By Jinny Gudmundsen
December 20, 2017
Looking for a way to enhance your child’s holiday experience? There are a lot of apps that can add pizzazz to the holidays, whether it be by reading and playing in classic holiday stories, discovering festive games, or exploring holiday-themed creativity projects.
Check out our list of Fun Christmas & Holiday Apps.
April 6, 2016
by Jinny Gudmundsen, Editor of Tech with Kids
My sister is my best friend. But it wasn’t always that way. Growing up, we had our share of fights, misunderstandings, and hurt feelings. In high school, we hated each other. It wasn’t until we were in college and beyond that we were able to forge our unbreakable bond of sisterly love.
When I had my own kids, I was determined not to repeat the pattern of my youth. My two sons are five years apart. When my younger son was born, I told my older son that he was the luckiest kid in the world because he had a brother.
I explained that friends would come and go, but that his brother would be his best friend for life. Because his brother was going to have such an important role in his life, I told my son that he needed to protect that friendship and to never do anything that would hurt his brother. I repeated this same philosophy to my younger son when he was old enough to understand. To my delight, my sons internalized this idea. They never — I mean never — fought. They never hit each other. They always comforted each other and talked out disagreements. They teased, but in joyful ways, without chipping away at each other’s self-esteem. And boy, did they laugh!
They started out best of friends, and now, decades later, are the same. Maybe we were just lucky. But maybe, instilling this idea of why it is important to be best friends with your sibling works.
One of the other ways I encouraged good relations with my sons was through playing games. We played board games (from Winnie the Pooh to Connect 4 to Stratego to Monopoly and Risk, to name a few), card games, treasure hunts in the backyard, and video games.
One of the great things about having a sibling is that you always have someone to play with. Games provide shared experiences, and let kids learn about winning and losing. We discovered that games were a great way to foster sibling bonds.
Nowadays, one of the easiest ways to play games is using apps. There are no small pieces to lose, and they are easy to take with you when traveling. Here are some great ones for two players (and more):
Best Multiplayer iPad App for Young Children: Match Blitz
This matching game (for ages 3-8) is unusual, because it can be played with up to four players. Presented on an inviting green nature background, brightly colored objects are sprinkled over the surface. Grab your kid and fire up your iPad for a fast-paced game of matching shapes — one you can play together!
Link: Our Full Review
Best Fast-Paced Multiplayer Game for Families: Marble Mixer
Offering three different games for up to 4 players, this app lets kids shoot and flick virtual marbles onto target boards, into outer space vortexes, or popped into a monster’s mouth. Known as a “huddle game” since the players all crowd around one device, <b>Marble Mixer</b> is a great game to play when your kids are getting antsy.
Link: Our Full Review
Best Multiplayer App for Puzzle Lovers: Take it Easy
With multiple modes, this puzzle game is all about placing hexagonal pieces on a board in such a manner as to make continuous colored lines. The more you play, the easier it is to see the lines forming; and the app offers periodic tips on how to play better. These puzzles require players to use math as well as logic.
Link: Our Full Review
Best Game for a Room-Full of Multi-Generational People: Heads Up!
A variation of Charades where the group acts out words, trying to help the designated player figure out what is on the screen of the smartphone or tablet that is being held up over his or her head. The secret sauce for this cooperative game is that the app covertly films the group who is acting out the words, and then lets the whole crowd review the silliness by watching the film.
Link: Our Full Review
Best Multiplayer App for Board Game Aficionados: Ticket to Ride
The popular board game gets a digital face-lift as families vie for railway domination of the map of the United States. Up to five players on the same device can crisscross the United States, claiming possible railroad routes in hopes of building a rail line empire. If a friend or family member isn’t around, they can be brought into the game via the online component (but we don’t recommend letting kids use this to play with strangers!)
Link: Our Full Review
For other multiplayer app suggestions, check out our rec list called: Best Multiplayer Apps for Kids by clicking here. There are six additional apps on that list, and you can find purchase links to all of the apps discussed here from that list.
Here’s to sibling bonding and family gaming via apps!
