Must-Have Apps for Kids 2-4

Oh the hours I've tried to pry lame, annoying, user un-friendly apps from Son1's hands. He's 4 so he gets fixated on one aspect of an app and won't let go, no matter how frustrated we both get with it. Maybe it has a cute cartoon monster on the app icon, or suggests the promise of ramming monster trucks together, but you can't do anything without buying the "full version" (more on the full version quagmire in another post!), or plays obnoxious music you can't turn off, or hogs all your memory and crashes constantly. 

Anecdote Time: 

One of my least favorite apps (to remain unnamed because I can't bear to look it up) involves choosing a train from the main menu. There are 3 trains to choose from: one green, one red, and one orange. 

Pick the GREEN train and it takes you to a track where you drive a GREEN train. 

Pick the RED train and it takes you to a different track, where you drive a GREEN train. 

Pick the ORANGE train and it takes you to a different track, where you drive a GREEN train. You don't have to be 4 to wonder why all the trains are GREEN, right? 

Like I said, he's 4, so after picking the ORANGE train, a barrage of questions ensues. It starts with "Where is the orange train?"

He tries picking the orange train again. Still green. "How do I get the orange train?"

He tries again. "Why is the train green?"

Again. "Where is the orange train?" 

Again. "Mommy, can you get the orange train?"

Again. "Why is this train green?"  

No matter how I try to explain that the app just doesn't work right, and the train will always be green, all he wants is the damned orange train. More than anything. Only the orange train will do. Finally I say, "Oh no, the app is broken. Let's delete it." That should be the end of it, right? No, in the car a few days later, I hear "Mommy, can we get the orange train?" 

App Time

There are an incredible number of worthless, terrible apps in the world. There are a bunch of good ones. This blog post is about the few that are the very best. These are the MUST-HAVES*. If you have a 2-4 year old, not having these is simply unholy...

Endless ABC

This is probably my all-time favorite app, even more so than Facebook (blasphemy!)

It is an incredibly fun and intoxicatingly cute way to learn about letters and words. As you drag letters to spell out words, the letters wiggle and voice their sounds in funny ways. Once the word is complete, a whimsical animation explains the word's meaning. 

There is a pretty extensive list of words (2 or more for each letter) and new words are continually being added, so the kids get something new each time they play.

$4.99 for iPhone and iPad in the app store

Elmo Loves ABCs 

This app feels very much like a segment on Sesame Street if it was interactive. Elmo tells kids exactly what to do, and responds to their actions in a very realistic way. He tells the kids to pick a letter, walks them through the steps in drawing the letter, then rewards them with videos and activities about words that start with that letter.

$4.99 For iPad in the App Store  (no iPhone version)

They also have Elmo Loves 123s, which I haven't tried, but it's first on the list when my app budget is replenished. 

The Monster at the End of this Book 

If you don't remember this book from your childhood, you were deprived (I was one of the deprived). Grover narrates this interactive adaptation, begging kids not to turn the pages of the book. The first time we read it, Son1 actually refused to turn the pages, so as not to upset poor Grover. 

$4.99 for iPad and iPhone in the App Store

Equally good is Another Monster at the End of this Book, co-starring Elmo. 

Preschool Monkey Lunchbox
Best buck I ever spent. This one's for the younger crowd (2-3 I'd say), and boy it is a road trip lifesaver. Driving from New York to Atlanta? No problem. Flying coast-to-coast? Yes please.

The monkey guides kids through a series of different puzzles, matching, counting, shape/color/size/ differentiation games. Warning: the game never ends, so you may have to set a time limit.

$0.99 for iPad and iPhone in the App Store

Wheels on the Bus (and pretty much any app by Duck Duck Moose)

Duck Duck Moose has turned many nursery rhymes into fun musical journeys through lands where kids use different gestures to interact with the characters in the songs. Filled with surprises, these apps encourage kids to scrutinize the details of each scene to find their goodies.

$1.99 for iPad and iPhone in the App Store

We have particularly enjoyed Wheels on the Bus because the flow is pretty linear (one scene for each verse in the song), so we are all clear on when the app is "over". We've also enjoyed Old McDonald and Itsy Bitsy Spider. Duck Duck Moose has several others as well, perhaps for us to try after payday. 

Few truly good kids' apps are free. There are some, but none currently make my Must-Have list. Sorry if you're a cheapie. Believe me, I used to be a cheapie, but after so much app disappointment, I realized it's ok to pay a few bucks for an app (if it's a good one, of course). I'd easily spend $5 at Target on a new book for the kids, so why not spend it on a really good app?

Maybe there are other must-haves. What are they?


* "Must-haves" are high on the scale for each of these criteria: educational, easy to use, fun, keep attention for 10+ minutes, keep kids coming back