So, I’ve got an Android phone (the myTouch 3g by T-Mobile), 2 nieces (ages 6 and 4) and one nephew (aged 5). We go out to lunch, and they love playing with my phone. Sad thing is, there’s not much on there for them (or me, really; I haven’t downloaded many apps at all).
I do have one game, Abduction, and it’s fantastic. My older niece loves it (and I’m a fan of the Kids setting so that it doesn’t get too difficult from her). Bummer part is that it’s a little too advanced for my younger niece - she doesn’t get it at all. I tried downloading some free memory games or fingerpaint games, but they’ve all got ads (which recently pictured a lovely young lady in an X-ray machine. She had a sports bra type thing on, but I’d still rather avoid that sort of stuff when kids are playing with my phone). I’m happy to buy games, but I’d like to buy ones that I know are going to be good, you know? I don’t want to spend money on something that either doesn’t work well or that isn’t that great.
So, school me - what Android games do you have that are clear winners for kids? (Or iPhone games; it’s possible I can find an Android version or analogue.) My mom has an iPad, and the games they’ve liked on it so far include BurgerTime, some sort of zombie game, a paint game, and Sonic the Hedgehog. I’d love to find a great memory or fingerpaint (or some type of game) that’s appropriate for my younger niece too. Free or paid games, it’s no matter.
Personally, I can’t get enough of Bejeweled. It’s super popular online too. I’d suspect a tot could move jewels around to make stacks of 3 matching jewels. It’s easier than Tetris (which also rocks).
Not at all - simple is good. I thought Abduction was pretty simple, and so, just the ticket for my younger niece (you bounce a cow up the screen off various platforms. Really. That’s it.), but it’s still a bit beyond her. (I don’t know if she’s getting the tilt the phone to move the cow idea. Or maybe her motor control isn’t fine enough yet - maybe she’s tilting too much to get the cow on any platform!)
I’ve got a game similar to Bejeweled (it’s titled simply Jewels) already; I’ll see if she likes that.
Oh, this is pretty much the premise of Doodle Jump too, so my suggestion might be a bit redundant - I don’t know how similar they are though (I’ve never seen/played Abduction).
Podcasts! If I didn’t have the podcasts from Sesame Street or They Might Be Giants to distract the child at key moments I don’t know what I would have done.
Mind you, my daughter is only two but I bet there’s something for older kids too.
I just put a spirograph app on my android phone. I don’t think I will ever get tired of it, and think kids would like it.
I just learned of Angry Birds this weekend. I haven’t played it, but my son (13 yo) played it every spare moment of the weekend on my brother-in-law’s phone.
Pocket God for the iPhone/Touch is an amusing “sandbox” type game, you are a deity to a group of “Pygmies”, and you can reward or punish them as you see fit, you decide if you are a good, bad, or indifferent deity
The kids can spend the game lavishing the pygmies with rewards and be a good god, or take the more fun route and be mean to them
Full disclosure: I helped write this app which is still being tested on new devices, but it is intended to be a silly camera game with a simple enough vocabulary to impress (rather than corrupt) a 4-6 year old. IAE we are looking for feedback on how to revise and improve the game as well as learn about any device-specific issues before broad distribution. Please let us know what you think!
