Molly's Top Educational Apps {Ages 1-4+}

 

The iPad, iPhone, and I'm sure Droid has been making mother's feel like their children are geniuses since it's creation.

 

This girl is spoiled when it comes to apps. Like three pages on my iPad spoiled. So I wanted to share some of her tops and the ones that have a great benefit to toddlers and pre K.

 

 I remember when I was going back and forth on whether or not I wanted to spend the money and if it would be worth it. I can't believe I ever had doubts! Molly loved my iPhone. So much so that I barely got to use it before the battery would die at about 8pm. We had got her a LeapPad2 when she was 16 months, but she quickly outgrew it and wanted more. So I got an iPad, and life has never been the same. In a magical, wonderful sort of way.

 

The selection of educational apps, books, and shows is just endless. I am still firm that learning needs to happen primarily outside of electronics, especially for this age, but this is a great tool. Keep in mind that at the age of 1-2 you should primarily focus on social emotional, but more on that later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is Intro To Colors-Montessorium (4+). The app costs $4.99, but is seriously worth it. Especially if the Montessori method is something you are interested in using with your child's education. It practices matching primary and secondary colors. It also teaches gradients by organizing them darkest to lightest. There is a paint feature that shows primaries and mixes once they cross over. The last tab is a search game.

 

Oh Endless Alphabet (4+), how I love thee. This was one of the first apps that Molly went ape for. When she started at 18 months and could match all the letters I thought OMG she is a genius baby, because you know even though I know better I'm still her mom so I get those moments. Matching letters especially with repetition is not really the same as knowing letters. I will say that after playing this for a little while I realized she could identify some letters. The first time I realized we were watching Elmo and he drew a letter E. She started pointing and screaming "EEEE EEEE" So I drew some more letters and she knew I, T, S, and O. Another great part, it's free!!

 

Tiny Hands Sorting II (2.5+) is by far Molly's jam. It is free with in app purchases, but to get the good stuff you really need to pay for the whole app. It's worth it. Level 1 is free. In it you can sort flying and wheels, stars and circles, and green, blue, and red planes. Level 2 is objects shaped like circles and triangles, walking and flying animals, and colors yellow, purple, and green. Level three is small and big, circle triangle square objects, and bathroom and kitchen. Level 4 is things in sea and on shore, instruments music and painting, and clothes of summer and winter. Molly loves all of the games, because she is a genius. This is for ages 2.5 and up and there is also Sorting 3 for 3+ that just came out.

 

I cannot stress how adorable this app is. It's called Pepi Tree (3+). It is $1.99, but so much fun. In the owl game above you use a flash light to find all the critters. You have to catch them and match them to their shape. There is a mole that has to get through a maze to his home. Once you are there you match keys to the right shape to enter. There are other cute ones like growing plants to feed and decorate a hedgehog. A Caterpillar that has to eat all of a fruit in order to start the cycle of a butterfly. Now Molly screams "BUTTAHFIEEEEE" when she sees one. There is also a spider who needs to build a web in order to catch food. The learning is mixed in with so much fun!

 

Monkey Lunchbox Preschool (2+) cost $1.99 and can't be beat for the price. There is a memory game, shapes, colors, letters, puzzles, and comparisons. At the end of each round you get to pick a sticker to add to that times collection. I am always impressed by Molly's sheet of stickers. It took a week or so after getting this for her to do it all on her own. It's totally doable. This was one of our firsts at 18 months.

Dexteria Jr. (2-5) costs $2.99 and is designed to help fine motor skills. It has games like pinch the pepper, trace and erase, and squish the squash. The first couple time she tried it her line was all over the place. Then she started getting straight across and up and down. It's something they can pick up quick if you expose them to it.

 

Press Here (All Ages) is a fun cause and effect app. Even Natalie is entertained by what happens when she bats at the screen. This app cost $1.49.

 

 Grandma's Garden (1-5) is a great app with multiple learning aspects. It is very similar to Monkey Lunchbox Preschool. If you don't often buy apps I would go with this one. It teaches colors, shapes, numbers, letters, comparisons, memory, and has education videos. Molly loves when she has to kiss grandma and gets something out of her purse as a prize. The cost is $1.99

Intro To Letters-Montessorium (4+) is $4.99 and worth every penny. I love that it teaches to trace, read, write and record letter sounds, names, and phonograms with the Montessori method. My favorite has to be the recording feature.