Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Pre-school Android App Recommendations Needed

I may be a bit behind the times, but I have not let my son play with my Android phone very much. He is 3 now and we have a long flight coming up. I would love any recommendations you could offer in case we want it in flight or, worse, we get stuck on the tarmac or in an airport. He has always flown well, but I would like to have it ready just in case. We will have the usual stash of books, toys, snacks, etc. I don't mind paying for a good app if needed.

The only game he has played is Tangrams HD and he really enjoyed it.

Angry Birds is always good for keeping them busy. All of the different games (I think there are six now) are available in a free version that gives you the first 5 or 10 levels. And they all walk you through the motions at the start -- it's really easy to learn, and progressively challenging. Not particularly educational, though. And if he (or you) gets addicted, the full versions are cheap, too -- I've gotten some (depending on device) for 99 cents and some for $5.99.

There are a couple of old threads on apps, though mostly Apple-centric. Many of them may be available for android, as well, however. Worth checking out!

Educational apps for iPad

iPod/iPad apps loved by you and yours

Be forewarned that for some kids, Angry Birds can be both addictive and frustration-tantrum-inducing. DD9 is mature enough to find it fun and to put it down easily. DS5, who's also been more of a screen-oriented kid, gets screechy over it. I just uninstalled it from my phone, as a matter of fact.

There are some fun, relaxing kids' doodle apps out there. Tons of letter/number/reading ones. The Toca franchise is well loved.

Oh, yes, I don't think about addictions because everything is addicting to me -- I'm a games addict! But the only one who has had tantrums over Angry Birds is DH. When he would get utterly frustrated, he would hand it over to DS to complete the level. (To be fair, he was playing for three stars on every level and usually had two already.)

My DS3.3 really likes Gus on the Go. It's a foreign language app -- you can choose from many languages. We use it on the ipad but I think it's also available for Android.

I was running out of things for DS to sink his teeth into, given that he's mastered kindergarten skills, he hates group activites, and we can only run around outside for so many hours of the day... This was my creative solution: let him master preschool skills in another language. DS has been using this program for two months and he's learned numbers 1-10, articles of clothing, fruits and veggies, animals, basic shapes, and body parts in French. I don't know if this will be of any use to him in the future, but c'est la vie.

I'm less proud of his Candy Crush obsession.

These are ones which I believe operate in 'airplane mode', I think you can test that before hand.

GLOW tic tac toe (free)
dumb ways to die (free, iirc) see related rr crossing safety video
any of the jump (android jump) games are good
minion rush (might be a bit hard)
kindle app with kids books pre-downloaded
sketch pad (or other drawing apps)

Thanks to all!

A new one to add to the list is Cleverblocks. It is free. He loves it and is remarkably fast at solving the puzzles. Makes me wonder if I have a visual spatial learner on my hands.

I saw another thread where Dragonbox was much loved. The early levels are great, but we had some interface issues on our small screen. Am holding off until we have a different device.