Matthew's Favorite Apps

As you all know by now, Matthew is big into the latest technology. In fact, the "family iPad" is really "Matthew's - that mommy gets to occasionally use and daddy never gets to use and forget about Noah, because he's just a baby who would only try to chew it - iPad"

True story.

While I try to limit his time on it, the iPad does come in handy. It keeps him calm and quiet at times when I need him calm and quiet (like when I'm trying to get Noah to sleep or need to make an important call). And bonus, he's learning. He's learning letters, how to put together puzzles, songs, etc. So, after I put him to bed for the night and actually get to use the iPad in peace, I wind up in the App Store for hours on end finding new and exciting apps for him.

Currently, these are favorites:

Monkey Preschool Lunchbox:

Yes, it's a funny name, but it's a great learning tool for Matthew. It's only .99 cents and WELL worth more. It teaches letters, shapes and matching. As rewards, Matthew gets "stickers" that he gets a kick out of.

Jellytoons:

This one is great for shape recognition, counting and even fine motor skills (which we're working on with young Matthew!). This app is $1.99, but again, very much worth it.

Thomas The Train apps:

All of the Thomas book apps are great - there are puzzles, matching games, painting pages, songs and a read-aloud book with each one. Matthew's current favorite is Misty Island Rescue. These are a bit pricier at $4.99 each.

Hallmark apps:

The Hallmark apps for their read-along books are great - and FREE! Each one has a read-along story and a few games (the Jingle app has puzzles, a tree decorating activity and a Jingle-voiced xylophone). You can even record your own voice telling the story if you want to.

The puzzles in these apps are a little advanced for Matthew, but as he gets older, he'll get better - so it's great that he can "grow" with these apps.

There are a lot of puzzle books out there too that are great for toddlers (these were all .99 cents):


His #1, All Time Most Favorite app - a little something called A Monster At The End Of This Book.

If you have an iPad or iPhone this is a MUST have for toddlers. Funny, interactive and great for early readers. Best $3.99 I ever spent!

If you have any favorites, let me know - I'm always looking to build our app library!