The Kindle Fire can be a terrific teaching tool for some of the youngest users. Case in point: the many popular and well-reviewed apps from AR Entertainment.
My First Puzzles: Dinosaurs is a simulation of the wood cut-out puzzles you may remember from very early childhood, with few pieces and easy-to-match shapes. This app has an average review rating of 4.5/5 across 5 reviews, and is currently on sale at half off its usual price of $1.99, for 99 cents. How much fun will your young one have sliding the pieces across the screen and into place?
Another title in the series, My First Puzzles, is also usually priced at $1.99 but currently on sale for 99 cents, and its average review rating is 4/5 stars across 145 reviews. This collection features all kinds of animals, presented in smiling, cartoon images.
Find the Differences: Animals is a game where kids need to spot the differences between two pictures. It has varying levels of difficulty, has an average review rating of 5/5 stars, and is also currently on sale for 99 cents.
Kevin Bradford is a developer who’s created a whole catalog of apps for preschoolers and kindergartners to teach essential skills. For example:
Preschool and Kindergarten Learning Games uses nine distinct games to teach letters, numbers, colors and shapes, and for more accomplished little learners, simple word formation and basic addition and subtraction. This app has an average rating of 4.5/5 stars across 19 reviews, and is priced at $1.99.
Barnyard Games uses puzzles and games to teach preschoolers counting, letters, shapes, colors, memory matching and more. This app is rated an average of 4/5 stars across 435 reviews, and is priced at $1.99.
Red Wrecker is an app that’s appropriate for all ages, and has many grown-ups in its large fanbase. Each level begins with an assortment of red and green blocks stacked up together. The object of the game is to slide the red blocks out of the stack while leaving the green ones in play. The player has to think ahead to the consequences of his moves, and will learn a bit about physics and gravity along the way.
Red Wrecker is just 99 cents, and has an average review rating of 4.5/5 stars across 516 reviews.