Tag: "Games – Kids"

Get Creative With Feed the Monster – iPad App Review

By Emily | January 25, 2012 | 2 comments

Feed the Monster is a creative and colorful monster creation game for iOS. Originally designed solely for the iPhone and iPod touch, a version of Feed the Monster that runs natively on the iPad was recently released by developer Huminah Huminah.

The point of the game is simple: join the feeding frenzy and feed the monster until he explodes into mini-monsters. Then collect the 5 little monsters into the “merging machine” to create a new monster.
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Doodlecast for Kids Turns Drawings into Videos – iPad App Review

By Emily | November 14, 2011 | No comment yet

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Doodlecast for Kids by zinc Roe Games is a universal app for iOS that lets kids (or even adults) make videos of their drawings which they can play back and watch again and again.

Doodlecast couldn’t be easier to use. To begin creating your own Doodlecast simply open the app. The user may choose from a drawing template or bubble word sentiment to get the creative juices flowing.

By Emily | November 11, 2011 | No comment yet

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Cut the Buttons HD for iPad offers simple, intuitive game play that departs from the subject matter typically found in casual gaming for iOS. Don’t worry, you don’t need to be a seamstress to appreciate this game, or even to succeed at playing it. Rather the game relies on the player’s quick reaction to snip as many buttons as possible into a cup during a round.

Cut the Buttons HD earns high marks for its realistic UI. The fabric scraps and buttons are charming. It is nice to see a subject matter for a casual game that draws from something besides the heavily masculine worlds of fantasy and warfare. The buttons also give a satisfying clink when they fall into the cup.

By Emily | September 14, 2011 | No comment yet

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Angelina Ballerina is taking a break from rehearsing at Camembert Academy to dream of being a prima ballerina. As she says, “Prima ballerinas get the prettiest flowers.”

This statement sets the premise for Angelina Ballerina’s Bubble Pop, the newest iOS app from Callaway Digital Arts starring Angelina Mousling. The point of the game is simple: pop the bubble containing the flower that Angelina is thinking of to score points.

By Emily | July 14, 2011 | No comment yet

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Sticker Factory takes the time-tested idea of simulated stickers for iOS, found in any number of children’s art apps, and twists it into a speedy game that will get kids (and maybe even a few adults) hooked.

The game sounds easy. All you have to do is match a sticker with its outline. It’s just that the outlines are on a conveyer belt, and that conveyer belt is moving. The game gets trickier once right/left symmetry is introduced. As a player moves through the game’s 11 levels the number of stickers she needs to sort through to find a match increases.

By Lory | July 11, 2011 | No comment yet

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Fans of puzzle games will appreciate this kid-centric version of pattern finding. If you have never played a puzzle game, or if your young one is gearing up to become the next generation’s gamer, Necta Collecta is the perfect place to start.

There are four game modes; Story, Flowerchain, Timeattack, and Practice. In story mode, you start as a young bee trying to find out what happened to Ms. Butterfly. As the story continues, you will meet new characters and unlock the ability to play them. The puzzle is to collect pollen from each flower that is the same kind. The pattern movement of your character determines where you can go and your puzzle solving capabilities determine how well you do. Each character has a different movement, which can either benefit or hinder the puzzle solving. There are 99 levels in story mode that get slightly harder as they get higher.

By Emily | June 22, 2011 | No comment yet

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PopAppFactory‘s newest app, Peekaboo: Find Hidden Fun UFO Characters has a long name, but a simple concept: find the same seven adorable aliens hidden throughout a variety of picturesque scenes.

The app’s illustrations would be at home in a Caldecott honor book. Unlike a picture book, however, these illustrations are on the move. Butterflies float, dogs jump, and the sun sways in the breeze.

By Emily | May 16, 2011 | 1 comment

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AlphaTots for iPad by Spinlight Studios is an interactive app that helps preschoolers learn the upper and lower case letters of the alphabet. Children can work through the alphabet in order, or pick letters in any order they choose, or join in a sing-a-long version of the alphabet song.

As Goldilocks might say, AlphaTots’ pacing is “just right.” The game is neither overstimulating nor boring. The child’s journey through the alphabet will expose him to a wide range of creative interactions from zapping space ships or vacuuming up peanuts with an elephant’s trunk, to using an X-ray to look inside wrapped presents or nibbling away at a concerned-looking gingerbread cookie.

By Cristi | August 16, 2010 | No comment yet

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Memory is a card game preschoolers love and Darren Murtha Design has created an iPad version just for them! Preschool Memory Match includes five categories of pictures (Transportation, Musical Instruments, Animals/Bugs, Food and Objects) with over 220 different pairs for kids to match.

Kids will enjoy the great graphics and easy to use iPad card game as they tap cards and try to find matches. Every time they make a match, they’ll hear the corresponding sound for that picture.

Four levels of difficulty will keep kids and even adults busy playing Preschool Memory Match. Start with Easy and see if you can find 6 matching pairs in 12 cards. Then move onto Medium (20 cards), Hard (30 cards) and finally Super Duper Hard (100 cards). Have fun working together to find all the pairs and moving from one level to another.

Once they’ve completed a level, random wacky reward buttons appear on the screen. With 64 buttons to play with in all, see how long it takes you to discover each one.

By Cristi | August 13, 2010 | No comment yet

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Looking for something to entertain your toddler? Our App Tracker alerted us of something good today! Bubble Magic for the iPad is a cute app little kids will enjoy.

