The surveys are in and kids want something from Apple for Christmas.
If you're obliging them with an iPod Touch or the family iPad, don't just give them the box to open on Christmas morning. Pre-load it with a few apps, so there's something to do.
The devices come built in with stock charts, email, and a camera, but that doesn't cut it on Christmas Day
Here's a list of 6 apps to get on your kids' iDevice before they unwrap the excitement.
Tickle Tap Apps has over a dozen apps that they bundle into collections [$3.99 each] of fun games that are perfect for toddlers. They're interactive and make silly sounds. They help them count, explore, sort and laugh.
The Monster At The End Of This Book [$3.99] and the sequel Another Monster At The End Of This Book [$0.99] are must installs if you have children under 5. My two boys play them over and over and over again. The classic book starring Grover (and the sequel with Elmo joining) is beautifully re-imagined as an interactive story. You still "turn" pages, but the way interaction has been woven into the game is hours of giggling fun for the kids.
The Fantastic Flying Books of Morris Lessmore [$4.99] This is another incredible book app that reads like a Pixar movie and each page has another interactive element for the kids to take part or a puzzle to solve. This one has been "read" dozens of times by my boys.
Wood Puzzle Maze HD is a great old school toy given the iPad app [$1.99] experience. Your child can practice problem solving with over a dozen different mazes that have them dragging puzzle pieces on a board as if it was a slot wood puzzle. My boys took to this app immediately doing them over and over and over again.
Balloonimals brings the fun of our favourite family restaurant to our own kitchen table for $1.99 (or a free trial app). All you have to do is choose a balloon, blow on the microphone and shake and twist the device to make your own Balloonimal. You can touch them to perform tricks and of course pop them to start fresh again.
Build A Train is a fun way to play with an old school train set anywhere. Your kids choose the engines and cars they want on their train and then can swipe through a variety of track environments from mountains to islands to towns and cities. They control the speed and the horn as the train travels in loops. They can even flick the switches to change the path of the train to pick up and deliver cargo. Recent updates to this app make it worth the $1.99.
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