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If you have a smartphone or tablet, then you’ve got a world of kid-friendly games at your fingertips. This can be especially helpful to parents of twins or triplets, when you need to keep more than one child entertained at the same time. Even single-player games can be played by more than one child simply by taking turns and trying to beat each others’ score. If you have multiple children, here are five games that you should have on every mobile device that you own:
Doodle Jump
Doodle Jump involves helping your Doodler navigate a sheet of graph paper while avoiding black holes and UFOs. The graphics of the game are doodles, making it perfect in its simplicity. Your children can tilt your smartphone left or right to control the Doodler’s direction of travel, and can hand off the game to one another to see who can get the best score. Doodle Jump is guaranteed to entertain children and adults alike for hours.
Talking Carl
You may not want to let your kids play Talking Carl while you’re trying to drive or concentrate on work, but the app is loved by kids across the world. Sure to bring a fit of giggles, Talking Carl repeats everything that your child says into the microphone in his own, unique voice. Call up the app, hand your children the phone and let them use Talking Carl to translate their conversation.
Tappy Tunes
Tappy Tunes is a great musical app for toddlers. Instead of asking toddlers to understand notes and music, your young child simply taps the screen to control the pace of the music; the app decides upon the tune. This is great news for moms and dads who don’t want to hear their children’s version of music for hours on end. Your children can alternate taps between each other or hand the phone back and forth to create their own songs.
Ocarina
This app may be one of the coolest for children available on the market. Ocarina turns your iPhone into a true musical instrument that your children can play at their leisure. By blowing into the iPhone’s microphone and tapping the correct spots on the screen, the iPhone will play the tune your child produces. Let your children take turn playing their new instrument for hours of entertainment.
Sally’s Spa
Sally’s Spa is a great game for girls, but can be equally enjoyed by boys. 50 levels guide your child through creating the perfect spa retreat, offering customers services like manicures, baths, and hot stone massages. As your child progresses through the game, she or he can enhance their businesses by adding decor and better services. The app can teach older children time management and business skills, both of which are lessons that can carry over into real life. By allowing each child to create and save their own game, they can compete against each other to see who can create the most profitable spa.
While many experts suggest allowing your child to use technology for educational purposes only, we all know that this doesn’t translate well into the real world. There will be times when you simply have to entertain your children to keep them out of your hair for 15 minutes, and these apps are a fantastic way to do just that.
Tammi Wilson blogs about fun and educational apps for children. To get your child a phone of his or her own, visit www.mobilephones.org.uk.
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