Back in June I gave you Hazel’s picks for iPad games – a fun little collection of 1-year-old-appropriate apps that make her giggle, hold her attention, and hold back the waterworks when necessary. It was fun to hear some of the games you all love and I was glad to be able to offer a nice go-to list of free apps for little ones.
Now that July is almost over, it’s the 4-year-olds’ turn! I guess it’s high time to share Oliver’s picks as well. And since he has his own special folder in the dock of the iPad they were easy to find!
Not all of these apps are free this time, but they’re a ton of fun and definitely worth passing along!
Puppet Pals – This is actually an app that one of you recommended to me back in June and you were spot on: it’s fantastic! The lite version is free, but the “director’s version” is only a few dollars and definitely a fun reward after something like a trip to the dentist.
In this app you get to choose your characters and backdrops, then record action and audio to make short (or long) plays. Below is the screen you see when you’re creating your play – if you press the red record button at the top, it will record anything that takes place within the white square and any sound you make while it’s recording. (You can pull the strings at the top to change backgrounds too.)
This game is totally 4-year-old friendly, and Oliver and Beatrice often make games on their own and (with our help) email them to each other for fun.
Red Ball 3 – This game is actually $.99, but again, totally more worth it than a pack of stickers at the Target dollar spot. :) It’s just about a red ball who fell in love and is trying to rescue her from a mean black ball.
Lots of bouncing around, lots of funny sound effects. You are allowed a few skips if a level is too tricky and in my house it entertains both Oliver and Ryan.
The Three Little Pigs (A 3-D fairy tale) – This is some of the most impressive app-age I’ve seen to date. It’s like a book that is very interactive. It uses the accelerometer in your iPad so that any way you tilt the screen your view changes.
Below are two screen shots from the same page of the book. Depending on how I tilted the iPad I can see things differently.
You can also make the characters do things – like build their house and jump ahead of each other on the path. Pretty cool and fun stuff.
Theofficial trailer is available on YouTube and shows more live action previews. Pretty cool stuff! We got the preview lite version for free (it takes you several pages into the story) and the full book is $5.99. Kinda pricey, but even the lite version is a lot if fun!
Warships – This one’s free and it’s so much fun. Even in the car it’s been a big life saver because we can play wirelessly (without using 3G or an internet connection) against each other, iPhone to iPod/iPad. Oliver’s actually gotten pretty good at it and only peeks at my screen occasionally. :)
Max & the Magic Marker – ($3.99) This one is a huge hit. It’s all about a little boy who had dreamed up a world that he has drawn. As he goes through the levels collecting more ink for his marker he can draw things to help him squash bad guys, launch him high off a seesaw or get over a lake of water.
Oliver loves to play this game on the iPad, but even more, he likes to run around the house with an orange, imagining he’s Max. Such a fun jumping point for a little person’s imagination!
Okay, now comes the fun part! You guys get to tell me what your three- to five-year-olds are digging from the app store these days!
Happy Wednesday, friends! Halfway through the week!
{also, just to be clear: we do LOADS of things with Oliver. We read and paint and sew and do worksheets together. The iPad is a reward and he gets to play it sometimes – not even every day. Please don’t worry that these games or this device is keeping him from being a kid!}
>check out the BOB books! So awesome for learning to read and make words! My 3 and 5 yr old love them
>Looks like it keeps him busy! My kids like a lot of flashcard apps and ABC things, especially with animals. And of course, angry birds. I love the sound effects my kids come up with for that game!
>Our Typical Life – yes, Angry Birds are a hit here too (though I've never really gotten on board myself). Oliver used to ask for the "mad penguins game" until he could finally remember the actual name of the game. :)
>119 new emails in the inbox? Ryan is popular! Or is that Oliver fan mail?
>Such is my life…
>My boys really like Sock Puppets :)
>Howard – are the BOB books on an app? How cool would that be!
Also, reminds me that I have some library books due today… thanks! :)
>Howard – are the BOB books on an app? How cool would that be!
Also, reminds me that I have some library books due today… thanks! :)
>That Max game sounds awesome- I want to play it!
>i need an iPad…if only to be as cool as Oliver & have all those FUN games!