The Best Ipad Apps for 4 and 5-Year-Old Kids
Children love screentime. And let's face it, so do we. There is nothing wrong with giving your child an iPad to keep them occupied for a short while. Sometimes you need to make an important work call, prepare dinner, run an errand or gather your thoughts for a moment. Both you and your child benefit from screentime, so choosing the right iPad apps is crucial. We found the best free and paid iPad games for 2022 for kids aged four and five. We also included four top tips to keep your child safe – just for that extra peace of mind.
Trucks (Free)
Trucks is a fun problem-solving and sorting game for kids aged two to six years. Watch them play with an ambulance, fire truck, cement truck, police car, and ice cream truck and control their speed. They can choose between five activities that will help them learn motor skills while with a carwash, using a tow truck, sorting, and recycling garbage. Or, they can use a bulldozer to clean up piles of dirt or organize a car and truck parade.
The app also includes popular nursery rhymes such as Wheels on the Bus, When the Saints Go Marching In, and Yankee Doodle.
The game is owned by Khan Acadamy, a nonprofit that aims to provide free, world-class education everywhere. The app ranks high in the list of best iPad games. In addition, it is entirely free and does not include any ads or subscriptions.
Kahoot! Numbers by Dragonbox (Subscription)
Introduce kids to the magical world of maths in a fun and playful manner with Kahoot! Numbers by DragonBox. It is perfect for ages 4-8 years and helps them with basic math and addition and subtraction with numbers between 1 and 20.
The app converts numbers into Nooms, fun, colorful characters that kids can slice, combine, sort, and stack. Four activities focus on different math elements: Sandbox, Puzzle, Ladder, and Run. Each teaches the child mathematic concepts, which they then apply in the game. So, in Sandbox, children explore and experiment with Nooms. In Puzzle, kids need to create their puzzle, which reveals a hidden picture when completed. There are 250 riddles in this section, meaning they will never get tired or bored. The Run section uses mental calculations as your kid directs a Noom down a path filled with obstacles. Meanwhile, in Ladder, kids learn to build large numbers using the smaller Nooms.
Kahoot has a seven-day free trial, which you can cancel any time before it ends.
Ology: Science for Kids (Free)
This is a fun app created by the American Museum of Natural History. Ology: Science for Kids targets four years and older, introducing them to the mesmerizing world of science. They will learn what a T. Rex ate for lunch and how ancient Greeks used poison. Find out how astronomers calculate the distance to the stars. Or learn how to build underwater life systems. Explore Cuban wildlife, match the habitats to their species, and learn about the flu and how diseases spread.
The app delves in a fun way into archaeology, marine biology, natural history, and astronomy. In addition, it includes quizzes, puzzles, games, and multimedia lessons. It is entirely free without any ads or in-app purchases.
Related Reading: How Long Should My Kids Use Their iPad?
Toca Kitchen 2 (One-Time Purchase)
Learning how to cook is one of the most important skills any child can understand. Toca's Kitchen 2 is a fun way of introducing your child to this world. Boil lettuce, smash tomatoes, bake a fish head or make a plate of pasta. There are no limits on the combinations your child can use for the recipes. Once the meal is ready, serve it to your guests and watch their reactions.
This app is aimed at kids aged four and older and is the perfect way to learn about pots and pans, utensils, ingredients, and appliances. In addition, they find out that not every dish has to look good – messy is ok in Toca Kitchen 2.
This app has no in-app purchases, ads, or subscriptions, and is a fun way of getting their hands messy while keeping your kitchen clean.
Top Ipad Tips and Trips for Parents
Control Access
Use the iPad's settings to restrict kids from accessing certain apps and features with a password of your choice. There is no need to worry about them watching movies, browsing websites, using Siri, or social media. You can also limit their access to approved apps, preventing them from going online or opening other apps.
Set Time Limits
Use the iPad's setting to set a time limit for your child. According to the American Academy of Paediatrics, kids aged between 4 and 5 years should not have more than one hour of high-quality screen time. Parents should guide them throughout this hour to help them understand what they are watching. When their screen time is almost up, the iPad will give a 30- second warning and go to sleep.
Invest in an Ipad Case
Children drop things sometimes, and iPads are no exception. A recent study found that children were the cause of 50 percent of damaged iPads, amounting to a repair cost of almost $3 billion over five years. Zugu cases offer the best protection for your device on the market. In fact, the company sold more than one million cases and has over 90 percent five-star reviews. Zugu's iPad covers offer five-foot drop protection against the concrete with additional corner reinforcement. In addition, the iPad Pro 12.9 5 generation case also has an adjustable magnetic stand with ten angled slots.
Control Spending
Use the Ask To Buy setting on your iPad to ensure that you authorize any download or make any payment. This setting sends a notification to your iPhone, which you can approve or decline. The last thing you want to see at the end of the month is an excessive bill because of in-app purchases.