The Best Educational iPad Apps for Toddler Learning
Written by Jill // July 24, 2012 // Shopping Reviews // 5 Comments
The iPad is an incredible way to facilitate development and learning in the little ones. (And it’s also a great excuse to buy one for ourselves!) Here are a few apps we’ve discovered that will get the little people ready for kindergarten.
1. AlphaBaby (free): touch the screen and a shape, letter or number will appear. By touching the screen again, a voice will pronounce the name or letter.
2. Drawing Pad ($1.99): Toddlers have access to a virtual arts & crafts store that comes with brushes, pencils, crayons and stickers.
3. Squiggles! (free): Let your child’s art work literally come to life with this drawing app. A simple doodle becomes animated and transforms into a bird, sheep’s wool, rocket, and more! Also includes an interactive storybook.
4. Peekaboo Barn for iPad ($1.99): Let your child learn to identify farm animals with sounds and fun music.
5. The Tale of Peter Rabbit ($0.99): This beloved children’s classic bring the feel of the traditional book plus interactive elements that teach children words and animal sounds.
6. Toddler Counting (free): A counting app. Sorry Mom – it can’t balance your chequebook.
7. ClickySticky ($1.99): An animated sticker book with hundreds of stickers that can be added to different scenes (aquarium, safari) accompanied by a variety of noises/music.
8. Toca Kitchen Monsters (free): Let your kids play with their food as they prepare to feed two hungry monsters. We are huge fans of Toca Kitchen and Toca Store as well.
9. Beauty and the Beast Storybook Deluxe ($4.99): Vibrant illustrations plus coloring pages and puzzles. You also have the option to record your own voice reading the story. Because we know you secretly want to be Belle.
10. Awesome Xylophone Lite (free): this vibrant, virtual xylophone is easy for little ones to use with its bright animation and it’s ability to play chords.
Jill Amery is a mom of 2 monkeys/stormtroopers and Editor and Publisher at UrbanMommies Media. Though she's based in Canada, her palette is mostly French and her fashion sense is decidedly Italian. When taking a break from her busy travel schedule, she can be found hosting complicated dinner parties or surfing ebay for obscure vintage gowns.
5 Comments on "The Best Educational iPad Apps for Toddler Learning"
I’m more of a “go play outside” type of person, and although I don’t personally agree with this type of stuff for toddlers, I think that it’s great that they’ve come up with it for those parents who agree and do allow their two year old children to play on ipads etc. rather than having them play with games that are not age appropriate.
Agnitus is one of the best educational apps I have seen for toddlers. My son has loved it since he was about 18 mos old and is now 2. It’s free and you can program it to give you updates through e-mail on your child’s learning progress :-)
Where is the research that tablet devices are “an incredible way to facilitate development and learning in the little ones?” I’m not saying they aren’t. I admit I SUSPECT they aren’t, but I’d really like to see a summary of research on the topic. I guess the media format is too new to get much yet (although the AAP currently recommends no screen time for those under 2, and that includes tablets).
I do recall that right after TV came out there was a flood of folks telling us how kids would learn everything from this medium. As it turns out, human interaction is still superior.
I am a special education teacher. Just a crazy idea to get your children “hooked” on electronics at an early age. Sit down with your children and read. Also, play with them. Let them use their imaginiation not use an electric device! We are making our children not be able to actually talk with people and enjoy what they have to offer!
I am so torn when it comes to tablets and the latest devices. In school they want them to have all this knowledge of how computers, ipods and tablets work in grade 4. Where do you draw the line. I like my kids to play outside, ride bikes and draw with chalk but I also don’t want them to fall behind in the tech world we live in.