It wasn’t all that long ago that the general feeling surrounding video games was that they were not great for kids. Popular belief suggested that allowing young children to enjoy video games would stunt the development of their social skills and could cause them to grow into overly-introverted adults.

Thankfully that all-too-common myth has been cast aside in the modern era. The rise of the iPhone, iPad and other similar tablet devices has really shone a light on just how beneficial interactive video games can be to a child’s development. The stereotype of the ‘withdrawn, socially awkward gamer’ is no more and parents are embracing the opportunity for their children to grow up with technology as a part of their education.

There are so many truly wonderful apps available – both for the iPad and iPhone – that appeal to children of all ages and offer both entertainment and educational value all in one.

If you’re a parent of a young child and are looking for some apps that are challenging and exciting then read on and discover some iPad apps that are kid-friendly and offer great educational benefits.

Toddler’s Seek & Find / by Wonderkind

Kids love to explore – whether it is outside or in a make-believe world – so it is no surprise that an interactive storybook like ‘Toddler’s Seek & Find’ has become so wildly popular on the app store.

This app allows your kids to click around and explore a whole host of bright and energetic environments. Touching the screen in certain areas activates the colourful animations and sound effects.

The free version comes with a ‘Zoo’ environment that is more than enough to keep most kids entertained and enthralled for hours but if you do want to purchase some additional environments, there are circus and town add-ons available.

Toddler’s Seek & Find is fantastic for kids who like to be engaged and want to interact with the virtual world around them. They’ll learn a lot about animals, people and elements all while being thoroughly entertained in the process.

Judging by the reviews the game has received, you may want to make sure you’ve finished up with your iPad for the day before handing it over as you’re unlikely to tear your little ones away from the screen anytime in the near future!

Math Ninja HD / by Razeware LLD

Traditionally, math isn’t usually associated with being very ‘cool.’ You know who are undeniably cool though? Ninjas!

Math Ninja HD goes a long way towards doing something that many of us growing up probably thought was near-impossible: it makes doing math exciting!

The concept behind this app is really simple but is also high exciting. You’re a number-crunching ninja whose tree house is under attack by a giant tomato (no, not a typo,) and the only way to defend your ground is to show off your quick-thinking math abilities.

Successfully answering on-screen math problems grants you points which you can then use to purchase tools to further protect yourself from the dreaded tomato boss!

While it may sound strange to us adults, the appeal to the younger generation is undeniable. Kids want to get the best defence for their tree house and they can only achieve this through continually solving the equations in front of them.

I can’t help but feel that I would have been a lot better at math growing up if I had the opportunity to be a tomato-fighting ninja.

Word Search for Kids / by Internet Design Zone

The perfect iPad application for kids is ideally one that offers an educational advantage and is entertaining enough that your children actually want to play it on their own. Word Search for Kids ticks both of these boxes and offers up a colourful, insightful twist on the traditional word search that we all know and love.

Younger children will benefit greatly from using this app as each word they seek is depicted by a picture (to demonstrate to them exactly what the words means,) and is spoken aloud so they can then repeat and mimic the term with their new-found knowledge. Younger kids will learn how to spell, speak and identify new words while playing this app.

Word Search for Kids also caters for an older demographic of children by offering slightly tougher puzzles which don’t feature the spoken words or picture assistance.

It is a simple twist on a traditional puzzle but Word Search for Kids is a fantastic tools designed to introduce children to words, gradually expanding their vocabulary whilst also providing hours of fun.

The three examples above are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to kid-friendly, educational apps for the iPad and iPhone. If you’ve got little ones then a quick browse on the app store will reveal a whole host of options to teach them everything from language, math, colours and more.

Modern generation parents have all but completely discarded the old ‘video games rot your brain’ mentality and are finally embracing this wonderful opportunity to utilize technology to assist and watch as their children learn and grow.