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There She Grows

Like most toddlers, Lil loves phones.     Of course, she has a myriad of play phones but she prefers getting a hold of a genuine article.  She always wants to run off with my iPhone, and presses buttons with abandon.   Then I realized, its about time I found some toddler-sized apps she can actually play with, so I wasn’t constantly keeping my phone off-limits (making it all the more appealing).   Plus, anything extra to keep her entertained during potential breakdown moments (ie a checkout line) is a definite plus.   Here’s a couple we’ve tried that I’m (she’s) happy with.

kideos.
The kideos.com website has been a great resource for safe video fun for Lilah, and their free app allows her to view her favorite vids on my phone.

Bubble Wrap.  The idea is simple: its a game where the screen mimics a sheet of good old-fashioned  bubble wrap, and you’re racing against the clock to “pop” as many bubbles as possible.  As you pop them, new ones appear.    The time-wasting game aspect is more for adults or older kids (my high score is 210) and gets old pretty fast, but Lil delights in popping the bubbles.  After all, they’re buttons she is allowed to press, with a satisfying visual result rather than any consequence like me rushing to retrieve my phone.

Scribble. The name says it all.  The screen becomes a notepad on which you can draw with your fingertip.  The image shown is of Lilah’s first scribble, done while we were waiting to be seated at a restaurant. You can choose different line widths and colors, and even import a photo from your camera roll to use as a backdrop.    Starting with a fun familiar pic of herself, Marley, friends or family for her to ’scribble’ on provides plenty of entertainment for Lil.

I’ve also heard good things about Crazy Mouth, Fish Tank and a few others, which I’ll ultimately add to this list once we’ve tried them. What are your app recommendations for toddlers? Please share!

UPDATE:

I came across this handy list of 50 toddler-friendly iphone aps with handy descriptions and links.

UPDATE2: I sprung for the 99 cents and downloaded Shapes For Toddlers. Its so simple: shapes appear and a voice instructs her to “point to the hexagon” for instance. She does it right and is rewarded with the sounds of cheers and applause. After getting 4 correct she has earned the right to choose a “sticker” that she is able to place on a sticker page by tapping. Then its back to the game. She was sooo into this that she had her sticker page overflowing with about 30 stickers before we had to move on to teeth brushing and bedtime. Super happy and pleased with herself while playing this simple game, lol. A winner.