...an Apps for iPads Review!

Kids of all ages love the iPad.  I love it when my 3-year old granddaughter teaches someone 20x her age how to use one!  It’s the age of technology and the iPad certainly epitomizes that!

Children learn in all sorts of ways, some are more direct than others.  When solving and putting together puzzles they learn how to process available information, use hand-eye coordination to move the pieces and solve problems.  We have rounded up a few puzzle apps for iPads that we think that your children will like. Stay with us after the break to learn more about this fun way for your child to develop skills they will take with them all through life!

The first app we’re going to take a look at is called Puzzles ‘n Coloring – Sea Life,  so yes, they get the added bonus of getting to color in this one too.

We found Puzzles ‘n Coloring to have a nice assortment of very colorful puzzles with three levels, easy – medium and hard, to keep kids occupied.  Each puzzle gave the kids recognition for finishing.  While this app, developed by  Better World,  features Sea Life they have  similar apps that feature zoo animals and fairy tale characters.

Puzzles ‘n Coloring Features:

•  16 different puzzles
•  3 levels of difficulty – easy (6 pieces), medium (12 pieces) and hard (20 pieces)
•  Upbeat instrumental music is easy to turn on/off from main screen
•  12 images to color
•  More than 60 colors to choose from
•  Paint-by-section: great for younger kids who don’t have fine motor skills yet
•  Undo button and full erase
•  For iPhone and iPad

Another fun puzzle app for iPads is Stretch the Puzzle by Sergey Kalinin.  This is not the traditional jigsaw puzzle but rather a slide the pieces around variety that intrigue children that are a little older.  We have actually caught some of the adults around here playing with this one too. With 200 pictures “stretching” over 10 themes there are sure to be favorites for everyone.

Stretch the puzzle interface is wrapped around a unique form-stretching mechanic; you’re not just moving puzzle pieces around, but dynamically resizing them to fit as well! It may sound difficult, but the game’s simple design and easy-to-understand interface will have you solving puzzles in no time.  This video should give you a good idea of what it has to offer so give it a look:

Next up is Tappie Puzzles by By ADUK GmbH/Zanymation.  This puzzle app is far different than the first two and is recommended for children four and up. Children are encouraged to navigate their way around the world from the icy extremes of the Arctic to the heat of the desert. In each animated scene visited, children will find crucial parts of the picture missing, for example the monkey’s bridge or the polar bear’s igloo. The challenge is to solve puzzles by matching shapes to the missing areas. By using the drag and drop technique, the scene can be completed and further animation of the characters in the scene is triggered.  The puzzle pieces are not the traditional shapes of standard puzzles and children must hunt for both the irregular shapes as well as matching the pictures in this fun app.

Next we have Piece Me Circus and Piece Me Birds, both by Fashionbuddha:

Using simple, button-free navigation, Piece me CIRCUS! and Piece me BIRDS! allows even the youngest of users to navigate the gameS. Your child will learn the name and spelling of each of the corresponding characters as they piece them together in an endless loop of educational fun.

Each Piece me App Features:

• Fantastic puzzles to challenge, educate and entertain your child
•  Meet Alberto and Amy; both acquaint your child with the artist behind the artwork
•  A character selection page, allowing your child to choose what they’d like to piece together
•  Secure, looping gameplay with no ads or external links to unexpected content

Last, but certainly not least is Shapes and Puzzles by Pirate Trio.  Remember the wooden puzzles you had as a kid that were made up of geometric blocks?  Well, digitize those blocks and that’s pretty much what you have with this app for iPads, iPhone and iPod Touch.  This app is geared to 3-through-6 year olds with an extra training module for the youngest players to help them learn to recognize all the shapes by name.

Shapes & Puzzles helps improve your child’s ability to recognize shapes and sizes, and aids them in developing their perceptual skills as they play.  The app gives your child sets of geometrical shapes which they then use to build  buildings, vehicles, people, animals, plants, tools and lots more.

Shapes and Puzzles Features:

• 200 imaginative puzzles for the iPad and 180 for the iPhone
• hours of stimulating play with three fun modes
• training module for toddlers

When people ask about puzzle apps for their children this is why I always say it depends on your child, the medium they prefer to work with and the skill sets you would like to develop with their play. It’s a very subjective ecision that only you as a parent can make.  We have weeded through many puzzle apps to bring you these six.  Every one of these puzzle apps is a good choice and will provide hours of play for your child. The choice, in the end, is yours.

So which  apps  are  YOUR choice and why?

Apps for iPads Recommended Reading:

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