Educational Apps

My five-year-old son heads to kindergarten in two weeks. (Cue sobbing.) While he talks a blue streak and wields a glue stick like a lightsaber, we're still working on his reading skills. So I was absolutely tickled by how quickly he beca…

There are a few app developers who we know will turn out something great, before we really even test it out. Not a lot, but a few. That's the way we feel about developer Nosy Crow , but of course, we had to take a look at this new app re…

During those moments when you let your preschoolers have a little screen time or app time, my favorite word has always been "educational." If they are going to make my iPad sticky with their little fingers, they might as well being learn…

I like bright colors, moving objects and intense battles as much as the next guy, but my favorite incarnation of the virtual world is when it's used for education. Particularly if bright colors and moving objects are part of the learning…

My kids' love of electronics is not going away just because the grass is green again, which is why I really like a new educational iPad app that gets kids excited about the great outdoors---and even asks them to put down the iPad and go …

I have shared custody of my phone... with my daughter. Basically it's mine pretty much everywhere but the car. When I am driving on long trips, I know don't need the tempation of checking mail I know is waiting for me, so I am a-okay to …

Can you recommend any preschool foreign language apps for Android for my kids? -Kathy Hi Kathy, thanks for your question! You didn't mention if there's a specific language you're interested in, but here are a few picks that offer great a…

What kid hasn't dreamed of rocketing off into outer space to see what is out there? The problem is, that cardboard box in the living room isn't going anywhere so fast. Junior Astronaut - Breaking through the space barrier is a standout e…

Finding nifty little apps of merit for the kids can be a chore all on its own. Every so often though we come across sweet and simple apps that not only entertain them but that also impress us. Color Genius for iOS does just that. It's re…

I had moved three times by the time I was eight, so I totally understand how it feels to be a strange kid in a strange land, a topic that is explored in a lovely new app for both iOS and Android users. Even kids like my own who have neve…

If you've got an alphabet-hungry kid and are craving some awesome ABC apps for your iPad, I understand completely. When my son little, he was so obsessed with the alphabet that he saw letters in everything: a scotch tape dispenser was a …

I review a lot of apps for kids and thus, am inundated with spinning, whirling, jumping, and shrieking characters/animals/aliens on my iPad. But once in a while, an app comes along that makes me breathe a sigh of "well, finally." Such is…

Don't pet the strange dog. Don't poke the sleeping cat. Don't touch the dead bug behind the grocery store toilet. I can't imagine how frustrating it is to be a child and have your exploration curtailed due to pesky things like hygiene an…

It is a known fact that getting kids started early in foreign language study enhances their chances of having success in mastering a second, or even third or fourth language. Having struggled in my own youth with this subject, I have bee…

I get excited watching my kids begin to understand the basics of music composition and creation -- which doesn't mean karaoke to Call Me Maybe in our living room. Okay, it does, but I don't want it to stop there either. If you've got a k…

If you're looking for a way to get the kids up close and personal with the presidents this Presidents' Day, check out a new app that will have them learning while they play. In fact, in just a short time, they'll probably be teaching you…

If you could see how bananas my grade-school-age kids just went over an "alphabet app," you might think they were watching some ridiculous YouTube video. Surely an eight and ten year old couldn't be hysterically laughing while playing an…

Today's Inauguration gives us a great opportunity to talk to the kids about the role of our President and some of the more interesting and colorful figures to have graced the Oval Office. But, if you slept through history class as much a…

Like most kids, my preschooler likes action. Especially when it comes to apps. Surprisingly, she now counts a mellow octopus among her favorite digital friends, and goes back to his animated storybook time and time again. Less a narrativ…

Ever since my son learned his five multiplication tables before he could even write his numbers correctly (thanks Schoolhouse Rock ! ), I've found that math is one of those subjects that doesn't necessarily need to be taught in any cut-a…

Watching my daughter have to think hard while she is playing with an educational app makes me smile big. And being able to finally take advantage of the booming educational app market is a joy when presented with some of the amazing opti…

My kids, like all kids it seems, are big fans of the blockbuster Fruit Ninja app. So when I heard about a new app that pretty much rips it off but adds math to the equation (heh) I was interested in checking it out. Now I'll start with t…

"A wonderful app! It's better than rap! 'If I Ran the Circus' makes me smile like a sap!" Um... sorry. There's just something about announcing a new Seuss app that forces me to rhyme, albeit badly. We've talked at length about our affect…

Whether you're headed over the river and through the woods this Thanksgiving, or you're just trying to get things ready for the big turkey dinner without tripping on a hungry kid, there's a smart new U.S. geography app that is so much fu…