Once a parent decides they would like to use the iPad to aid in their child’s entertainment and education, the next step is decided what apps you want to introduce to your child. Here are some free educational apps that each parent should evaluate.
Abby Monkey
The app opens to a screen of animals at the zoo and each one takes a turn making their sound. When the toddler is finished with this screen, they can press a button to play a matching game. Across the top of the screen are outlines of four animals. Across the bottom of the screen is a picture of the animal. The child must press and drag the picture of the animal over the correct outline.
What I did not like about this app is how the main screen has a start button in the middle, but also has eight equally large pictures that advertise the developer’s other apps. The child helping me test this app out kept pressing the other buttons, which then links to the app store in order to purchase the other apps. There is also a large button in order to purchase the full, paid version of the app right in the corner of the screen the child uses to select their character.
Jumping Grasshopper
This is a very simple counting game. The main play screen shows a grasshopper sitting, facing away, on a snow covered leaf. Pressing the grasshopper makes it jump to another leaf while a number appears across the screen. After ten jumps, the grasshopper appears facing the screen and the game is over.
Toddler Toy Factory Free
This is another app that is advertising the paid version across the top third of the main screen with instructions to slide finger across in order to upgrade. The toy factory has three different types of play. The Make game has scrambled letters that the child must drag to the beginning of the machine in order to make the toy. The next section is called Find. This is a memory matching game with both an easy and medium level (the hard level is included in the full version). The child must press the boxes and match two items together. Ship is the third game in this app and also has an easy and medium level. A barrel is at the bottom of the screen and a shelf full of toys is in the middle of the screen. The child must drag the toys into the barrel in order to ship them.
Paint Sparkles Draw – my first colors HD
This app allows the child to use their creativity to draw pictures. This app is easier than many others because the buttons are across the bottom of the screen. The large trash can and eraser makes it easy for the child to know what tools to use. An easel button opens a gallery of pictures the child can choose to color. There is also an option to choose a color of “paper” to draw on.
By Andrea Altenburg
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