New Kid-Friendly iPhone Apps

Posted by Jeff on February 20, 2010 at 4:48 pm

My girls don’t rock a Nintendo DS or any other handheld device for that matter, but from time to time they love exploring apps on my iPhone and, from time to time, I’ll share some of the best iPhone apps for kids that we’ve discovered. With that said, here are a few that my young kids are diggin’ right now.

iPhone Apps for Toddlers

Sound Shaker

Sound Shaker is a delightful music making app for young children. There are 6 categories of sounds, from chimes to drums to animal noises. Pick one, then tap repeatedly to make music – in the form of little balls bouncing around the screen. Hold your finger to make a progression of different sounds (and colors). Press down long enough and your child will be greeted by a bird hatching, tweeting (the traditional meaning of that word, having nothing to do with Twitter) and fluttering away. Sound Shaker is a hoot for the kids and, I gotta admit, for me as well. If you’re looking for a lite musical app for very young children, look no further than Sound Shaker. ($1.99)

Sort Slider

Sort Slider is a very basic game, ideal for young toddlers. Three images appear, the center one being full color, the two flanking it solid blue silhouettes. The concept is to slide the center image towards it’s match on either side. This is done by gently tilting the iPhone or swiping with your finger. An adorable lil’ doggy will greet your child upon successfully finding each match. Your kid will love when the dog appears, barking or with a bone in it’s mouth. The presentation of Sort Slider is elegant in it’s simplicity but suffers from a lack of levels. Degrees of difficulty are needed, allowing a child to grow with this app. More images and something (a little beep, maybe) telling the child that they’ve moved an image in the wrong direction would also be great additions to this sweet little app, and would then justify the $1.99 price tag.

iPhone App for Tweens

This newly released app will likely bring back memories for some moms. My wife immediately recognized the “MASH” game here, which asks for lists of boy names, cities, careers, cars, and numbers before spitting out a mini-fortune for your kids. The Bear will, apparently, marry an Elijah, honeymoon in Montreal, live in a shack, work as a ballerina and drive an Audi. Doesn’t sound too bad…but I’m gonna need to meet this Elijah character. Other games include Cootie Catcher (which even I recall from childhood), Lemon and Love. Emily’s Girl Talk also serves as a digital journal, capturing the results of all the games played, and a virtual sticker book.

So, it’s a little girly and a bit advanced (talk of boys, marriage, cooties, etc.) for my youngsters but I can clearly see the potential popularity of Emily’s Girl Talk within the tween set. There needs to be a lock on the social networking function, for parents who don’t want their child accessing those sites, but overall Emily’s Girl Talk is a cute, amusing iPhone app perfect for your daughter’s next sleepover – after the pillowfight but before the cocoa. ($.99 – special introductory price)

*If your daughter (or you) ever wanted to be memorialized inside an iPhone app…here’s her best chance. From now through April 1, 2010 your kid can enter a contest to become a sticker inside Emily’s Girl Talk. Simply take a screenshot of their favorite story (one that they’ve completed) from Emily’s Girl Talk and either: