There are so many apps to choose between, but we’ve rounded up the best – tested and approved by actual kids.
Available for Android or iPhone.
Pokémon GO is such a simple and yet absolutely brilliant idea that has captured the world’s attention. The initial hype may have died down, but special events and extra Pokémon to catch has kept our kids perpetually interested. It encourages them to walk around to real-world locations to catch Pokémon and collect things from Pokéstops, as well as battle in gyms.
Despite the safety concerns, Pokémon GO is deserving of real credit for getting a nation (not just kids) off the sofa and into the great outdoors. It’s a power-draining but oh-so-addictive app, don’ t pick up Pokémon GO unless you’ re prepared to take your kids to the local park, high street and pretty much everywhere to catch the monsters.
Read our full Pokémon GO review.
Available for iPhone, iPad and Android
Toca Life: Vacation (sadly not ‘holiday’ in the UK English version) is part of the Toca Life series. Like the others, it’s a digital playset that lets kids pretend they’re going on holiday. The main screen acts as a navigation tool so kids can tap on the place they want to play: the airport, the hotel, the beach, etc.
Just about everything you can see is interactive: suitcases can be opened and their contents rearranged; characters can be dressed up with clothes from hangers or in the shop, and can be accessorised. Our testers loved that the airport included an aeroplane where they could pretend their characters were flying to and from their holiday destination, and that they could feed them snacks and drinks.
This is an app with hours and hours of potential play for imaginative minds. And that makes the £2.99 price an absolute steal, especially given that (as with all Toca Boca games) there are no ads or in-app purchases.
As well as games, there are video streaming services specifically for kids. See also: how to keep your kids safe online.
Available for Android and iPhone / iPad
In our experience kids love to watch videos on YouTube. Too much, in fact. And not everything on YouTube is suitable for children. But Google has made a child-friendly app which – aside from having a simpler interface – filters out the bad stuff and tries its best to make sure they only see what is appropriate.
No filtering system is perfect, so supervision is still required (that’s our advice, anyway) but this free app is a must-install.
We’ve got lots more tips for keeping kids safe online .
Available for iPhone & iPad
Toca Dance has proven an instant hit with our testers, 4 and 8. And plenty of adults have enjoyed a play, too. In the £2.99 game you get to pick up to three dancers and dress them as you like from the wide range of outfits. Then you teach them routines by dragging your finger on the various body parts. You can move the arms and head independently, and drag the body to make the dancers jump and crouch. Different routines can be assigned to various coloured dots, and the system is brilliantly designed that even young children can use it.
There’s a variety of music to choose between and once you’re done, you can watch the final performance. Even this is interactive – you can cheer, set off fireworks, throw flowers (or tomatoes) and save the video to your camera roll afterwards. It’s not yet available on Android – just iOS.
Available for iPhone, iPad & Android .
In City, which costs a very reasonable £2.99, kids can visit different locations around the city and interact with practically everything. From the apartment to the food stalls and clothes shop, kids can decide which people to ‘invite’ and – depending on the location – give them different clothes, hairstyles, food and more.
Available for iPhone, iPad, Android & Amazon Fire .
Farm is the latest in the Toca Life series and is – as ever – well worth the few pounds it costs on each platform. There are different areas to visit: the barn, the field, the farmhouse and more.
In each, kids can interact with everything they can see, milking the cow, feeding the lambs, and harvesting crops. It probably goes over their head, but one of Toca Boca’s aims is to introduce kids to the lifecycle of food.
Our two testers loved taking seeds from the different sacks, planting and watering them, and then using the tractor to harvest them. You can also use the food machine to turn produce into food.
Available for iPhone, iPad & Android .
Designed specifically for toddlers and young children from 2-5, Mini Road trip is made by Sago (the sister company of Toca Boca) . Kids can enjoy the fun of a whole road trip from packing a suitcase (complete with wacky items such as a chocolate cake) , choosing a car (there are lots, including a shoe and a gherkin) and stopping en route for petrol and at a car wash. There are six destinations, although only three appear at any one time, which is a little confusing. There are no rules for driving, so kids can pick up the car and fly through the air if they like. It’s great value at £2.99 with no ads.
Available for iPhone & iPad.
Playing funny and educational mini-games, in iOS-only app Forestry your child will help forest dwellers to build a house, gather food stuffs, pick up berries, go swimming and, of course, prepare for sleep. A fascinating and useful game Forestry can also serve as great memory and attention trainer for your kid. (And it can help at bed time.) It is free, but with in-app purchases, so keep an eye out.
Available for iPhone, iPad & Android .
All the Toca Boca games for kids are great (except perhaps Toca Band, which will drive parents round the bend) , but Toca Hair Salon is seriously a must-have on any family’s phone or tablet.
Kids get to be a hairdresser and stylist. This really is a great app for keeping them amused for short periods of time.
Available for iPhone, iPad & Android .
Kids love messy play, but you probably don’t like clearing up afterwards. With the second version of Toca Kitchen, kids can chop, fry, bake and now blend food and force-feed it to the new Kitchen characters. Our three-year old tester particularly like blending up pears and Monster Beets, laughing out loud when the sour flavour made the characters spit it out on the screen.
A recent update added peaches, strawberries, watermelon, onions, spaghetti, rice and octopus legs along with ketchup, soy sauce and a deep fryer appliance.
You can enable a ‘vegetarian mode’ and there are no annoying links (as you get in some freemium games) which take you away from the app to the app store. Well worth the £2.99 price.
Available for iPhone & iPad.
A great free app that turns any iPad into a colourful drawing pad, without ruining the wallpaper or table. Good times.
Available on iPhone, iPad & Android .
A game of imagination and building skill, LEGO Juniors Create & Cruise is aimed at children from ages four to seven years. Build your own truck, then use it to bring your cargo to its right destination, and collect coins to earn more LEGO parts. Fun, educational and satisfying. And that’s just for the parents.
Available for iPhone & iPad.
Artie’s Magic Pencil is designed to help kids learn to draw. It aims to teach the fundamentals of drawing to children aged three to six. It offers a relaxed and encouraging space for potential young illustrators who might need some coaxing into the creative world. Find out more about Artie’s Magic Pencil here.
Available for iPhone, iPad & Android .
if you’re doing pre-speech Sing & Sign with your baby, this offers a visual dictionary. Great fun for parent and child and it helps with development, too.
Available for iPhone & iPad .
Recommended by an anonymous reader check this beautiful family-friendly book ‘A Parcel of Courage’. This interactive reading adventure loaded with educational activities has four unique learning games enhancing logic, spatial cognition, photographic memory and more.
