5 Apps For Kids That Will Buy You 5 Minutes Of Precious Time

I went to a picnic over the weekend with families who had kids of all different ages. Once the kids had burned off some energy on the playground and the conversation was just getting going amongst the adults, I observed a funny thing. Children of all ages were playing games and apps for kids on their parents’ smartphones, allowing the adults about 5 minutes peace and quiet to continue chatting.

I thought I’d do a quick ask around to see which apps my friends rely on to entertain their kids and buy themselves 5 minutes. Facebook provided a flood of responses, but you’re not reading this to find out about Angry Birds Star Wars. Even though that was arguably the most popular response from the survey, it’s more the kind of app that I’d prefer to play myself rather than give my phone over to the kids to play.

So, I’m hoping to provide you with a list of less than obvious apps for kids that you may not have discovered yet or may have been resisting the download. Or perhaps, like my Facebook friend (and new Mum) Andrea, you just hadn’t realized the potential for an app to buy you some peace like that. What about you? Do you have a secret weapon or some other apps for kids downloaded to your phone for when you just need 5 minutes? We would love to hear about your favorites in the comments below.

5 Apps For Kids That You’ll Thank Me For Later

1. Reading Eggs

Many Aussie kids already recognize Reading Eggs from the established computer program of the same name which helps them to learn how to read while playing fun games and earning eggs as rewards. Most schools here use it in the early years. Suitable Ages 3+.

2. Balloonimals

This one is great for kids of all ages. Basically you blow up and create balloon animals. You can then take pictures of them with various backdrops, and finally over inflate them until they pop. You always end up with random Balloonimals pics scattered in your photos though.

3. Run Fatty Run

Of all these apps for kids, this one is the best for the older kids (ages 9+) and teenagers. This arcade style game pits overweight Bert against some frantic forces of natural selection. It’s set in an urban landscape with 36 courses varying in difficulty, and it’s up to you to ‘Run Fatty Run.’

4. Fruit Ninja

I don’t think this has anything to do with the fact that this is based on marshal arts, but my kids fight over this game. All you really do is swipe the screen and slice different types of fruit, but this game can buy you up to 10 minutes of peace (if there are no disputes over whose turn it is).

5. Phone 4 Kids

My friend’s one-year-old loves this app. He can dial it like a phone, play educational activities and even make music. This one will buy you some peace right up until you need your phone back.

Image Credits: [Disparity Games] [ABC Reading Eggs] [Google Play] [iTunes] [IDEO Toy Lab] [The Fashionable Bambino]