I'm still on the fence about letting Babe play with my phone. Some people say it's better to start them learning about technology early since they will inevitably need to use it. While others think that children need to first develop their creative thinking and imaginations without relying on gadgets. Then there's the health concerns, some founded, some not so much. But since I haven't decided NO yet and because I need a break here and there I decided to download some fun apps to keep Babe busy. Here are some of our favorites. Enjoy...or don't if you're on the no side of the fence.
 |
| photo: HappiTaps |
HappiTaps by Infantino
Christmas came just a few days before Babe and I left for New Zealand and as a present for Babe (or maybe more for me) my brother gave her a HappiTaps bear for the plane trip. I don't know if this is technically an app since I'm still somewhat new to apps in general. The website calls it a virtual teddy bear. But for the sake of this post, it's an app. An awesome app.
You purchase the stuffed animal iPhone cover and then download the free app. Somehow I screwed up and we ended up with a bear face (app) and a dog body (phone cover) but whatever, Babe doesn't know. And actually, she doesn't like the stuffed cover so she plays with it just as a regular iPhone app. I guess you could just download the app and not buy the bear and save your money but Babe is probably in the minority by hating the bear - your kid will probably like it better with the cover.
Positives:
- Hold's Babe's interest longer than any other app on my phone.
- Great for plane rides, car trips and restaurants.
- Cute. Really cute.
- A lot of game variety for a baby app.
- Easy to learn, easy for Babe to maneuver and somewhat educational (ABC's, colours, counting).
- Babe is much more iPhone-savvy since using this app - although I'm not sure if that's a positive.
Negatives:
- The app is free but games are limited. To expand the options costs and, as apps go, it really costs. Ninety-nine cents for two little songs. Another .99 for one extra bubble-popping game.
Price: Almost $20.00 online or at Toys R Us.
Baby Flash Cards by Xian Chen
Positives:- Lots of cards to choose from. Animals, Colours, Food, Instruments...
- Pictures on the cards are photographs and not illustrations which I prefer.
- Animals, vehicles and instruments play sounds.
Negatives:
- The app comes from Chinese developer Xian Chen and the translations could be better. Most of it is fine but there are a few mistakes and inconsistancies and they bug me. Sometimes the words are singular, sometimes they are plural. I realize this doesn't sound like a big deal but when you are using the flash cards as one of your tools for teaching early language you want the language to be correct. They use the word cock for rooster, which I realize is the right word but no one in Canada calls a rooster a cock and I don't want Babe to start either. The worst mistake is the seahorse card which doesn't read "seahorse" but "hippocampus" (the part of the brain in charge of memory - ironically).
- The sounds are great but inconsistant. Some are fine and others far too short. Especially on the instrument cards.
- There are number cards but no letter cards which I really wanted.
- When you get to the end of swiping through the cards you have to change directions and go back, the cards aren't on a loop. This isn't a big deal but in the early days when Babe was just figuring out how to swipe her finger across the screen it frustrated her when she got to the end and suddenly her swiping movements weren't working.
Price: Free or upgrade for $1.99
Peek-A-Boo, I See You by BabyFirstTV
Positives:
- Easy to learn. Only requires tapping.
Negatives:
- Has annoying music which we turn off.
- Could get boring really fast.
Price: $0.99
Piano infinity: Jam by Better Day Wireless.
Anyway. It's actually for adults I think, or probably at least not toddlers but whatever works. You can play a game kinda similar to Guitar Hero, record your own music or learn to play songs using a couple different methods. But for Babe I just put on the piano and let her pound on it. She likes it.
Positives:
- Fun for me too.
- She's learning about music...right?
Negatives:
- Just the obvious logistical problems with putting a keyboard on an iPhone.
Price: $2.99
DooDoo Pad by Bejoy Mobile
Positives:
- Dark papers and cool neon pens.
- Actually, a variety of pens, all of them cool.
Negatives:
- The ads at the top of the screen. Typical of a free app, but still annoying.
- No other complaints yet. It's just a simple drawing app. I'm sure if you're some pro artist you'd find some flaws but then why are you using a kids drawing app? Probably because you think neon pens are cool too.
Price: Free
BubbleFREE by Orsome Entertainment
Perfect for all ages. Although you may tire of the game pretty quickly I bet you will keep coming back to it. Bubble wrap apps are classic.
Positives:
- You get to pop bubble wrap - well, virtually anyway.
- You can pop bubble wrap anywhere.
- No ads.
Negatives:
- Not as satisfying as popping real bubble wrap.
- It's a timed game so it will quit on Babe just when she is getting into it. But whatever. Then it's my turn!
Price: Free
No comments:
Post a Comment