When my 6-year-old was a toddler, there wasn’t much he could play on my iPhone or iPad. There were a ton of games but nothing that he could comprehend enough to play, and even fewer games actually offered skill building. Sure, his sticky little fingers could fling mad birds across the screen and watch the pretty colors, but he had no clue what he was doing and he certainly wasn’t learning anything by systematically gumming up my phone with leftover PB&J.
Luckily for tiny, sandwiched-stained fingers everywhere, there are now apps in the App Store that cater to the toddler demographic. A perfect example is Napps Memo, a basic and easy-to-play follow up from the creators of the equally toddler-friendly Napps Peekaboo. Napps Memo takes what is a fundamental early-learning game and turns it into a fully customizable experience that your little one will love playing.
The game consists of a screen with six different squares that make up three matches. When tapped the squares reveal an image and players need to find the match behind the remaining spots. Default images are adorable animals that are easy recognized, or they can be customized. Take a picture – of your little one, of the dog, of anything – or upload from your device’s gallery. Adding images of every day objects helps build vocabulary skills in younger children.
Napps Memo is streamlined for toddlers to play, without confusing game play or specific instructions. It’s intuitive and promotes autonomous play so it’s easy to let your toddler play independently and gain a sense of self-assurance. There aren’t any distracting IAPs or adds, or anything to detract from the simplicity of the interface.
I’m a little sad that my kids are too old to enjoy this app but we’ve moved on to bigger and better things. I played it myself and had a brief thought that I might actually have another kid just so I could have a justifiable excuse to play such a fun app with a wide-eyed toddler. And then I remembered sleepless nights, potty training, and the terrible 2s and snapped right out of it. Hopefully I can convince one of my mommy friends to let me borrow their little nugget just long enough to play Napps Memo and then give him back before the next diaper change.
It’s very reasonably priced at $0.99, especially when you consider that it’s meant for your 2-year-old who generally has the attention span of a cricket. It’ll pay for itself in game play content and ease of use; it’s a perfect beginner app for the beginner iPad player.
Pros:
– Basic user interface makes it easy for toddlers to play
– Customizable images build vocabulary skills
– Free of IAPs and ads that would distract young players
Cons:
– None, this app is great for the beginner iPad player
Price: $0.99
Age: 1+
