5 Educational Apps for Children

By Brittany Rowland
Kids naturally clamor for your smart phone or tablet because they like the fun games. You yourself probably enjoy a few mindless, addicting apps when you have time to kill. Fortunately, there are also several apps that serve an educational purpose, and kids will still find them entertaining.
1. Word Book and Puzzle Box HD

• For preschoolers to first-graders
• Aids with spelling and sounding out words with phonics
• Designed for the iPad
• Kids can drag letters to the correct places to form words and simultaneously hear the letters sounded out
• Reward system encourages kids to keep playing so they earn more items for their special room

2. Math Evolve

• For kids in early school grades
• Kids use addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication to operate a spaceship to save the world
• Includes multiple levels and bosses to defeat, testing kids’ learned math skills
• For solo play or multiple players
• On the iPad’s touchscreen, players have greater control and maneuverability

3. Phonic Fun & Games

• For preschoolers and kindergarteners learning the ABCs
• Includes alphabet cards, guessing games, letter tracing practice, and memory games
• Enhances fine motor skills
• Creative designs teach lower- and upper-case letters in a memorable manner

4. Foodie the Bug

• Well-rounded app for kids learning about different cultures and ethnic foods
• Designed for iOS devices
• A cute bug flies over various landscapes collecting food ingredients for various ethnic dishes
• Intuitive gameplay involves tilting the iPad or iPhone to move the character

5. The Nutcracker Musical Storybook

• App combines the music of Tchaikovsky with beautiful hand-painted illustrations by Yoko Tanaka
• For the iPad or iPhone
• As much about the classical ballet music as the reading experience
• Includes a story mode, where kids read at their own pace, and movie mode, where they enjoy the music and visuals seamlessly