Great Apps for 5-Year-Olds
I recently posted about great apps for 7-year-olds and it turns out our 5-year-old is disgruntled that her opinion wasn’t solicited.
Everyone is so touchy these days!
In honor of our jealous 5-year-old, here you have it, the favorite iPhone/iTouch/iPad apps of our 5-year-old daughter:
1. Little Dentist. I hope you’re not like me. I get nauseated looking at all things teeth, a tendency which is really awful when you have a child losing their teeth and wanting to show you their wiggly tooth non stop. BUT – assuming you can handle teeth better than I can, your 5-year-old may enjoy an opportunity to use the dental tools to clean teeth and fill cavities. (Just not swish and spit.)
2. PBS Kids. The PBS Kids app allows kids to watch different shows that air on PBS channel. Since each area has a local PBS station with a different line up, this app allows us to have our kids watch shows that aren’t aired in our area. Plus, all of the PBS shows have an educational component, something we really appreciate.
3. Money Pig. What could be more fun for a youngster than trying to catch money flying through the air? This game combines fun, finance, and swine in one place. What’s not to love?!
4. Highlights iSpy. My favorite magazine as a kid has come up with an app that encourages kids to use their spying skills to discern the location of hidden object. iSpy games are hit for our family!
5. Dots for Tots. I was honestly surprised when Dos told me this is one of her favorite games because it seems pretty elementary to me. Just connect the dots and make a picture. But she likes it, so it’s time to share it with you and hope it enhances your child’s numerical skill set.
6. Snail Race. There is no redeeming value to this game. It’s a snail wandering around and challenging different creatures to a race. That’s it. Nothing special. Nothing educational. And yet… it’s a favorite! They have to tap with their thumbs a lot to win the race. It’s the precursor to a lifetime of snail love.
7. Fruited. Remember when Tetris swept the nation and you’d sneak off to the arcade to slip a quarter into the Tetris game? Yeah. Me, too. Our kids don’t do that anymore. Instead they play really similar games in the privacy of their own homes. Bet they catch less germs that way!
8. Talking Gina. I do NOT understand WHY the kids love the “talking” animals, but they do. Hearing something copy you word for word, over an over, is one of the most annoying things I can imagine. But all three kids like theirs so I’ve had to make peace with the Talking Gina et. al.!
9. Go Car Go. So, you build your car. You take a trip. The end. This app is supposed to be an excellent introduction to algebra. I’m glad it exists. The end.
10. Easy Bake Treats. Here’s another conundrum: why does my daughter get a major thrill out of pretending to decorate cakes and cupcakes. Is this a severely strange game? Yes. It is. But it encourages baking, so there’s that, right?
What are some of your favorite apps for kids?