Children games can be quite complex, with many requiring a bit of a learning curve to get into. But there are some excellent options out there, including free and monetized releases.
Toddler Gamers by Bimi Boo Kids is a simple game that encourages multitouch gameplay with an intuitive interface. It encourages counting, and teaches basic math concepts while also being fun to play.
Poio
Designed to make learning fun, Poio immerses children in an immersive game that allows them to learn through their own exploration. It aims to trigger their curiosity and motivation to practice spelling and phonetics without the need for support, and adapts to each child’s skill level. The app also helps children learn to read by teaching them about the letters and their corresponding sounds.
Poio is a full-fledged reading and phonics learning app for kids ages three to eight years old that has already been used by over 100,000 children in Scandinavia. It has helped them ‘crack the reading code’ and enjoy the process of learning to read. This is achieved through an engaging, interactive learning experience based on a story that unfolds scene-by-scene.
The game introduces letter shapes and their corresponding sounds as the players advance through the world. They can then use the letters to build words that they will eventually spell, and these words will appear in a digital fairy-tale book. Once they complete the book, they can show off their new skills to their parents, siblings, or impressed grandparents.
Poio is the second e-learning solution from Kahoot! following the success of DragonBox. Both apps are available for download from the Google Play Store and offer a unique approach to e-learning by allowing kids to master their phonics in an interactive environment that they will love.
Townscaper
In a gaming world filled with power fantasies and violence, Townscaper offers a welcome change of pace. This calming city-builder encourages players to let their imaginations run wild as they construct a picturesque island town. If your kids enjoy diorama school projects or find building Legos therapeutic, they’ll love the meditative and peaceful experience offered by Townscaper.
The gameplay is surprisingly simple: players simply click on an empty landscape and watch as paths and buildings appear along the purposefully curvy grid. Each block of a house automatically adapts to the environment around it, adding indentations for windows or bushes and allowing the creation of staircases. There are a number of other quirks that add to the depth and beauty of each structure, such as the way a large door can be built by creating an indent in two adjacent blocks.
Townscaper has no story and no goal besides to build an idyllic city, and this is what makes it so relaxing. It’s the kind of game that feels like a virtual toy that can be used for as long as you want to.
With its serene visuals and soothing sound design, Townscaper is the perfect way for children to unwind after a long day of studying or doing homework. It’s a refreshing change of pace from the usual shooters, action games and racing titles that kids are likely to play.
Catan
Perhaps the most famous of all board games (if it were an album, it’d be at 15x platinum) Catan is a strategic game of trading and building that’s suitable for children aged 10 and above. It’s a good gateway game for those who want to move on to more complex Euro-style games and isn’t too difficult for kids under 10. It’s quick, simple to learn, and has enough randomization to keep the players interested (that pesky thief who pops up whenever a 7 is rolled for example).
This app version includes everything you need to play the base game of Catan, along with two expansions: Cities and Knights and Seafarers. It’s available for one to six players and is cross-platform. It’s free to download and includes in-game purchases.
Ticket to Ride is one of the first European-style board games to gain wide popularity in the US. In this monopoly-style American railway impresario, players compete to build railway routes across a map of the United States and Canada. The player who owns the most railroads wins the game. The game is very easy to pick up and has ten different boards. It also offers a variety of challenges, making it the perfect game for kids. It’s a great stepping stone for other Klaus Teuber games and is fun to play.
Doctor Doctor
Doctor Doctor is an app designed for children that introduces them to the medical profession and human body through creative mini-games. It is a fun and educational digital toy that does not contain any third party ads or in-app purchases. It features 21 puzzles and games that take place in the human body. It also has beautiful artwork and fun sounds that make it engaging for kids. The games are easy and there is no timer or stress element so kids can play it at their own pace.
In the app, kids play different roles as doctors and patients. They can clean crooked teeth as dentists, straighten skeleton bones in an X-ray machine, and help blurry-eyed patients find the right glasses. In addition to promoting healthy lifestyles, the app is also helpful in introducing young children to basic medical terms and vocabulary, including inoculations, teeth and sugar bugs, lungs and asthma, and why tummies hurt.
While many educational apps are beneficial to children’s development, the game Doctor Doctor is not without its drawbacks. According to researchers from the University of Michigan, the game’s emotional manipulation tactics are inappropriate for young children and may violate Federal Trade Commission rules. Specifically, the character in the game will cry if the user does not buy an upgrade. This type of marketing is especially troubling because it teaches kids that they have done something wrong and makes them feel shameful for not spending money on an app they are enjoying.