10 Great iPad Apps for Pre-schoolers

I'm always looking for some fun and educational activity for my kids. I got a new ipad last year and I Love it!!

This is my 2 year old on it... :)

iPads for preschoolers? Believe it or not, this latest gadget from Apple isn't just for grown-ups. Children are naturals when it comes to touching, moving and exploring everything they see, making the iPad perfectly suited for those young minds and hands. Reach out and touch something you like, swipe it out of the way to move it, and then go on to something else. It’s child’s play! But the iPad is also a great teaching tool for their children. Many of the apps are just $.99 to download, and some are even designed for babies. Still, people are realizing that this kind of consumable, portable and dynamic technology is ideal for engaging not only adults but kids as well in new ways to learn. The iPad is a fun and interactive way to teach your preschooler everything from shapes to colors to numbers and counting! Here's our list of top iPad apps for your budding learner:

• My Very First App: ($.99) You’ll instantly recognize the colorful illustrations in this app based on Eric Carle’s My Very First Books series. Kids as young as one can immediately dig right in and play games that match colors with pictures. As your child grows, she can try more sophisticated memory-matching games. Choose from three levels of play for children from 1 to 3 years old.
• Thomas & Friends: ($2.99) Thomas pulls into the iPad station with three simple yet entertaining game offerings. The app has drag and drop puzzles of engines, train track mazes, and a game of concentration—with pictures of engines, of course.
• Curious George’s Dictionary: ($4.99) Children can swipe their fingers over the screen for pictures and audio of alphabet letters, matched with art from classic Curious George books. They can touch words on the screen to get dictionary definitions and have sample sentences read to them. Other featured concepts include colors, shapes, numbers, and opposites.
• Colormixer: (Free) This app encourages exploration with color. Simply touch the screen and play with the bands of colors by moving and mixing them around with your finger. An app like this is a great alternative to ones that practice letters and numbers because it promotes creativity and introduces color concepts.
• Interactive Baby Sound: ($.99) What more could a baby want than to touch a picture of a pig and hear it say oink? When each colorful picture is touched, your child hears an appropriate sound for the object. Animal sounds include a dog, cow, duck, cat, frog, tiger, and pig. Transportation sounds include a plane, bus, train, car, ship, fire truck, and ambulance.
• Baby Peekaboo Cards: ($.99) This peekaboo game grows with your child because there are so many cards to uncover. They are arranged from the simplest to the more complex, so the app can be used for 1 to 4 year olds. Uncover a card by swiping away an object on the screen to reveal the hidden picture below. Then scroll to the next screen by swiping to the right. It’s so easy a baby can do it.
• Voice Toddler Cards: ($.99) This app has over 500 colorful photo flashcards for the youngest children—or even those learning English as a second language. A voice names each picture as it comes on the screen. Everyday concepts include numbers, letters, familiar objects, games, sports, animals, foods, shapes, and colors.
• Toddler Quiz Flashcards: ($.99) Has your toddler ever taken a quiz? Don’t worry. There will be no performance anxiety here. The app displays four pictures at a time and a voice names one of them for your child to identify and touch. There’s no time pressure, and no designated ending. Start and stop when you wish.
• Catch & Count: ($.99) Catch some decorated eggs in a little red truck. It’s as easy as that. Set the game to drop 10, 20, 50, or even 100 eggs. A voice names the numbers as eggs are caught, or the voice can be turned off.
• Tam & Tao in Numberland: ($9.99) In addition to counting, children can learn to write numbers. Arrows show which way your child should move her finger to form the numbers on the screen. And children can then draw the numbers on their own. Colorful backgrounds of jungle, space, or seashore themes help decorate the scene.

When introducing an app to your child, model how to play the game, then sit back and let her explore it herself. As technology becomes more accessible to everyone, preschoolers should be no exception. You may find that the biggest problem with introducing your child to the iPad is prying it out of her hands so you can use it!  

What's more, most games have a “lite” version that can be downloaded for free. These lite apps are often a shortened version of the full game, usually with fewer levels, activities, or screens, but still make good options if you're not looking to spend any money. Whip that iPad out and start learning!

Both my 5 year old and 2 year old LOVE it!!

Great Apps for them, and helps keep learning fun!!

Later ill be posting for other grades. I'm up to 5th grade so ill post those shortly.

Till Next Time, Esther