As much as I enjoyed all the great educational apps I have been recommending, I have always hoped to find apps that can get kids outside of house and running. Apps for star gazing, bird watching, remotely monitor helicopter, or even math games involving walking around, are all my favorite apps. Today I am going to recommend an app that will really get kids moving. It is called Big Cat Race.
What the app does is to set up a race between the child and the animal of choice. The child can choose which animal he/she wants to be, and then choose which animal he/she wants to compete with. There are three animals to choose from: Lion, Leopard, and Cheetah. Depends on the child’s age and the size of the space, the child can choose, among 10 options, a 10-step race, or a 200-step race, or a 2 minute race. He/she can even pick a free run. Once the race starts, the screen turns black with a sign saying “race in progress”. With this, kids can focus on running and don’t have to worry about checking the score till the end of the race. When the race is finished, kids can see a re-play of the race. Here they can get an idea on how much faster or slower they are compared to the opponent.
The app uses the build-in accelerometer to track the speed. Kids do need carry the iPhone while running. They can either hold the phone in hands, or strap the phone on waists. If you are not comfortable with them holding the phone running, a protective iPhone case will definitely help.
iGameMom Comments:
Big Cat Race is a great fitness app for kids. Kids can use it indoor or outdoor. The idea of racing against the “big cats” is very attractive to children. With the help of fun music, bright images, and cute animation, Big Cat Race will for sure get the whole family moving!
Big Cat Race is available for iPhone, iPod, and iPAD. I think you want to use it on iPhone/iPod. It is $0.99 on App Store.
Help! Your recommendation for Big Cat Race is exactly what I am looking for.
Unfortunately it says I can’t get it in my country. I am in Canada. Doesn’t makes sense!
Any suggestions?
Pam, I just tried the app, it looks like it’s taken off the app store. Unfortunately this is not under our control. It is totally up to the app developers.
Bring on anything that encourages the kids to be active outdoors.
I post apps like this whenever I find one! Have you checked my post on 7 apps getting kids off-screen? There are several fun outdoor apps there.
Let’s just say I learned a little too late about the importance of the protective case. But all was not lost, iPod touch was fixed and protective case purchased for use from here on out. Let’s see how the kids like this one…
I have a feeling this one is right up my 5 year old’s alley.
For this app, with younger kids, you might consider strap the phone in a pocket, even with a case.
Sorry to hear about your iPod Touch. We are finding out that placing the iPod/iPhone on the hip is the best way to go if you can’t find a good wrist case or protective case. We made a prototype of a wrist case with an armband case. We had to trim and re-sew the band as the wrist is so much smaller than the upper arm, but it worked great. Thanks for checking us out. Cheers, Steve.
I like this idea, I’ll definitely give this one a try.
Anything that can get the kids exercising is a good app to me.
Oh I love this idea! A great way to motivate for long walks too 🙂
-Dana
Yes. I am glad the app has the option of various time and distance levels.
Such a great idea, my son loves using technology but I don’t like him sitting down playing with it for too long. This way we can make sure he’s getting exercise at the same time. Hopefully see more apps along the same lines!
Let’s hope more apps like this will come out. I know the developer is still working on improvement for this one too.
This site is great! Today is my daughter’S birthday and we bought her the ipad mini, so it will be a great help.
I couldn’t agree with you more. Something that gets kids out of the house and exercising is a must.
Yes, I hope to see more apps in this area.
great idea. I may use it myself for some much needed exercise.
Great idea!
What a great App, thanks for this. My daughter will enjoy this one.
My son loves it. Everytime we were out walking, he asked about this app!
Get my 16, 13 and 12 year olds up, out and running? It’s a miracle app! 😉
You should definately try it.