Kids simply drag their finger around the iPad screen to blow lots of bubbles or touch and hold their finger in one place to blow a really big one. Pop! Pop! Pop! What fun is blowing bubbles unless you get to pop them? Your little ones will get a kick out of tapping bubbles and popping all of them before they float away or pop on their own. It’s that easy!

Poppers can choose from seven different backgrounds included in the app or select one of their own photos to use.

Bubble Magic is a simple but fun app sure to entertain your little ones. It’s available in the App Store for FREE until August 16th.

Bubble Magic at the fingers of a 3-year-old … after the break >>

Cake Doodle for iPad – First Look

By Cristi | August 12, 2010 | No comment yet

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A couple of months ago I took a look at Cookie Doodle, a cookie making app for the iPad. I downloaded it for my third grade daughter and she has spent hours creating all sorts of cookie combinations. During a recent visit to the App Store, I noticed Cake Doodle, the newest “Doodle” application from Shoe the Goose. Needless to say, Cake Doodle was added to our collection of kids apps and has been a big hit in our house ever since.

Cake Doodle lets bakers select from eight different cake recipes, mix ingredients and then bake. There are 12 cake styles available and a variety of frosting colors, icing tips, cake decorations and candles. With so many options to choose from, Cake Doodle will keep your little baker busy for a while.

Don’t forget to share their creations with Grandma and Grandpa. They can email a cake by selecting the E-Mail option under Menu.

Remember the best part of baking is eating, so enjoy! No mess and zero calories, truly a great combination. Both Cookie Doodle and Cake Doodle are available in the App Store for $0.99.

Yummy cake creation after the break! >>

ABC – Magnetic Alphabet for iPad

By Cristi | August 5, 2010 | No comment yet

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Remember the brightly colored letter magnets you had on your refrigerator as a kid? Nothing high tech but fun to play with nonetheless. Well, thanks to Italian developer Dot Next, the iPad version of those ABC magnets is now available in ABC – Magnetic Alphabet.

Just like the letters we all know and love, these new high tech “magnets” are colorful and fun to play with. Kids of all ages can use them to create messages, practice spelling or make funny pictures. A scroll at the bottom of the screen contains capital and lower case letters, numbers, punctuation/symbols and little pictures with each of the 95 different magnets available in six colors for a total of 570 pieces.

Spin the scroll, select your objects, drag them to the board and your message is done. Like most apps these days, you also have the option to share your creation on Facebook or save it to Photos.

By Cristi | July 21, 2010 | No comment yet

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I love to read books with my kids and eBooks are something relatively new for us. Since the release of the iPad, we’ve read a number of books together and really enjoyed it. Maggie and the Trouble with Monkeys is an app we all had fun reading and playing.

This interactive children’s app has a cute story, fun fonts and colorful illustrations. Join Maggie, a bright and imaginative five and a half year old, in her latest adventure. She’s got a little monkey that makes her life extremely difficult and causes lots of trouble. He does everything from eat all the cookies in the cookie jar to get mud on her new dress. What will she do? Will Maggie learn to love a monkey after all? I don’t want to spoil the ending, so you’ll have to buy the app to find out.

Enjoy this 22 page (11 screen) book app with your kids today. Maggie and the Trouble with Monkeys is available in the App Store for $4.99.

Screen shots after the break >>

Bright Bright for iPad – App Review

By Cristi | July 2, 2010 | 2 comments

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Go retro with the new iPad app from Arik Devens called Bright Bright – Draw with glowing light pegs. When I was a kid, I could spend hours punching little colorful pegs into the black holes on my Lite Brite and create all sorts of wonderful pictures. I must also admit, I’ve never purchased one for my own kids because the little pegs were just one more thing to add to the clutter of Polly Pockets, Barbie accessories and any mixture of small toy pieces. Enter Bright Bright , the easy-to-use digital version of colorful pegs and creative pictures I’m happy for my kids to use.

The Bright Bright screen includes a black “peg board” with a variety of tools laid out across the top. Users have access to 7 peg color choices, different picture stencils, a light switch and more. Kids can create pictures using pre-made stencils or design original pieces of art. Once their finished, flip the light switch on and watch the pictures glow. Add an interesting effect with the Color Wave feature and watch the colors of your work change before your eyes.

It’ll take a little while to complete a stencil but don’t worry if you’re not able to finish your project in one sitting, using the Save and Load features lets you go back to your work anytime. Then show off your favorite pictures by saving them to photos or emailing them to grandma.

By Cristi | June 5, 2010 | No comment yet

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My kids love to bake but I don’t always have the time to make homemade cookies. Cookie Doodle for the iPad, by developer Shoe the Goose, kept by daughter busy baking for hours. This fun little app lets kids get creative in the kitchen without all the mess.

Start by picking from 20 different types of cookie dough and then use your rolling pin to roll it out. Next, select your favorite cookie cutter. With over 75 cookie cutters to choose from, it’ll take your kids a while to get through them all. Once you select your favorite design, tap the dough and your cookie is cut. Move on to baking by tapping the oven at the top of the screen.

The fun really begins when your cookie is finished and it’s time to decorate! Let your creativity shine by frosting, piping and decorating with sprinkles and candies. Once complete, tap the cookie jar and add your cookies to the batch. Ready to enjoy? Set the table by tapping plates and tablecloths, move your cookies onto the plate and press eat. Yummy!

At $0.99, Cookie Doodle is a creative and fun alternative to baking and the best part is, no mess and zero calories!