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Carissa's App Picks for Kids

High-quality apps you can feel good about using with your child.

Click here to learn more about using apps with kids.

View videos of Carissa's Top Five Picks for Apps in various categories.

Featured App

Reviewed on 7/31/23

With all of the hype about the recent Barbie movie, why not try out a Barbie coloring app?  In the free version of this app, users can color a limited number of Barbie illustrations (including a Barbie with an artificial leg and vitiligo). There's a wide variety of colors, tints and shades as...

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Reviewed on 10/30/14

This simple little app aims to promote emotional intelligence–a lofty goal for an app–and does it well (no surprise, knowing it’s from Sesame Street).  There are 5 scenarios in which  a little monster is feeling strong, uncomfortable emotions [frustration, nervousness/separation anxiety,...

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Age group: Preschool
Reviewed on 10/30/14

It’s rare that I would like an app even better than the original book it’s based on... but this might be one of those situations.  This book was just BEGGING to be made into an app and they’ve done it well here.  A HUGE hit at our house.

Age group: Baby/toddler, Preschool
Reviewed on 10/30/14

Great open-ended gameplay!  You choose the food to feed your monster, then choose from five different ways to prep the food (and it actually visually changes depending on how you cook it.  Except for boiling.  That doesn’t turn the broccoli brown or anything), then feed it to your monster and...

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Age group: Preschool
Topics: Favorites
Reviewed on 10/30/14

Also Toca Birthday Party and Toca Store.  I love these because you can put your device on the ground (or a table) between 2-3 players and actually interact with each other in almost the same...

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Age group: Preschool
Reviewed on 10/30/14

This app features three songs (Old MacDonald, London Bridge and Evening Song).  For each song, you can either listen to the recorded voices singing OR record yourself or your child singing the song OR choose the "Karaoke" option on the main page and just listen to the instrumental version. While...

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Age group: Preschool

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