Whether tackling a long road trip, or trying to get through some household chores for half an hour, downloading the right apps for your phone or tablet can make all the difference when it comes to the difference between happy kids or a bored bunch.
Here we round up five apps that should keep their interest ticking along, while they learn something along the way…
Hakitzu: Code of the Warrior
This entirely free app means kids can learn how to code their own programmes using the JavaScript language. The game is designed as robot warriors where kids can use their coding skills to control them in battles against friends, or in the single-player mode.
Great British Chefs Kids
Trying to keep up the momentum from the Great British Bake Off fever? Inspire some weekend fun with this free cooking app which offers children over 100 different recpes from 21 British chefs. Categories range from snacks, mains, cakes and biscuits and pastry to chocolate and even the “vegetables & salad” option (although this may need some coaxing from the parents!)
The easy to follow app includes step-by-step instructions, photographs and videos to bring out the inner chef in any kid!
Kids Learn Spanish with busuu
They say childhood is the best time to learn a second language, and this online community offers simple apps for Spanish, Italian, French and more.
The Spanish app offers a collection of 150 key Spanish words taught over 30 lessons with mini-games and revision quizzes. Although it’s free to download, there are more games and lessons available in an in-app purchase.
Classic Winnie-the-Pooh
Taking the classic tales of Winne-the-Pooh, the app book stays loyal to the original musings of A.A Milne, including the famous illustrations by E.H. Shepard. Along with charming narration, the first story is included for free, with the remaining stories available to buy through in-app purchases.
Drawnimal
If you’re going to pay for an app, you want it to be fun, creative and interactive. Drawanimal asks children to draw the outer features of an animal (legs, ears, whiskers etc.) around the screen, before the app kicks in to provide an animated face.
With an animal for every letter of the alphabet, this is a sweet idea that captures some real imagination.
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