Before setting out on a trip, load up your tablets and smartphones with kid friendly apps and movies to provide plenty of entertainment during the trip. Don’t get caught without enough entertainment and the trip soon turns to fighting and whining; avoid getting organized before leaving home.
By doing this before you leave, you’re guaranteed to have everything you need without wasting time or money trying to delete or download while away from home (not to mention a screaming kid while you’re waiting for the download). Another advantage to organizing before leaving home is that you can plug in for full power while loading up on the entertainment you need instead of doing it when you have no power connection.
Here is a mixture of kid friendly apps for all age groups bound to keep your family happy while traveling.
Instagram – Free
You might not think of Instagram as a kid friendly entertainment app for all ages but use it to keep your kids occupied with documenting the trip. Set them up with finding and photographing an object, view, or whatever your imagination dictates and they’ll spend hours taking pictures. They can then use the easy editing apps to create wonderful pictures to share in the family photo album. Don’t forget to use it a few times yourself to get a few reminders for your memories as well.
UNO – Free
Good for kids and adults. The bright, fun card game now has its own app that can be played in the car, on the plane, or wherever. No more cards to lose or mess to clean up! Customize the rules, play online with friends, or for more challenge, the tournament mode.
Family Car Games – $1.99
100 games to play in the car that require no extra equipment. Include the whole family or just keep the kids occupied. The app gives rules and instructions for each game to get you started.
123 Color: Talking Coloring Book – $0.99
Kids love coloring and with 123 Color they get to finger paint without all the messy crayons, markers or paint. The app uses the finger to pick colors and keeps the coloring within the lines. Kids also get to learn numbers, letters and colors through art, music, animation, sound effects and voices. While not so great for the older kids, this one works well for keeping the young ones interested for hours.
Angry Birds – Free and Paid Editions
Pick your favorite version of Angry Birds and keep everyone happy as they flick flying birds into the air to bomb the evil piggies who have taken over their worlds. Go to space, visit the jungle, or be part of Star Wars; there’s six versions of the game to choose from. Get one or get them all. The free editions limit the amount of levels that can be unlocked and played, with paid versions offering more. Angry Birds is good for both kids and adults and offers hours of fun entertainment.
Scribble Press – Free
Kids love to makeup and tell stories. With Scribble Press, they get to create those stories by writing original pieces or using 50 fill-in-the-blank story templates to get them started. Once they’ve written the story, they can use over 500 tools to illustrate it by drawing their own pictures or upload photos. After finishing, they can publish their work to the Scribble Press gallery for sharing through Facebook and Twitter with friends and family. Scribble Press also offers print copies of the book to give as gifts.
Most of these apps are free, so download more than one to guarantee endless hours of entertainment. Just don’t forget your chargers because you’ll need them, as the kids come begging for more.
Scott Johnson writes tech and gadget articles for a variety of clients such as Protect Your Bubble insurance brand.