Whether your kids have an iPhone or iPod touch of their own, or you willingly surrender your own trusty mobile device to your children, games tend to be of the utmost importance when it comes to their entertainment. Ensure that all the game-playing and battery-draining is not completely in vain by selecting the best iPhone game apps for your pre-teen offspring.
From educational games to the classics, games can be great opportunities to instill a bit of knowledge and skill-strengthening for children’s spongy minds. If they are going to huddle over the iPhone anyway, get the best bang for your buck with these iPhone game apps.
Educational iPhone app games
PopMath on the iPhone lets you practice basic math skills with a fun bubble-popping motif to keep kids interested. Popping all pairs will move you up a level, increasing in difficulty for addition, subtraction, division and multiplication. For 99 cents, the game saves levels for continued gameplay and has great colors and animation to appeal to children.
Enigmo 2 is the latest version of this multifaceted iPhone game, and is good for older children and adults. For $2.99, kids get a jump start on applying basic physics as they navigate falling water droplets, plasma and laser beams into their respective containers. The new version has more levels for extended gameplay.
Brain Quest Blast Off comes from a trusted brand and has several levels of game apps for young iPhone users of varying ages. Combining education with games and competitive rocket rounds, Brain Quest makes learning fun. Somewhat pricey at $4.99 a pop, the Brain Quest app games are worth giving up the cash and your iPhone for the kids’ sake.
Interactive iPhone apps in our digital era
Wheels On The Bus is an iPhone app that combines music and fun in a single game. Kids have loved this themed tune for years, and the Duck Duck Moose developers have packaged it into a game for 99 cents. Sing, read and record to different instruments and different languages. Interactive illustrations keep the interest of younger children.
Geocaching is a great interactive iPhone app the entire family can enjoy. Find GPS-equipped, hidden items for a real world treasure hunt. Geocache items for others to find, or seek out hidden items during a road trip. If you are gasping at the $9.99 price tag, just remember all the memories you can build with this unique, community-building game.
Classics your kids will love on the iPhone
Highlights was my favorite magazine as a child, and I could not resist its Hidden Pictures app for the iPhone. Improved for the digital age with puzzles, hints and clues, Hidden Pictures makes it fun to even replay games. For $1.99, you get eight games at a time with hundreds of items to seek out, providing hours of fun for children of almost any age.
Kyodai is an interesting iPhone game app that offers a new twist on the classic matching game. Similar to Bejeweled but more challenging, Kyodai is great fun for 99 cents. Select matching items that are next to each other and have a clear path. Clear the board and level up. Multiple gameplay options and rankings keep kids and wanting more.
Tic Tac Toe is a gaming must for all children who find themselves bored with each other. Handy for those times when you only have one iPhone to entertain two kids, this Tic Tac Toe iPhone app game can be passed off between players. Simple and quick, the Tic Tac Toe game for the iPhone is free and full of fun.
Just plain fun iPhone apps
If you cannot give your children real building blocks to play with, try Topple 2 on the iPhone. A stacking game with Tetris-like pieces, Topple 2 increases in difficulty with every level. Select your level of game play for immediate challenges, with time limits to up the ante. For 99 cents, this iPhone app is simple and fun for quick game play.
The iColoringBook iPhone game app is pretty self-explanatory, with about 30 blank images for children to color. Best for kids old enough to navigate the iPhone’s touch screen, iColoringBook offers dimension, with color transparency and other features for added detail. As most kids love to color, this $1.99 app is worth the download.
