“Pre-K Safari” is an amazing education app, teaching letters, numbers, shapes, and colors. Each activity has a safari theme and is great for kids who love animals. The music has an African beat, the sound quality is high, and I find it relaxing to listen to. Each game is narrated by a friendly hyena who gives praise for the correct answer and lets the player know when the answer is wrong but is always kind and encouraging. You can also track your child’s progress with an achievement screen.

I don’t think I ever taught my son how to use this app. All the activities are very intuitive, and he picked it up very quickly on his own. My son knew all his letters, numbers, shapes, and colors by just over 2 years, and I give this app and ones like it credit for helping him learn these things without any struggle whatsoever. As an adult, I find this app enjoyable as well. The colors game is taught by touching different colored butterflies, and I find their flying around quite lovely. There is also a free lite version to try, but this app is worth much more than $.99.

Animals, By Age Range, By App Feature, Counting, Language, Matching, Preschool, Reviews, Shapes, Toddlers

“MathGirl Number Garden” is an application designed to help girls gain confidence in math, specifically counting and beginner multiplication. This app is pleasant to look at and has girls in mind with the garden aesthetic. There are twelve levels that increase in difficulty, and the faster you answer the questions, the more points you get. Redeem your points to buy objects such as flowers or butterflies to add to your garden.

I like the fact that although you get more points for speed, there is no time limit to win the base number of points for a right answer, and if you answer wrong at first, you can keep trying. I think adding objects to the garden page is a nice motivation for girls to go back and practice their math skills.

I showed my garden to my 2.5 year old son, and he was really interested in this until he asked me to add a second pink bunny, but I could not. I wish you could just buy whatever you want with the points that you have earned. I do think that this is a fun app and a nice teaching tool that girls will enjoy using.

By Age Range, By App Feature, Counting, Math, Preschool, Primary School, Reviews

iSee123 – A  Counting Adventure is a nicely animated interactive app that would be a good choice to introduce number recognition. Text, narration, numbers, and animation are incorporated together to help kids learn their numbers and count from 1 to 10. The music and ocean sounds make the animated scenes peaceful and relaxing to watch. 

I am really impressed by the unique aquatic animals chosen, making it stand  apart from the usual barnyard-themed  applications.  My son (aged 2 1/2) has known his numbers for a long time but is still engaged.  He quickly found the section of this app where he could just watch the animations and went through all 10 of them again, sitting quietly.  

Although great for number recognition as well as being beautiful and creative, many of the animations don’t alone lend themselves well to counting.  Before the animation begins, I would like to be able to touch and to count each animal as the narrator counts for me, and then the animation should start.  Having said this, I still recommend this app because of the peaceful sounds and intriguing animal choices. 

Animals, By Age Range, By App Feature, Counting, Math, Preschool, Reviews, Sounds, Toddlers

The storybook application “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish” is based on the original book by Theodor Geisel – most commonly known as Dr. Seuss. As with many of Seuss’ early books, there isn’t much “story” to this story, yet the clever, poetic lyrics and fantastical creatures aptly capture the imagination and wonderment of readers of all ages. For early readers, “One Fish…” keeps their attention through clever rhyme and offers lessons through word association and word comprehension. Further, the design of this colorful ebook application reinforces these lessons by highlighting words as they are narrated. Also, when objects are touched, they are identified by both spoken and written word. I appreciate how this application has a lot of movement with panning across each page for a more detailed look at different illustrations. The original artwork and text by Seuss work well in the iPhone/Touch format, and even better on the iPad. I was thrilled to learn it’s a two-in-one deal, since the one application works for both the iPhone/iPod Touch and iPad.

Animals, By Age Range, By App Feature, Counting, Creativity, Just For Fun, Language, Phonics, Preschool, Primary School, Reading, Reviews, Sounds, Stories, Toddlers

The wait is FINALLY over and our friends Madera the Monkey and Figaro the Frog have returned… this time to Save The Day! (Duh-da-da daaaa!) “Madera & Figaro Save The Day” is the story of two silly friends who join forces to help their community after a large storm has hit their fair city. Their mission is to help restore the city in time for the big party. An impressive follow-up to publisher Lyn & Line’s first application entitled “The Rescue of Ginger”, this app is supersized with more story, more interactive features, and many more learning opportunities. It’s the most interactive storybook app I’ve experienced yet and provides a perfect symmetry of educational game play and story. It’s a rich source of learning opportunities for young kids including elements that teach sizes, shapes, letters, numbers, colors, and matching. It’s packed full of original interactive features and games, too. Designers have crafted the app so that the sequence of questions are randomized, thereby capturing and keeping the attention of young ones who play this application over and over again. It has vivid HD illustrations that are designed to work on both the iPad and iPhone. What a treat!