March 17, 2016
by Jinny Gudmundsen, Editor Tech with Kids
With March being National Reading Month, this is the perfect time to focus on reading with kids. Story times are a great way to connect with children and instill in them a love of reading; and that is true regardless of whether you are a parent, librarian, grandparent, teacher, or other childcare provider.
The key to a memorable story time is a good book. But good books no longer have to be read in a paper format. Sometimes it is easier to access a book on your phone or tablet. And when you do, you will find lots of book apps that are created to be read only on digital platforms. They are filled with bells and whistles that make story time special.
To help you find the best books apps to share with the kids in your life, we have read hundreds, rated and reviewed the best, and then sorted them into several kinds of book app recommendation lists. Here are nine different lists, showcasing over 75 top book apps:
(click here to see the complete list)
Adults, if you want to share stories you grew up with or already know because they started as paper books, this is the list for you. It contains 16 book apps, including:
The Monster at the End of this Book…starring Grover!: Hilarious Grover monster of Sesame Street fame is at his paranoid best in the digital version of the classic book, The Monster at the End of this Book! Plus, the book app version makes your child’s participation even more compelling, since the reader are actively undoing all of Grover’s plans to keep the pages from turning. To read the full review, click here.
Moo, Baa, La La La! – Sandra Boynton: A darling, whimsical barnyard romp where toddlers get to interact with hilarious animals. Get more details in our review by clicking here.
2. Book Apps Starring Imaginative Kids
(click here to see complete list)
The 10 books on this list inspire kids to dream big, and include:
Leonard, a book app about a little boy whose imagination takes him on exciting adventures in his own backyard. To read the full review, click here.
Dragon Brush, a book app about a plucky young artist who saves his town from an evil ruler by using his imagination and a magical paintbrush. Things he imagines and then draws, come to life! To read our full review, click here.
Kalley’s Machine Plus Cats, a highly creative app about a fantastical machine designed by a little girl. Click here to read the full review.
3. Best Nonfiction Book Apps for Kids
(click here to see the complete list)
Nonfiction book apps can open kids minds to broader horizons. You will find eight treasures on our rec list, including apps such as:
Bats! Furry Fliers of the Night: This book app transports your child into the woods at night to learn about bats and even play a game of controlling one as it flies. To read our full review of this app, click here.
Ocean Forests: Kids swim in the ocean within a giant kelp forest to learn about its inhabitants in this book app filled with interactive videos. To learn more about this app, click here.
(click here to see the complete list)
With these storybook apps, bedtime reading still means cuddling up together, but now the book has interactivity and great animation. All 10 book apps on this list are special. You might start with:
Nighty Night: Kids help farm animals settle in for the night. See our full review of this fabulous app by clicking here.
The Going to Bed Book: Adapted from Sandra Boynton’s beloved board book, this charming app about 10 animals going to bed captivates kids by including them in the silly late-night shenanigans. To read our full review, click here.
Leah & The Owl: A magical story about a little girl and her friend The Owl as they travel the world at night. Click here to read our full review.
(click here to see the complete list)
The nine apps on this list are the best of the best in fairy tales. Don’t miss the newest one:
Goldilocks and Little Bear by Nosy Crow: This innovative tale has kids flipping their device upside down to hear parallel stories, one about Goldilocks and one about Little Bear, the youngest member of the bear family whose house Goldilocks is ransacking! To read our full review, click here.
(click here to see the complete list)
Do you wonder how to carry a library of kids’ books on your device? You can with the five apps on this rec list!
If you are going on a trip or have an avid reader, downloading a library app is a great way to have access to hundreds of books. One of our favorite library apps is:
Reading Rainbow Skybrary: With consummate storyteller LeVar Burton at its helm, this library app presents exciting stories with professional narration. The library contains over 500 books and also houses more than 200 field-trip videos — many featuring the beloved LeVar Burton, the host of the TV show upon which the app is based. Click here to read our full review.
(click here to see the complete list)
If your kids love doors that creak, things that go bump in the night, and ghosts that scare, this rec list should be your first stop. Filled with six spooky-but-not-too-scary book apps, each tells a fun story that has some eerie elements, but none will frighten kids too much. Don’t miss:
Weirdwood Manor: A captivating fantasy read told across five books that can be downloaded from within this app. In addition to a great story, the app is filled with movie-like animation and interactive puzzles. Read more of our review here.
