So long Leapster. We’ve loved you through two kids but we”ve since moved on to the big kid stuff. The new obsession now is Nintendo DS (which we scored – along with about 10 games – for a grand total of $15 at a yard sale!), Wii (click here for my post on this topic), or any app they can get Mommy or Daddy to download on the Ipad.

But with literally thousands of available apps to download, where do you begin? Some are free or cheap, some aren’t, some are worthwhile and educational, while others are a complete waste of time. Plus, some apps are designed for just one application ( PC, Android, iPhone, iTouch, or iPad), while others work on any. Ay, Caramba! It’s easy to get a headache in the app world.

Today I thought we could share with one another our children’s favorite apps – no matter the platform.  Below is a peek at some of the apps we have on our Ipad (I can’t be sure if they work on other platforms). Ours tend to be geared towards older kids only because we downloaded apps that all of us (Mom and Dad, included!) would like:

1. Angry Birds (way over-rated in my opinion)
2. Bub- Wider
3. Checkers HD
4.  10 Pin Shuffle (Bowling) Lite
5. Cake Doodle (recommended by my pediatrician)
6. Empress of the Deep (a little over the heads of my four and seven-year-old, but they’ve played it together through all the clues!)
7. Copter Deluxe (really hard for the kids…right now only my husband can play it well)
8. Crazy Copy (like the old-fashioned “Simon Says” hand-held game from the ’80s)
9. Draw Free

Below are more suggestions I found from a friend’s Facebook post. She asked her friends which apps they recommend for kids ages 4 – 5.  Here’s what they suggest:

1. Grasshopper Apps
2. Duck Duck Moose
3. Thomas the Tank Engine
4. My ABC Train
5. Rocket Math
6. MindSnacks
7. Monkey Lunchbox
8. Cut the Rope
9. Super Why

What about your kids? What are their favorite apps? If you have additional suggestions – no matter the age range – please share.

Oh, and for all of us Moms – I recently found this article from Parents magazine online – and wanted to share since we love our apps too!  Best Ipad Apps for Moms