I love Face iMake apps, they are creative and fun.  Their newest app is Faces iMake ABC.  It’s an app designed to help kids learn letters in the same creative ways of their earlier apps.  It is free for limited time, so make sure check it out. There are two parts in the app: Learn ABC and Find ABC. Learn ABC: kids pick a letter from the letter tray at the bottom. They will see the letter come up and… Read more

Storybook Maker is a book creating app for kids.  I have reviewed several book creator apps, and this one is another great addition to the book creator library. I like this one for its versatility and intuitive kids’ friendly interface. Once kids start a new book, they can choose a template for each new page. There are several templates to choose from, with different picture and text layouts.  They can also choose to work on a blank page and design… Read more

The Book of Holes is what I like to call a ‘progressive’ approach to explaining the way the world works by virtue of its holes. This App is based on a 2006 Children’s Book written and designed by Poul Lange, a Design Firm based in LA who creates among other things, book cover designs. In 2006, this particular book made the top 50 list of best designed books according to the American Institute of Graphic Arts. In other words, this… Read more

Night Zookeeper is, in the simplest terms, a drawing app.  However, the approach it takes to get kids to use the entire scope of their imaginations in their drawings makes it so much more than that.  The fact that parents can directly inspire and facilitate their children’s creativity through this app is just a bonus. First, parents will want to register so they can open the Teleporting Torch Dashboard.  This enables parents to send missions to their children and also upload… Read more

Studio Pango have produced a cute interactive game for pre-schoolers. It’s engaging, easy to use and requires no language comprehension. Relying solely on images to provide instructions, it inspires imaginations and encourages creativity in a non intimidating way. Pango Imaginary Car is the kind of app that could work very well with children who have learning needs, especially those in need of practise in the areas of fine motor skills. It’s also pretty good at re-inforcing logical thinking too. The… Read more

Great news for kids (and grown ups) who like coloring pages, or actually for those who don’t like coloring pages – what you are going to try today will change your thought about coloring page completely – all by this FREE app that will bring your coloring page to life in 3D! Before I told my son about the app, I printed out a coloring page on the app’s website.  I then asked my son if he could color the… Read more

We are crazy about this LEGO Movie Maker App. The reason we love it so much mostly stems from its versatility. My son and I can make a very rudimentary ten second film, or we can pass it off to my husband who might just produce a full length feature soon because he is so obsessed. Your child (or in my case, husband) chooses from just 5 different opening title scenes so it’s not too overwhelming for a little one… Read more

Today’s review is from Susan Stephenson.  I knew Susan via her blog The Book Chook.   If you are looking for children’s books, try Book Chook.  You can usually find something interesting.  Today Susan is going to share a free app with us.  Let’s see what she is sharing with us – If you’re looking for an app that encourages kids to think creatively, can I suggest you check out Haiku Deck? It’s an app the whole family can use, but… Read more

Easy Studio – Animate with shapes is a fun app you and your kids will all like.  Just like the app title suggested, it lets kids put together animations on the iPad using only geometric shapes. There are two play modes: Easy and Expert.  When kids first start the app, they will be in Easy mode.  Kids will watch a tutorial on the basic functionalities – how to move pieces onto the canvas, how to take single pictures, how to play the… Read more

I recently came across an app called Book Creator for iPAD. Just like the app title suggested, it is an app kids can use to create digital books. I reviewed some other apps with similar functions, like StoryKit. Comparing to StoryKit, both apps have the basic functions like adding pictures and text, recording voices and sound effects. Book Creator is more versatile than StoryKit. Some neat functions I liked: 1. Kids can resize the picture and rotate the picture into… Read more

Finally, an app ALL of my kids love!  What a joy as a parent to find a place, toy, activity, or game that all of your kids can enjoy together.  Well, I bring you an app the whole family can enjoy.  What makes Toy Story: Story Theater so great is everything your kids bring to it.  It requires you as a parent to be an audience member.  But getting to see the vastly different stories each child created is a happy… Read more

Do you have a lot pictures on your phone? Today I am sharing two collage apps I have been using, plus one I just discovered. All apps are FREE. They are all very easy to use. You can use them yourself, or you can use them with your kids and create some family picture collage together. I am sure the kids will have fun and the collages can easily become mother’s day gifts. There are tons of collage apps out there, if you have one you… Read more

Is your child a dinosaur fan?  If he/she is, you’ve got to get this one – iLuv Draw Dinosaurs is FREE for limited time.  The app will show the kids how to how to draw dinosaurs such as T Rex, Stegosaurus, Velociraptor and more.  Like other iLuv Drawing apps, such as iLuv Drawing Animals and iLuv Drawing Monsters, it gives step by step guides for each dinosaur picture with both visual and voice instructions.  After drawing, kids can decide how… Read more

Storytelling is a great skill to have.  Not only it fosters imagination, it also trains kids logic thinking, helps kids improve self-expression skills, thus better social interaction.  I have reviewed several story telling apps, such as Toontastic and Toontastic Jr, Educreation, Scribble my story.  Today I am going to share another one we’ve been using recently – Story Wheel.  Story Wheel is like a writing prompt for young kids who are not writing yet.  When kids open the app, they… Read more