Loose Strands: An exciting choose-your-own-adventure book where kids can see the branching of the story with each decision. For older kids, this masterfully designed non-linear book delivers a powerful story about censorship, abuse of power, and the role of regret. Read more of the review here.
8. 10 Story Time Apps for Librarians (and Parents too!)
(click here to see the complete list)
This list of 10 apps showcases some of our all-time favorites, including:
Billy’s Coin Visits the Zoo: This jaunty zoo romp delivers a delightful rhyming story filled with hand-sewn illustrations and charming animations and interactions. Read more of our review here.
My Beastly ABCs: Friendly monsters and the award-winning voice of Jim Dale combine to create a fun-filled story about monsters for every letter of the alphabet. For more information about this app, read our review here.
9. Hook Boys on Books with These Apps
(click here to see the complete list)
Four of the five book apps on this list star little boys having rollicking adventures. Some of the apps even embed games within their narrative. They are all outstanding. Don’t miss:
Jack and the Beanstalk by Nosy Crow: This beautiful, interactive book app is revolutionary in the way it combines reading and gaming to attract hesitant readers — especially little boys who will identify with the lead character of Jack. See more here.
Pete’s Robot: A funny, high energy story about a little boy who builds a malfunctioning robot. Read more about the app here.
Nov. 4, 2015 by Jinny Gudmundsen
Tech with Kids’ Editor Jinny Gudmundsen
On November 3, 1015, the NPR show All Sides with Ann Fisher invited me to talk about the “hot trend” of teaching kids to code. I was Ann Fisher’s first guest in the segment, called “Tech Tuesday: Kid Coders, Robot Myths, Apple TV,” which can be listened to here.
On the show, I explained that teaching children how to write code is important because it enhances their understanding of how computer science is used to make things work. If we teach kids how coding works, they can use that understanding to build new things. As a side benefit, learning to code requires kids to think logically, and to use math and reading skills. An easy way to interest kids in coding is to turn the learning into a game.
These coding games work well with children because they employ specially-designed programming languages that are visual and intuitive to kids. Many of the recent products have been created as part of the global kid-coding movement called Hour of Code hosted by Code.org and thus they are FREE.
Now in its third year, the Hour of Code movement has reached more than 180 countries and over 100 million students. The idea is to have students try one hour of computer science class so they get a taste of what it means to learn to code. Partners include Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and many more. Even President Obama is on board. 
The next Hour of Code events are scheduled to be held during December 7-13, 2015; and Code.org told me via email that they already have 67,000 registered events planned worldwide for 2015.
During the radio show, I discussed:
You can listen to the discussion at 6:16 minutes of the radio program or you can read our full review here. I mentioned that The Foos app is getting an update soon that will introduce Foos Studio, a place for kids to code their own games and then share them globally. We can’t wait to check this new feature out and will update our review when it launches.
You can read our full review of this free set of coding puzzles here. The puzzles star both Elsa and Anna.
You can listen to the discussion about these toy robots that kids program using their smartphone or tablet at 13:06 minutes. We will be adding a tech-toy review of that product shortly.
Our rec list that serves as an overall resource.
We would love to have you suggest good choices in the comments section below.
By Jinny Gudmundsen, Editor of Tech with Kids
Downloading good Halloween apps is an easy way to set a spooky — but not too scary — mood for the upcoming holiday. Ghosts, werewolves, zombies, witches, beasts, and other things that go bump in the night — we got them all featured on our rec list:
While we love all the apps on this list, some stand out because they are so creative and different. Here are a few we want to draw your attention to:
SpeakorTreatThis app is special because kids get to have hilarious conversations with 5 famous “scaracters”: Dracula, Dr. Frankenstein, a witch, a ghost, and a werewolf. What makes it fun is that each of the scary characters needs your child’s help. Read our review here.
Mask Jumble HalloweenOne of the cleverest Halloween apps, Mask Jumble Halloween turns your phone or tablet into a dress-up mirror. Your child sees his or her image reflected on the screen. By tapping on her virtual nose, chin, ears, and forehead, your child can make mask parts magically appear. With just a few taps, children can see themselves as a witch, Frankenstein, and so much more. Read our review here.
