Summer is approaching, what are some good apps for summer? iGameMom has some suggestions on cool summer apps for kids – fun and educational. Kids will be away from school for 2-3 months in the summer. On one hand, you do want them to relax and enjoy some down time; on the other hand, you don’t want them forget study completely. School can take breaks, but learning should never stop. Based on this believe, we picked apps that are educational, and… Read more

I had always wanted to write about Fruit Ninja, but there were always something else came up.  Now it is the time.  Fruit Ninja is one of the first games my son and I played together.  We had a good time every time we played. It is a game for all ages, even little babies.  When the game starts, there will be all different types of fruits flying up from the bottom of the screen, you job is to chop… Read more

MindSnacks Spanish is a language learning app.  It does a great job at building the learning into game play, so the learning is fun. When you first start the app, you will have an option to take a Spanish test to find out your level.  You can also skip the test and start at level 1, which is “numbers”.  You will have a list of Spanish vocabulary to study before playing games.  Each word/phrase has a picture and an audio… Read more

A Jazzy Day is an app recommended by one of iGameMom’s readers. It is a music book app that teaches kids about jazz music and instruments via a very simple story: visiting the Big Band Hall. At the family’s visit, several musicians talked about the musical instruments. There are 12 instruments introduced in the app: bass, drums, piano, guitar, vibraphone, trumpet, trombone, alto saxophone, Baritone saxophone, flute, and clarinet. From the App home screen, you can choose “Learn”, which will… Read more

This is a book App targeted at kids 6 and up, or kids who are ready to read chapter-books.  It tells the true story of Edson Hendricks: He was bullied at school, but found comfort in an imaginary world where he had machine parts, and no biological organs or emotions.  Later he went to MIT and IBM, and invented “connectionless” network design, which is used in today’s Internet.  While reading it, I felt it is almost like a featured documentary.  In… Read more

Toca Doctor is a medical-themed puzzle game for toddlers.  There are 21 mini-games in the app. To start the games, you move the robot doctor around the patient’s body.  Each time the robot doctor screen the patient, there will be several sick spots identified.  You go through the sick spots one by one.  Each spot is a puzzle game.  For example, if the mouth is the sick spot, you will be tapping on jumping germs in the patient’s mouth. If… Read more

May is Teacher Appreciation Month.  To celebrate, Oceanhouse Media has set their Smithsonian Book Apps on sale.  All five apps in the series are $0.99 each on the App Store and Android markets till May 14th.   Original prices are $2.99 each. From the App store: All Smithsonian Books feature fact-filled adventures that educate as much as they entertain.  All facts in the books are reviewed by scientific experts in corresponding fields.  Each book has an interesting story.  The beautiful graphics… Read more

Have you read Five Little Monkey stories?   Do you like it?  Now they are available in apps.  Five Little Monkeys Collection #1 by Oceanhouse Media was released about a week ago.  This is the digital version of the print collection, released in 2009 for the 20th-anniversary of the Five Little Monkeys books, by Eileen Christelow. This collection includes the following titles: • Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed: a charming bedtime story sure to send children giggling off to bed… Read more

TeachMe is another app series goes by age level.  It has Toddler, Kindergarten, Grade1, Grade2, and Grade3.  Each grade covers spelling and basic math.  Compared to SplashMath, it is clear that each subject is not comprehensive at all.  For example, 2nd grade math only covers addition and subtraction up to two digit numbers.  There is no coverage of Time, Money, and Geometry.  However, there are things I like about it, especially the Toddler and Kindergarten ones: Parent control: You can keep… Read more

In recognition of Autism Awareness Month, Wee Sing & Learn ABC is free from $2.99 for a limited time.  They say it will be free till Apr.29 (Sunday), but we never know when the developer will reset the price – so get it when you can. From the App Store: Sing your way through the alphabet! The new Wee Sing & Learn ABC app combines original music, animated animals, musical instruments from A to Z, and read-along text to provide parents… Read more

There are so many math apps out there.  It is hard to tell which one is at the right level for my child.  While looking for a math App that is linked with school’s curriculum, I found the SplashMath series. It the series, there is an App for each grade, ranging from grade 1 to 5. All are aligned with state standards.  This takes a lot uncertainty out when parents are trying to decide which app to buy for the kids. … Read more

I reviewed TeenSphere several months ago.  After a group discussion about social well being apps, I went back to this app again.  I saw significant updates that worth a review update. TeenSphere is an app teens can use to access help and consulting to sensitive and challenging questions they face in everyday life.  Some example questions are “I feel really moody – what’s going on?”, “I feel sad a lot.  Am I depressed?”  The app provides answers to these questions without… Read more

Be Confident In Who You Are is a graphic novel targeted at kids 8-14 years old. It addresses topics such as self-consciousness, stress, bullying, fitting in, body image, and sticky issues in friendships. All these issues are presented in an age appropriate manner. The language, story setting, and the solutions the characters come up are all from real life that kids can relate to. There are 8 chapters in the book, each focusing on one topic. As an app, it has nice… Read more

My son is a good reader. The only problem is he only likes to read mystery or fantasy types. I had been trying to get him read biographies, but he never showed any interest. Amazingly, once he found the Who? Comics and started reading, he could not put it down. Who? Comics is an educational comic book app intended for kids 8 and older. The series includes 29 biographies: Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Hillary Clinton, Steven Spielberg, Joanne Rowling, Barack… Read more