It's hard to choose from the plethora of iPhone and iPad apps now available for children. A recommendation on an online forum and a quick Google search revealed that Duck Duck Moose's creations have won a number of awards and are top sellers on iTunes, so I decided to give them a go on my iPad.
Wheels on the Bus, one of the company's first offerings, remains a popular choice. It takes your child through the song via screens containing simple interactive elements. My son has never been fond of my own rendition of the tune, but he immediately began bopping his head to the app's jaunty tune. Initially he was distracted until I started poking the interactive elements on the screen, making the windscreen wipers on the bus move or a frog croak. He stayed engaged longer than I expected; I played the app twice. It has the option of recording and playing back the song in your own voice, and playing the song in different languages and with different instruments.
When I downloaded Fish School, my first impression was that the app is for older children. My son astonished me by being fascinated by the fish moving in alphabet shapes while a singsong voice recited the alphabet. Although I had to move the screens forward for him, he was enthralled and shouted when we tried to take it away. One can switch to numbers, colours, shapes or random play. I'm not sure if my son absorbed the educational content, but I assume the words sink in slowly. For older kids there are games such as 'Spot the Odd One Out', so this app will stick around.
My almost two-year-old niece liked Old MacDonald, in which one presses different animals to make them perform actions. She went through all the screens and was quite entertained. How long the app holds your child's attention will vary, but often even a 10- or 15-minute break is a godsend.
The recently launched Peek-a-Zoo, with simple games involving animals, might be more suitable for older kids. The company also has apps for two- to six-year-olds: Park Math (addition, subtraction, patterns), Word Wagon (letters, phonics, spelling), Musical Me! (music, notes, pitch, rhythm; three years and up) and Puzzle Pop (animated puzzles; three years and up).
Verdict: Reasonably priced edutainment for the little ones that doesn't grate on parents' nerves. For younger children, be prepared to sit with them and work the interactive elements to get them interested.