Haunted House – 3D Pop-up Activity BookPresented in the format of a 3D pop-up book, kids play with an adorable group of Halloween characters — including a zombie, a skeleton, a Frankenstein monster, a witch, ghosts and more. Read our review here.
Sago Mini MonstersWe love this decorate-a-monster app because it puts kids in charge of designing their own spooky pal. The process of decorating is so simple that a two-year old can do it, but the result is so visually pleasing that a 5-year old will also want in on the monster designing. Read our review here.
Plants vs Zombies HDIf your kids have yet to experience Plants vs. Zombies, Halloween is the perfect time to introduce this app about fighting zombies who are trying to invade your home. In this tower defense game, you fend off the always-silly-never-scary undead by planting cute and funny zombie-killing plants in your front yard. This award-winning strategy game is great, even for kids who think they don’t like zombies, because it’s so hilarious to explore. Fighting the undead has never been so much fun! Read our full review here.
Parents, don’t be lured into selecting the newer and free version called Plants vs Zombies 2. In this situation, newer is not better. Plants vs Zombies 2 is a freemium game where your kids will always be asking you to dip into your wallet to spend more. The first app, while a paid app, provides a better, robust play experience for kids.
We have two other Best Pick Rec Lists that might be of interest:
Google Play is currently featuring us — Tech with Kids — as an expert in selecting the best apps for children. You can find our Expert Picks on the front page of the “Family” category in Google Play until Oct. 15, 2015. Wonder which apps we think are best? See our picks by clicking here.
When Google asked us to curate our favs among the family-friendly Android apps, we immediately pulled up our own Best Picks Lists relating to Android Apps:
We quickly realized that we couldn’t include all of these great apps on Google Play, so we tried to find a balance between hidden gems and blockbuster favorites. Every one of the apps on our Google Play Expert Picks list has earned our Best Pick Award and has a full review on our Tech with Kids site.
After submitting a list to Google Play, we discovered that some of our top-rated Android apps had not opted into Google’s “Designed for Families” program, so they couldn’t appear on our list being showcased on Google Play. We didn’t want you to miss out on these great apps, so we decided to share them with you here instead:
Moo, Baa, La La La! – by Sandra Boynton
Toddlers interact with animals in this Sandra Boynton classic that is darling, whimsical, and hilarious! — Read our full review here
Kids explore 18 different activities that teach early learning concepts such as counting, patterns, shapes, logic and more. And they do it while playing with realistic-looking bugs. — Read our full review here.
Zoinks! Scooby-Doo wants to romp with you in this virtual pet sim filled with mysteries! — Read our full review here.
This collection of over 300 levels presents the player with a mass of seemingly unconnected dots and lines to rotate until you start to see order out of the chaos. — Read our full review here.
A variation of Charades where the group acts out words, trying to help the designated player figure out what is on the screen of the smartphone or tablet (which he is holding up over his head.) — Read our full review here.
Monument Valley
A visually arresting puzzle game filled with landscapes that would have made M.C. Escher proud. — Read our full review here.
In this tower defense game, kids fend off the undead by planting hilarious zombie-killing plants in their front yard. — Read our full review here.
We want to thank Google for asking us to curate Android apps for them. And parents and teachers, we hope you will find some favorites among our Expert Picks List!
In the old days, we used flashcards to teach ABCs — now there are apps! With apps, the alphabet learning becomes interactive, animated, and personal to your child. In other words: exciting!
Here’s a list for the top ABC apps:
Adorable Elmo serves as your child’s cheerleader while he or she explores the letters of the alphabet. Kids will trace the letters, learn their beginning sounds, and play games with the letters. Elmo energizes the learning with his silly antics.
When each letter of the alphabet is introduced, kids get to play a game that reinforces the letter sounds. They will build a robot with the letter “R” and kick the soccer ball with the letter “K.” This app turns learning the alphabet into hands-on learning.
This app takes kids on a bike ride to find the hiding letters of the alphabet. At 26 different locations, kids first find the hidden letter and then enjoy silly antics with it, such as jumping on jiggling jelly!
Puzzle play is what sets this ABC app apart from the others. Each letter has a fun puzzle that kids put together.
This ABC app is the most visually exciting of the ones on this list. It mesmerizes children (and adults) with its dazzling transformations and intriguing animations. Each touch of a letter produces something new. Don’t miss this one.
Silly monsters act out the meaning of words that start with the letters of the alphabet. The animations are great and hilarious.
My Beastly ABCs uses mythical creatures and beasts to demonstrate each letter of the alphabet. Told in a book app format, this tale about a timid boy playing with monsters is told by the master narrator Jim Dale of Harry Potter fame!
Have you recently added a tablet into your kid’s life? You and your child are about to embark on a wonderful learning adventure.
From “Kiddie” app
If you are like most folks, you have dipped your toe into the apps marketplaces by downloading free apps. While there are some great free apps (check out our rec list: FREE and Fabulous: Top Apps for Kids), most aren’t really free. Tons of apps are masquerading as “free,” when in truth, they are making money by advertising to your child or enticing them to spend your money with in-app purchases. To learn more about how the world of freemium apps works, read our blog article here.
Think of the content you are about to put on your tablet as your child’s media diet. The key is to not fill it with junk. You want to give your kids compelling apps that are rich in fun and make them think or learn something new.
Here at Tech With Kids, we play and test thousands of apps every year, looking for the best of the best. We screen out the apps that contain:
We write reviews of the apps we love (and pen a few reviews about the ones you should avoid); and then sort them for you into helpful lists.
When selecting apps for your child, keep in mind your child’s age, interests, and the operating system of your device.
One way to start, is to look at the best apps recommended by age. The key to hooking a child on digital play is to find apps that are right for their developmental age. The following lists are a good place to start:
Many kids have strong interests or preferences. As parents, we all know that we can use our child’s interests to introduce them to new things. I have a son who went through the “car and all things that go vroom” stage. If I wanted to teach him math, all I needed to do was use a bucketful of cars in the lesson. The same concept holds true with apps. And thus, we go looking for apps based on typical interests of kids. Here are some lists to check out:
Our site reviews more apps for iOS (the operating system running the Apple devices of the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch, which are found in the iTunes App Store) than for Android (the operating system running app found in Google and Amazon app stores). That is because most children’s app developers release in iTunes first. Only when they reach some economic success do most children’s app developers then reprogram their apps to play on the Android system. And interestingly, when they do release in the Android marketplaces, they don’t automatically show up in both the Google and Amazon marketplaces — so make sure to search both. And sadly, Windows tablet owners, your choices are even slimmer.
All of our rec lists feature iOS apps. A great list to start with is our:
That list was created at the very end of 2014, and it identifies the best of the best apps that were released in 2014. So this list gives you a way to find the most current top-rated apps. It is displayed by age, with the apps for young children listed first and the ones for older children at the end.
We have just recently created three lists that pull together the Android apps which received our highest ratings. We divided the lists by ages into:
As the year draws to the close, we here at Tech With Kids have been busy compiling our BEST of the BEST lists. We review children’s tech products all year long, and post reviews of the ones that represent the best the industry has to offer or those that are getting a lot of buzz.
This week we named our:
This list is arranged from the youngest techie (age 2) to the oldest (all the way up to parents — make sure you steal your child’s iPad to play Monument Valley!). It contains the top book apps, puzzle apps, games, apps to create movies, apps to learn to code, and so much more. This list is overflowing with innovation! Downloading these apps would be perfect for any family trying to build a top-notch app library for their kids. Both Android and iOS apps are represented.
This list offers toys that have been sprinkled with digital magic to make them sparkle. Parents can find app-connected toys, robots, building sets, and even a video game with real toy figurines.
Our Editor, Jinny Gudmundsen, was a guest on the NPR show All Sides with Ann Fisher on November 4, 2014 to talk about the best Learning Apps for Kids. If you want to listen in, here is the link.
You can also read reviews of the apps talked about on the radio show by checking out our Best Picks Apps List:
20 Terrific Back to School AppsThe apps discussed on the show were: