Our AC went out on Tuesday, and we had to replace the entire unit. I’m loving this weather and the extra time outdoors, but not when it’s 89 degrees in our house. What a drag. But, we survived.
So, are you ready for infamous Kansas 100 degree days? I have an inkling they are right around the corner, but I sure hope I’m wrong!
But don’t worry, we’ll find ways to stay busy. Me and my little squirt will stack Kleenex boxes, play with spice containers filled with marbles, climb furniture, build forts and…play on the iPad.
That’s right, I’m talking about newly discovered, toddler-friendly apps today.
So, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite 2ish year-old Apps just for you!
And…I've included a very handy iPad/iPhone child lock trick that forces the said 2ish year-old to stay within the one app and not navigate outside of it and get into your email inbox. It’s the best thing invented since the Bilibo.
I hope you all enjoy some of these as much as we have!
**Please note that we don't utilize the iPad or electronics as a substitution for play or interaction with him. We simply utilize the technology available to this generation and are loving the educational aspect if offers.
1. Peekaboo Barn, $1.99
This is the app we use the most by far. Carson can navigate entirely himself, talks and points to the animals, and has a hay day doing it over and over.
One of three Peekaboo apps from Night & Day Studios — a forest version and jungle version are also available — Peekaboo Barn is a short, simple game ideal for toddlers and pre-readers. It requires neither reading nor excessive interaction to play. After hearing a muffled animal noise coming from the big, red barn, you tap the barn doors to reveal the animal inside. The animal’s name then displays and is spoken aloud. Ten creatures appear in all, after which night falls and the animals go to sleep.
2. Fish School, $1.99
This is our second most used app. For busy toddlers, this app is great because there is always movement. With each tap, colorful schools of fish magically transform themselves into different letters, numbers, shapes, colors and more.
Fish School includes 8 fun educational activities: Letters, Numbers, Shapes, ABC Song, Colors, Differences, Matching and Playtime.
3. Elmo Calls, $0.99 (Plus additional for specific calls)
Elmo Calls is a simple app that has put a stop to tantrums while traveling in the car. At this age, it doesn’t hold Carson’s interest for long, but he gets an Insta-smile when he sees Elmo talking to him via Facetime. Once he’s a bit older, we’ll try the scheduled calls for daily activities such as brushing teeth, going potty, taking a bath, etc.
"Elmo Calls" encourages children to engage in imaginative play, practice listening skills and sing songs with Elmo! Receive video calls, audio calls, and voicemail from Sesame Street’s own furry, red monster. This app also fosters self-confidence by encouraging children to celebrate important life moments, such as visiting the doctor, going to the potty and learning the alphabet!
4. Endless ABC’s, FREE
This newly found app is awesome. And FREE! It’s basically an electronic shape sorter with letters that includes fun, animated videos and descriptions of the words after placing the letters correctly. Carson can’t quite do it himself, but it’s a fun activity for both of us to sit down and do together. He gets a kick out of me taking his finger and matching up the letters. If I take too long, he holds up his finger and “eh eh’s” until I keep going!
Set the stage for reading success with this delightfully interactive educational app. Kids will have a blast learning their ABC's and building vocabulary with the adorable monsters in Endless Alphabet. Each word features an interactive puzzle game with talking letters and a short animation illustrating the definition. Before you know it, your child will be using words like gargantuan and cooperate!
5. PBS Kids, FREE
We don’t use this app very often, but I imagine we will once Carson discovers cartoons. It usually buys us 2-5 minutes of time while trying to finish something up.
Watch videos from your favorite PBS KIDS television series anytime, anywhere. PBS KIDS features more than 1,000 videos from over a dozen top PBS KIDS television series, including Curious George, The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That, Dinosaur Train, SUPER WHY!, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Sesame Street and Wild Kratts.
6. UnColor, $0.99
What a perfect app for ‘I-want-to-touch-everything’ toddlers! All they have to do is swipe away to reveal the hidden drawing.
Unlike most children’s art apps, which expect kids to apply ingenuity to a blank canvas, Uncolor begins with all the lines colored in — and it’s up to baby to discover where the finished drawings are hiding. Tots swipe their fingers across the app’s six black screens, revealing a collection of cute, colorful animal pictures in the process. Though the idea might seem a bit lean, that’s precisely the point. Uncolor’s extreme simplicity is exactly what will keep wee ones coming back for more.
7. Jungle Jam, $1.99
Confession: We haven’t downloaded this one yet, but I’ve heard good things from a coworker. By the description, I think my little one will love the monkey’s and interactive music play. Looking forward to trying it out soon!
Music games don’t get much simpler than Jungle Jam, but simplicity is just what will draw tots to the game. Well, simplicity and cute, bouncing baby monkeys. All the action takes place on a single screen, where you can either tap a virtual bamboo xylophone to move through a basic do-re-mi scale or touch onscreen characters — including animated bananas and a smiling sun — to watch them move. The monkeys bounce in time to a simple beat, helping kids grasp basic rhythmic concepts in the process, but the bouncing is also a clever interactive tool that encourages little ones to tap and explore.
Guided Access
As promised, go here to find out how to keep your toddler in one App and from navigating outside of it into other apps.
Guys, this is seriously the best thing ever. Before I found out about this trick, Carson was constantly getting out of the app and into other apps….making all my apps dance with those little “X’s.”
Seriously, you will love this.
Here’s the basics if you don’t want to read the link:
-Go to Settings
-Choose General
-Choose Accessibility
-Choose Guided Access
-Turn on Guided Access
From there, all you have to do is go to the app you want to use, then click the main circle button on the front of the iPhone three times. A start button will appear prompting you to start guided access. To stop, simply click the menu button three times again and choose End.
Happy Apping! Yep, I just made that word up.
You can find us hanging out in our underwear. Not really. But we were yesterday.
Did you really think you would escape a post without a picture of my kid? Hah, you thought wrong.
1 Comments:
Haha I love the red cheeks and little belly. He's so cute. The app trick was one of the first things I pinned on Pinterest when I found out I was preggo. Good thing because Maddie already LOVES the iPhone. Geez.
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