A few weeks ago I got my wife an iPad for our anniversary. In what seems to be a fairly common occurence for many early adopter families, it’s been tough to get it back from our kids since it arrived. Besides having fun with the oversized versions of their old favorites from the iPhone, they’ve got a few new favorites on the iPad. One of these is My Numbers, from Punflay and EMANTRAS.

My Numbers reminds me of some of the toys I grew up with – the form factor of the iPad definitely allows for a different kind of learning experience than is possible with iPhone apps and for the digital reinvention of some classic toys.
At it’s core, My Numbers is a simple counting experience that allows kids to master their numbers by practicing with objects, colors and sounds. Touch an object, and the appropriate number is spoken. Touch a number, and the appropriate objects light up. Spin the color wheel, and the colors of the app change. Perhaps best of all, the navigation has been optimized for the youngest learners – which is part of why I think our kids come back to this app. They don’t spend any time fighting through menus or navigation — they simply push the oversized buttons and get to explore the wide world of numbers.

Kudos to the My Numbers team for a solid kid-focused, educational iPad offering. If you’re interested, you can get it here. And, as always, if you’ve got other favorite educational apps for the iPhone or iPad, please do let our readers know in the comments.

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3. Halloween Fun With Count Racula

There are lots of matching games available for kids on the iPhone, and it’s not at all clear why kids would really need more than one. That said, if your kids don’t already have a favorite matching game, Count Racula is worth grabbing — especially this time of year. The app features a standard card-flipping game board, filled with a small army of vampires that need to be matched with their pair.

The user interface is just what you’d hope for and expect – simply touch the cards to flip them over and try to match pairs. There are two modes available within the app — matching numbers to numbers, or matching numbers to objects. Throughout the experience, the aesthetic of the app is true to the spooky theme — both melodies and illustrations deliver on the promise of some ghoulish Halloween fun.

Also worth noting – the app not only helps kids learn to count, but it helps teach them to do so in both Spanish and English by saying the relevant number when you match a pair.

Sound like the perfect Halloween treat for your little monster? You can pick it up from the iTunes store here.

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