July iPad apps that will entertain toddlers

Your iPad or tablet is an amazing device that can conduct business, keep you in the knowledge loop and provide hours of entertainment to toddlers and children.  Here’s a look at four apps that keep our Mojo occupied when dad or mom need a break. 

Kuma the Bear and the Dandelion

This app tells the story of a Kuma the bear as he chases a dandelion across the countryside.  Along the way Kuma meets up with a Robo the robot, Kani the crab, Uguisu the bird and other animals.  All of the characters have some movement when you touch them and there are several other areas inside the app that allow for objects to move.

The story is written down in addition to being narrated in a very relaxing manner by a woman who seems to be perpetually smiling as she reads.  Kuma’s soundtrack is very good and not annoying at all; it’s a little kitschy, reminding you at times of music from a late 60s game show.

When you start the app look for the small box that is beside the title, that’s how you start the narration.  Kuma the Bear is available in English and Japanese and is a free app.

Z is for Zebra

As an ex educator I know that kids learn how to read quicker by learning phonics, i.e., the sound letters.  Z is for Zebra is one of the better apps that we’ve discovered that teaches children the phonetic pronunciation.  The app also teaches what the letter is, upper and lower case, as well as, a simple picture to help build vocabulary.

To hear the phonetic pronunciation just touch the speaker button in the lower right corner.  Z is for Zebra is a free app.

My First Clock

My First Clock entertains Toddler Mojo like no other app on this list.  The app has four different clocks that you can click on that will test your child’s knowledge of what time it is, allow them to set the clock and two free modes.

Toddler Mojo can’t tell what time it is.  He loves this app because the cartoon characters are soft, happy and there is a pleasant soundtrack that kids will like.  The narration to the app is also very child friendly with the voice of a 6 or 7 year old saying “try again”, when the incorrect time is guessed.  We hear that a lot in the Mojo house, but Toddler Mojo digs the app, it makes him happy, which cuts us a break occasionally.

The app was free for a day or two when we checked AppShopper, but now My First clock sells for $2.99.

Cute Baby Flash Cards

The title to this app says it all, Cute Baby Flash Cards.  It’s a series of cartoon animals drawn in a very cute manner, with the word written below and a pleasant voice narrating what each one is.  The drawings are large and the pages are simple, with the cute animal on a separate page.

Cute Baby Flash Cards is a great, simple app that your toddler can spend some time in and not get bored or frustrated.  There is a Lite version to the app for free, but the full version is only .99. Cute Baby Flash Cards can show English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Russian and Greek.