! Great job you're doing with Toby! :)

    -Samira at Chippmunk

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  8. This is so awesome! No kids yet, but my dog and I read with kids as part of our volunteer work and being able to identify letters and sound out words are a HUGE part of their improvement. Better reading = better student = happier student! Great job you're doing with Toby! :)

    -Samira at Chippmunk

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  9. This is an awesome list! You're doing such a great job with Toby! :) No kids here yet, but my dog and I read with kids as part of our volunteer work and being able to identify and sound out letters is the foundation of reading and success in all other schoolwork - so it's a great base for Toby! Better readers = better students = happier students! :)

    -Samira at Chippmunk

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  11. Endless Alphabet - I use it with my students in Pre-K and Kindergarten but frequently have older students request it for a library activity. They love it, I love it...good times! Great way to learn letter sounds and expand the vocabulary.

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  12. Thanks for these! My mom teaches special education kindergarten and she is ALL about educational iPad apps. It's amazing how much progress some of her students have made just by using the classroom iPads, especially those who are autistic or ADD/ADHD. Technology is amazing :)

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  13. I work for a place that makes educational apps and games, and although we didn't make this one, the office has been buzzing about it: http://tinybop.com/
    The first chapter they released is specifically about the human body. The animation, design and just EVERYTHING is amazing. I think you'd definitely appreciate it.

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  14. I work for a place that makes educational apps and games, and although we didn't make this one, the office has been buzzing about it: http://tinybop.com/

    The one that was just released is to teach health and the human body. The design, style, animation, and EVERYTHING is just so great. I think you'd really appreciate this one!

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HEY! Thanks for dropping by. xo KB