Five Favourite Apps for Toddlers

I am the first to admit that we may have a bit of an app addiction problem in our house! Last week I ran out of screens on my iPhone because I had so many apps installed. I didn’t even know that you could do that!

Anyway, it made me look at exactly what I had installed on my iPhone and on our iPad, and I realised that we have a LOT of great apps for children. From storybooks to educational apps, to apps that are just plain fun, there’s quite a selection available for all age ranges, even young children.

So what would my top five be? It’s hard to decide. Do I recommend the apps that Little Man seems to learn the most from, or the apps that he seems to have the most fun with? In the end, I’ve decided to recommend the five that I think best met both our requirements! So here they are.

1. In the Night Garden

Top of the list has to be the CBeebies In the Night Garden app. If you have a little one who loves the show, then I guarantee you’ll have a hit on your hands with this app. It presents three main activities – Dancing, Hiding and Washing Faces. Whoever designed this app clearly understands how toddlers work. The navigation is intuitive, and the games are fun! [Full review]

2. First Words Sampler / First Words Deluxe

Next on the list has to be an app called First Words. For months, we made do with the free Sampler version of this app, but it was getting used on an almost daily basis so I recently decided to upgrade to the Deluxe version of it. This is a Flashcards and puzzle app in one. An image and its name appear onscreen, with the letters that make up the name jumbled across the screen. Then your little one must drag each letter into the correct place in the word. It’s great for teaching letter recognition as well as teaching simple words. [Full review]

3. Animals iSpy Junior

Animals iSpy Junior is an iPad puzzle app. A selection of animals appear in a scene on screen, and then they are jumbled up onscreen, and your little one has to drag each animal back to the appropriate animal shape onscreen. And then once the puzzle is solved, an identification game starts, with your little one asked to identify each animal onscreen in turn. [Full review]

4. Peekaboo Barn

Peekaboo Barn is a simple app that’s also a lot of fun for a toddler! A red barn appears onscreen, with animal noises coming from inside. When your little one taps on the door, the barn opens up to show the occupant! It’s very exciting! [Full review]

5. Fun with Spot

The final app in my top five is Fun with Spot, a storybook app for the iPad. This app is a traditional Spot book brought to life on the iPad. As you read through the book, your little one must tap the flaps to lift them and explore each page. Finding Spot hiding under a table elicits fits of giggles in our house! [Full Review]