Educational iPad Apps

Let me just say to anyone who has kids who is considering buying an iPad, I highly recommend it.  My kids both love playing on it and as I'm starting to focus a little more on homeschooling, we're using it more and more.  Adeline has been addicted to the iPad since she was very little.  And Bobby would play it all day long if I let him.  So its important to me that the kids are doing educational games on it.  So here are a few that I've found recently that the kids love (and most are free or have a free version!)

Interactive Alphabet ABCs
This has baby mode, explore mode, and tracing mode.  Its great to learn the letters and the kids love it.  My favorite part is the letter tracing because it forces you to trace the letter the correct way.  I really hope it helps Adeline form her letters correctly, but Bobby really loves this game.

Reading Raven
This is great for learning letters, sounds, and small words.  I like that I can control the settings so I can keep it easy at first and then add harder skills in as the kids master the easier ones.  This is another app I got for Adeline that Bobby loves.  He really doesn't know his letters or letter sounds yet, but for some reason, he still loves this app.

Endless Alphabet
We got the free version of this app and I really don't see a need to buy the full one yet.  The free one keeps the kids entertained just fine.  It has a word (really good words like famished and pester and lopsided) and you have to match the letters up in the words and then it has a little animated definition of the word.  Its really cute and the kids love it.  It also has the letter sounds, so I highly recommend it.

Monster Physics
This game is a little advanced for the kids, but its so fun.  I could play this app for a while.  You build little machines and test them out.  You can add fun parts like motors and rockets and wings and magnets.  Then you test them out by changing the speed, thrust, and other parts the I don't even really understand and see if it will "go."  The kids like it, but I'm sure older kids would really learn a lot from it.  I might even splurge and pay the $0.99 to get the full app because I think its so fun.

Block Builder
Bobby LOVES this app.  You use blocks to build towers and then you can knock them down by pushing them or throwing balls at them.  You can choose different types of blocks and even add farm animals to your creation.  Bobby loves to "stack" the cows up and then "throw" balls at them to knock them down.  He laughs hysterically every time.

Geoboard
Who didn't love playing with the geoboards in elementary school.  You can use the small board or the big board.  Both kids really like this app.  It has no sound, so its a perfect game for the kids to play in church when they start getting wiggly and loud.  It has crashed on us a couple times, but its free, so I can't complain too much.

Splash Math Kindergarten
We got the free version of this and the paid version is really expensive.  With the free version I think you can only do so many math problems per day.  Bobby really likes this even though its a little over his head.  It is helping him practice his counting.  I like that you can make different players so Adeline can do hers in order and Bobby doesn't mess up her progress when he plays.

Motion Math: Wings
This is an app where you tilt the iPad to make a bird fly.  The point is to get the bird to fly to the bigger of 2 numbers.  It starts very basic with simple dots.  I think you have to pay for the harder levels, but we don't need those yet.  Adeline doesn't love the "video game" type games because she doesn't like the pressure of having to make a quick decision and move the iPad.  Bobby, of course, really likes it and I'm surprised at how good he actually is at it.

Kindergaten Addition
We got the free version of this one too and haven't really tried it out too much yet, but again, you can make different players and let them go at their own pace.  Adeline is interested in adding and so I think she'll like it.  Honestly, Bobby hogs the iPad most of the time so Adeline hasn't had as much time to explore the new apps I downloaded.

Toca Kitchen Monsters
This is one of my favorite apps.  Its just for fun.  You cook nasty food for the monsters.  You can chop the food, boil it, microwave it, blend it, add salt and pepper, etc.  Its just really cute and the kids like it.  We use this one at church a lot too.  We also have Toca House and Toca Band and the kids like those a lot too.  We got all these for free and I'm thinking about buying the Toca Store app too.

Please let me know what your kids' favorite educational apps are!