Updated on May 16, 2012
Mobile technology is at everyone’s fingertips, including a growing number of young children. More and more parents are handing off their iPhones and iPads to keep their toddlers entertained.
It is now common to see a toddler with an iPhone in the grocery store or playing with an iPad in the backseat of a car. This trend has challenged app developers to come up with interactive and fun apps targeting a toddler’s interest.
The Guardian UK news site compiled a list of the top 10 most engaging and educational apps for toddlers. A few of the apps they referenced included My Very First App, a matching game; Talking Tom Cat, in which children talk and Tom repeats in a silly sounding voice; and Wheels on the Bus, a highly interactive musical book where toddlers can spin the bus wheels and record their songs.
Parents.com made their own list of iPhone apps just recently, including Baby Sign ASL, a tool for very young kids (and their parents) to learn basic sign language before they start speaking; Tozzle, a collection of puzzles; and Where's Gumbo?, an adventure in finding a lost pet.
MyLifeScoop.com's favorite apps pointed us to PBS KIDS Video, with more than 1,000 videos from public television and new content every week; Complete Toddler Preschool, games about animals, seasons, sports, and 27 other categories; and Doodle Buddy, a drawing app with stencils, stamps, glitter, and other tools.
As you can see, there's no shortage of apps either designed specifically for toddlers or attractive to them regardless of the original target audience. What apps do the toddlers in your life enjoy?