Best iPhone apps for kids

Photograph: Media Bakery

"Hey, whatcha playing?" As soon as my daughters, Bellamy, 8, and Molly, 6, saw me dragging my finger across the screen, my iPhone suddenly became our iPhone. Reluctantly, I downloaded several children’s titles for them to try, but my fear that they would drain my battery while becoming game-playing zombies was soon replaced with gratitude; the device kept them busy on a recent five-hour flight.

Tons of kids’ apps are available now—everything from simple matching games to brain-teasing puzzles that are challenging for parents, too—and most cost only a few dollars. Read on for my crew’s favorites (all can be downloaded to your iPhone from iTunes).

1. Crayon Physics Deluxe
At first, this game looks simple—the object is to draw childlike shapes that fall down the screen, landing on a circle and knocking it into a star. But it gets trickier, involving laws of gravity and motion that I must have slept through in science class. I made it only to level 6 before becoming flummoxed. The girls, on the other hand, worked together to figure out where to draw levers and bridges and zoomed up to level 24.
Molly: "I have to erase a lot and start again, but it’s so cool when I figure it out!" $5.

2. Subway Shuffle
As city slickers, my girls were drawn to this logic game (though its design resembles the map of Boston’s T far more than that of the MTA). Players move different-colored train cars around a track in order to get their car to the home station. Early on, Bellamy thought it was too easy, but she changed her mind when she got to killer level 15.
Bellamy: "I love the bright colors and the little ‘Tada!’ music it makes when you complete a puzzle." $3.

3. Wurdle
I originally downloaded this popular word-finding game to practice for my Scramble tournaments against my sister-in-law on Facebook, but Bellamy soon asked if she could try it herself. While it’s not as sophisticated as some other games (you simply drag your finger over a 4x4- or 5x5-letter grid to create words), it is great spelling practice; your child’s teacher will thank you! Even a beginner like Molly was able to get the hang of spotting three-letter words, while shouting across the room, "Mommy, is S-U-K a word?"
Bellamy: "I’m trying to beat Mom’s high score, but she knows much longer words than I do!" $2.

4. Scoops
This game won’t raise anyone’s ERB scores, but it is incredibly soothing and mesmerizing, as you move the phone back and forth to catch scoops of colorful ice cream falling onto a cone, while dodging onions and tomatoes. As your cone grows taller, the background changes from a pastel urban park to a night sky with moon and stars. The girls love the silly sound effects, especially the "Ahhh" and Splat!
Molly: "Try to catch the rainbow scoops—you get extra points, and they’re the yummiest." $2.