iPhone for Kids

Posted by techgirl

Posted: October 2, 2008 - 10:47 am

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iPhone: iPhoneI just bought an iPhone yesterday. After feeling the iPhone envy for months, I finally realized that my existing phone plan contract had expired, and I could switch over to AT&T for the sole reason of getting an iPhone.

Now my iPhone will take over a very important task that was covered by my iPod Touch (which I'll give to my teenage stepdaughter). My iPhone will become my last ditch entertainment device for my toddler on long drives and airplane rides.

In addition to all my work applications, I've souped up my iPhone with the following apps (you can find them via Google or iTunes and they range in price from free to a few dollars):

1. Preschool Adventure
This is by far the best produced children's application I've found but it is limited to 4 very short games: Colors, Shapes, Sounds and Body. Even at two, my daughter is able to go through all four games in less than five minutes, but now that I have the iPhone, she can hear the sounds the games make which should keep her busy for another five.

2. iGotchi
While this isn't marketed as a game for kids, the cute little critter that you create then care for similar to the digital pets called "Tamagotchis" from Japan really keeps her interest. Her little fingers are still a bit uncoordinated with the iPhone screen but she is learning to feed and pet the iGotchi, and giggles when the creature slurps and burps. This is a good fifteen minute entertainer. (Confession: I'm pretty partial to the little critter, too.)

3. Scribble
Again, not an app marketed to kids, however, anything that allows my daughter to draw is a winner. And Scribble also let's you import photos into the program to scribble on them which adds to the fun.

4. KidsCards
I've been looking for a high quality flash card program but so far they are pretty lame. Still, this app has a wider selection than most, covering animals, colors, fruits and veggies, letters, numbers, shapes and things. Much less cluttered than real flash cards which my daughter loves but are not conducive to travel.

5. At The Farm, At The Zoo
You need audio to appreciate these apps. There are images of different animals, and you can choose the Sounds or Spelling settings. For spelling, you see the animal name next to the image and can hear a voice spelling out the name. My 2-year-old knows her alphabet and all of her animals so this app just reinforces that knowledge and begins to get her thinking about spelling.

6. Animal Farm
This app shows 3 animals then plays a sound bite of the noise one of the animals makes. The object is to click on the animal that makes the noise. Easy for my 2-year-old whose knowledge of animals is due to a wildlife biologist for a father, but still entertaining and educational.

7. Flashabet
Think of this app as talking flashcards. You can choose the alphabet in capital letters, small letters or choose numbers, then if your child cannot guess what they are, they can tap Play and hear them spoken.

8. Bubbles
A beautiful but mindless game that allows you to run your finger over your iPhone screen to create lovely bubbles that float around randomly. You can even touch a bubble to pop it. There is no score-keeping. There is a great popping sound effect. I'd say the app does help with hand/eye coordination.

9. iDoodle2 Lite
This app is a little more complex than Scribble. A few more features means more variety but also a little more complicated for a 2-year-old.

10. Koi Pond
I think I enjoy this one more than my daughter. You can pick the pond surface, add or take away fish, and then watch them swim around your iPhone screen looking very real. The sound effects are ambient outdoors noises such as birds chirping and a distant waterfall. When you tap the screen, the fish swim away. Touch it gently and steadily and they nibble on your finger. Shake your iPhone and fish food drops into the pond, attracting fish from all sides.

Because I'll be putting my brand new iPhone into my 2-year-old's hands, my next purchase will have to be a sturdy case and some screen protectors. I don't think peanut butter fingers and iPhones go together.

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