Animals, By Age Range, By App Feature, Counting, Language, Matching, Phonics, Preschool, Puzzle, Reading, Reviews, Shapes, Sounds, Spelling, Toddlers

The application “Jam Packed!” is a clever puzzle game with the theme of packing. The object of the game is to find a perfect place for each object so each box is completely jam-packed with items. The game contains three categories – Black Box, Jewelry Box, and Lunch Box – with each getting progressively more difficult as the levels progress. Each category has 15 levels, and the tricky part is that each level is locked until you have accomplished the level prior. Trust me – it’s harder than you think to pack things so they all fit! After each sub level is completed, there is a rewarding comment displayed. The graphics and illustrations of items to be packed are realistic and the sound effects are somewhat satisfying. There isn’t any music, but there are dragging sounds when shapes are moved. “Jam Packed!” is great to help kids develop critical thinking and problem solving skills and the game is geared for toddlers to age 10. This is a superior app, a great purchase, and there’s a whole lot of puzzle fun jammed packed in this game!

By Age Range, Counting, Creativity, Math, Preschool, Primary School, Puzzle, Reviews, Shapes, Toddlers

“123 Color” follows the “color-by-numbers” concept used in early childhood education and introduces letters, numbers, and colors to Preschoolers . The main menu has four categories from which to choose. When you touch the book at the top of the page, coloring pages will appear, then you choose the page and begin coloring. At the bottom of the coloring page are the color choices to match up with a number or letter. Touch a color, then match the number or letter in the picture and the color will appear. When the picture is colored correctly, musical notes will float across the screen and play a little jingle. If musical notes are not heard or seen, the colors or matches are incorrect. “123 Color” allows children to keep trying until all numbers or letters match correctly. It’s offered in a number of languages, including English, Spanish, French, and German, and a combo of English-Spanish. The app is well-done, bright, and colorful. The coloring pages are fantastic, and there are many choices within the app. I do hope the publisher decides to add new pages with every update. “123 Color” is also available for the HD iPad

By Age Range, Counting, Creativity, Matching, Phonics, Preschool, Primary School, Puzzle, Reading, Reviews, Toddlers

HOW GOOD IS YOUR MEMORY? This game will test just that! Train your brain while you play by watching the computer carefully as it creates sequences for you to repeat. If you make a mistake in the sequence, the game goes back to the beginning. There are four speed modes – normal, fast, faster, and fastest. There are also four sounds to choose from – original, piano, digital, and silent. The silent mode is good to train your brain on visual memorization, however if you combine the sound with the images, you benefit from both visual and audio memorization. “Memory Block” offers excellent early learning skills for new readers. The shape of the computer buttons are colorful and pleasing, and large enough for the littlest fingers. This is a keeper of a game because it has learning benefits for every age. It helps the young ones to develop future skills for reading, and helps the older ones to sharpen memory skills. Remember – our brain is a muscle, so keep working it while having fun!

By Age Range, Counting, Creativity, For Parents, High School +, Matching, Middle School, Preschool, Primary School, Puzzle, Reviews, Sounds, Toddlers

Can you find the differences between two pictures? Each set of pictures has 5 “differences” and the object of the game is to find them as quickly as you can. The quicker the differences are found, the more points the player will earn. The player has the option to use hints if they get stuck and 3 hints are available per game. The game gives the player 10 chances to guess incorrectly before time runs out. Find the difference, touch it, and a green circle will appear. If the player guesses incorrectly they will lose time points. If time runs out and the differences were not found, red circles will appear to inform the player where the differences are located. The nice part about this game is that the picture will appear again and again until the player successfully finds all five differences. This is a visual brain game; some of the pictures can be tricky and challenging. Luckily – if you’re stuck on a picture – you can use the magnifying glass to get a hint. The pictures are appealing and an exciting part of the game is wondering what the next picture will be. It could be anything from a child in a snow storm to a scuba diver in the sea. With each new update more more photos are added. “Find the Differences PRO” is never ending fun and a visual brain workout. What a fantastic app for elementary age children!

Art, By Age Range, Counting, Creativity, For Parents, Just For Fun, Middle School, Preschool, Primary School, Reviews, Shapes

If you’re a fan of apps by Duck Duck Moose (like the acclaimed “Wheels on the Bus” and “Itsy Bitsy Spider’), then you’ll absolutely flip for the publisher’s newest app. “Fish School” is a toddler/preschooler-based application that’s packed full of age-appropriate lessons and games. Lesson topics include letters, numbers, shapes, and colors; there’s also a matching and “differences” game. Each activity features groups of brilliantly-colorful fish that school together in various patterns for their instruction. The musical accompaniment is delightful classical string instrumentation that offers a high-brow soundtrack to this magical app. I find there’s a plucky playfulness about “Fish School” that makes it equally enjoyable for kids and parents alike. My son enjoys watching the active and ever-changing “fishies”, participating in the “ABC” song, and counting. I’m impressed with how this app has struck a perfect balance of game play and learning opportunities. “Fish School” engages my son’s adventurous, spirited-side, all the while, keeping his attention and interest in learning fundamentals like counting and letters. Admittedly, I have selfish reasons for liking this app. Watching the vibrant fish in the cool, crystalline blue water is like a mini-vacation for this tired Mama. All I need is the sensation of powdery sand beneath my feet and a cold beverage in my hand, and I’ll have the perfect virtual beach escape. Ahhhhh….

By Age Range, By App Feature, Counting, Just For Fun, Language, Matching, Phonics, Preschool, Reviews, Shapes, Sounds, Spelling, Toddlers