iPhone apps for kids

The iPad is being released this week. There’s little chance I’ll be getting one anytime soon, so I thought I’d turn to the blogosphere to find out which apps for kids are popular for my plain ‘ol iPhone.

The Joan Ganz Cooney Center completed a content analysis of the iTunes App Store’s Education Section (opens in a new window). In completing the analysis, apps were coded for intended age group, subject and price. Their conclusions reveal a significant market for children’s apps, particularly ones designed for toddlers. Foreign language and literacy-based apps are far and away the most popular subjects. The good news is that children’s apps are significantly cheaper than adult-targeted apps.

So, that said, what apps are recommended for kids?

A Whole Lotta Nothing is a blog I read sort of regularly just for fun. Matt Haughey, the author, has a recommended list of kid games (opens in a new window) and the comments section reveals even more.

The Gadgetwise blog in the New York Times offered a list of the Best iPhone Apps for Kids (opens in a new window). The interesting thing about that post was that the comments took on a life of their own! Sample 1: Here is the best iPhone app for kids: kids do not need an iphone. Seriously. Sample 2: Oh great… more ideas for electronic parenting. How about distracting the kids with a few books?

Travel Savvy Mom offers up a top 10 list (opens in a new window) that includes a Geocaching game and Smacktalk, a game that seems to have made several of the lists.

There’s a site dedicated to the topic: Best Kids Apps (opens in a new window). This site was easy to use because you can search by age, or type (creative, educational, word games, etc). There’s a list of the best educational iphone apps (opens in a new window) as well as Best Free Apps, Best Fun Apps, etc.

It turns out that almost everyone has their own list of favorites and “must buy” iPhone applications. There’s a smaller subset of lists that specifically looks at games designed to develop reading skills. I’ll be spending more time with those lists using my critical eye. I’ll post those findings soon.