If your family was lucky enough to score an iPad, iPod Touch or iPhone over the holidays, or if you already own one, you’re probably wondering what new apps to try with your kids.
Here’s the good news:
December was a big month for new releases in the Kids Category in iTunes. In one, a green blocky guy named Winky delivers some devilishly intriguing logic puzzles. In another, Mickey Mouse jets into outer space to teach kids math.
For the youngest app user, kids can romp through an enchanted forest full of characters from fairy tales and nursery rhymes. Here’s a closer look at these three apps, which are blazing trails up the iTunes store charts. (Note: Android users, these apps aren’t in your stores yet, but might be soon).
Winky Think Logic Puzzles
Spinlight Studio, best for ages 5-10, $2.99, iPad
Rating: 4 stars
Rev up your thinking engines before tackling this fascinating set of 180 logic puzzles. Winky Think Logic Puzzles comes in three levels of difficulty, with each set of 60 puzzles leading kids through the process of learning logic. The goal in each puzzle is to get a set of colored shapes to their corresponding outlines. While the first puzzles are as easy as just sliding the shapes over the surface, the puzzles increase rapidly in difficulty, but in fun and exciting ways. For example, when kids encounter a barrier that can only be crossed by a shape of a certain color, they must find and then run into a bumper that changes the color.
As the puzzles get harder via the introduction of multiple steps, kid are frequently required to use more than one finger to move multiple objects at once. These puzzles are fun for siblings or a parent and child to explore together. Some of the puzzles even have intriguing moving parts, which motivate players to slide a shape into one of these machines to see what happens. Learning logic is a blast with Winky Think Logic Puzzles.
Sago Mini Fairy Tales
Sago Sago, best for ages 2-4, $2.99 iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
Rating: 4 stars
Preschoolers can romp with famous fairy tale and nursery rhyme characters in Sago Mini Fairy Tale.
(Photo: Sago)
Released on Christmas Day, this delightful frolic stars Jinja, a cat with fairy wings. Kids direct Jinja’s flight throughout a magical forest, which is home to a variety of fairy tale and nursery rhyme stars. Players can cavort with a giant, kiss a frog prince, put a bandage on Humpty Dumpty and have tea with some gnomes. This app offers 30 such special discovery points. There’s even a dress-up trunk where Jinja can turn into a fairy princess or a knight.
Sago Mini Fairy Tales is a perfect starter app for children new to this digital world. The app rewards a child’s touch and encourages exploration. Wherever the player taps, Jinja follows, thus putting the child in charge. Don’t miss the baby dragon sitting in its nest, where Jinja’s quick thinking keeps her from getting scorched.
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Mickey’s Magical Math World by Disney Imagicademy
Disney, best for ages 3-6, Free (with in-app purchases), iPad
Rating: 3 stars (out of 4)
Kids join Mickey and friends in outer space to practice math in Mickey’s Magical Math World by Disney Imagicademy. Mickey Mouse and his friends Minnie, Donald Duck, Daisy and Goofy head to outer space to help run Uncle Scrooge’s newest venture: an alien resort. Kids join in by solving math problems at five different locations.
(Photo: Disney)
With Daisy, they solve logic puzzles involving sleep-walking aliens. With Minnie, players design robots and then play counting games in a playground. Goofy needs help sorting jellies by color and shape; and Mickey needs assistance with numbers while sending off aliens for rocket ship rides. Kids will use a number line while launching aliens to awaken a sleeping Donald.
This free app offers the first few levels of these math activities for free. If your kids like the activities, each area has more levels and games to unlock for $4.99; or you can unlock all of the activities for a hefty $19.99. Not all of the activities in Mickey’s Magical Math World are of equal quality.
Before paying to unlock more, play the free ones first to see if your kids take to them. The app also connects to a separate Disney Imagicademy Parents app for activities, tips and articles that relate to the play your kids experience within the Mickey’s Magical Math World app.
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