Giving myself an iPad for Christmas has turned out to be a great idea! Not only do I have fun with it, I use it for blogging in many ways. Sawyer also uses it a little here and there, but I don’t think we’ve found the right apps for him yet. Most are either over his head – geared more toward 3-4 year old preschoolers – and the rest just do not seem to interest him.
To help the search, I recently read iPad Apps for Kids for Dummies. I’ve talked in the past how I am a huge fan of the Dummies series, and this book hasn’t disappointed me either. There are a number of apps featured in this book, and they are conveniently divided into age groups and other categories. This feature alone makes the book a great reference guide for kids’ apps.
The guide begins with a section on the iPad and children. It talks about setting up your iPad for their use with passwords or other restrictions. It also discusses good covers to use if kids will be playing alone. There is a section about apps, such as whether it’s better to go the free or paid route and other sources for finding good apps for your kids.
The age groups in iPad Apps for Kids for Dummies begin with toddler, making me glad I received this book now. I will be able to get the most use out of it since I got it early on. There are several recommendations for apps for Sawyer’s age, each with a review and advice on who the app is best for (creative kids, those who love books, musical children, etc etc).
Further into the book, there are suggestions based on different interests. There are apps suggested for reading, art, dinosaurs, storytelling, games, math, and more. This will come in handy as the kiddo gets older and is more into technology. I have already downloaded a couple under the toddler category, and he seems to like them.
Having a resource on kids apps like this makes an iPad owner’s life much easier. I can just flip to the right pages for my son and find the apps I’d like to download. My only concern with this book is that it may become outdated quick, as new (possibly better apps) are added to the iTunes App Store all the time.
About Kecia
This would be great for my daughter, looks like an informative book.
Wonderful review to let us know which are the GOOD apps!
We haven’t gotten an iPad for the kids yet, but when we do this book would be a must have!
I too love the “Dummies” books. I didn’t realize there was one for iPad. I recently got an iPad but I don’t know how to search and find the best apps for my students. I’m going to HAVE to have this book! Thanks for the tip. I’m going to order it right now and i’ll let you know how I like it. Thanks!
What’s your opinion: Do you think Apple products are more suited for youngins than us now than adults?
I think they are suited for both children and adults! Which I like, because technology is increasing so it’s good that children can understand and interact with it at an early age. I still find Apple products highly beneficial as an adult too.