Sesame Workshop has some terrific apps for little ones, and a few free ones to help caregivers talk to children about difficult topics.
Another Monster at the End of This Book…Starring Grover & Elmo! (4.5/5 stars, all ages, currently priced at $3.99)
A CLASSIC STORY: There’s something waiting at the end of this book. Could it be…a monster?!? Loveable, furry old Grover is about to find out—and he’s bringing his equally loveable and furry friend Elmo with him!
READ & PLAY: In this interactive version of the best-selling picturebook classic, Grover invents giggle-getting ways to prevent readers from getting closer to a monster hiding at the end of the story. But an ever-curious Elmo asks for your help to tap, swipe and puzzle your way past Grover every time.
LIFE LESSONS: Young readers will delight in the very funny push-and-pull dynamic of a story that subtly tackles the common childhood fear of monsters – as well as helps develop useful social skills.
SAFE AND SECURE: For our privacy policy, please visit: www.sesamestreet.org/privacypolicy. Plus, Sesame Street’s trusted early childhood experts provide helpful parenting tips right in the app.
LOTS OF LAUGHS: Parents will know that their own little monsters are reading, laughing, and learning along with beloved Sesame Street friends.
** 2012 Parents’ Choice Gold Award! **
** Winner of 2012 Appy Award: Best Book App! **
Potty Time With Elmo (4.5/5 stars, all ages, currently priced at $2.99)
When it’s time to potty train your little one, Elmo leads the way! The Potty Time with Elmo app is a fun way to ease the transition from diapers to big-kid underpants. This charming app features everyone’s favorite furry red monster, Elmo, helping his toy Baby David learn to use the potty.
3 READING MODES: “Read to Me” lets you hear the story read aloud as well as find stickers, sounds, and songs, and turn the pages; “Read It Myself” lets you read the story yourself, as well as find stickers, sounds, and songs, and turn the pages; and “Just Watch” automatically plays the story, sounds, and songs, and turns the pages.
FUN FEATURES include animated stickers, reward chart, puzzles, and 5 fun songs.
SAFE AND SECURE: For our privacy policy, please visit: www.sesamestreet.org/privacypolicy. Plus, Sesame Street’s trusted early childhood experts provide helpful parenting tips right in the app.
LOTS OF LAUGHS: Parents will know that their own little monsters are reading, laughing, and learning along with beloved Sesame Street friends. The Potty Time with Elmo app will engage, encourage, and delight even the youngest kids.
Elmo Loves 123’s – Kindle Tablet Edition (4.5/5 stars, all ages, currently priced at $4.99)
Discover numbers with Elmo and Abby!
Slide, swipe, touch, and trace your way through a variety of early math games about numbers 1 to 20. Watch classic Sesame Street clips, color number pictures, complete jigsaw puzzles, and more!
Elmo Loves 123s introduces your child to school readiness skills such as number tracing, number identification, counting, addition, subtraction, one-to-one correspondence, problem solving, art and creativity, and much more! Grown-ups can even see what their child is playing with the 123s Tracker.
Elmo and Abby love to play with numbers, and so will you!
• Trace your favorite numbers to unlock surprises.
• Explore sixty classic Sesame Street clips, sixty coloring pages, hide-and-seek, jigsaw puzzles, counting games, and more!
• Touch the Abby button to play number games with Abby and her friends.
• 123’s Tracker for grown-ups to see what a child is learning.
Elmo’s Monster Maker (4/5 stars, all ages, currently priced at $2.99)
Make a monster friend to play with Elmo! Choose a monster body, then choose eyes, a nose and a silly hat. When you’re done, your monster will dance and play with Elmo. You can even tickle your monster or take a picture! Fosters creativity and decision-making as you design your very own funny monster friend!
• All original Sesame Street video.
• Elmo’s photos of your monster go to your device’s photo album.
• Elmo interacts with your monster.
• Your monster comes alive to dance and play.
• Change your monster as many times as you like.
Sesame Workshop is also offering these free apps for families of divorce, military families, and families dealing with issues surrounding incarceration. The apps offer helpful advice to parents and caregivers, as well as interactive storybooks and activities to be shared with affected children.
Sesame Street: Divorce (4.5/5 stars, guidance suggested, currently free)
The Sesame Street: Divorce app provides parents and caregivers with tools to help children ages 2-8 cope with the many transitions related to divorce or separation.
Features include: articles with tips and strategies for providing reassurance and comfort; videos featuring real families talking about their experiences, and Abby Cadabby as she talks with her Sesame Street friends about her own parents’ divorce; “Conversation Starters” providing age-appropriate language you can use to start a discussion with your children about feelings and changes; interactive tools including the “Face Maker” and “Coloring Pages,” which you can use together with your children to help them express their emotions about specific topics; and additional support and educational resources.
We recommend you use the tools and watch the videos before sharing them with your children, so that you can choose what is most relevant and helpful for your family. Resources in this app are part of Sesame Street’s “Little Children, Big Challenges: Divorce” initiative. You can access other Sesame Street divorce materials online, at http://sesamestreet.org/divorce.
Sesame Street for Military Families (5/5 stars, guidance suggested, currently free)
The Sesame Street for Military Families app puts all of Sesame’s bilingual (English & Spanish) resources for military families right in your pocket!
Now you can use your mobile device to access engaging videos, articles, storybooks, parent guides, and more to help you support your preschool and school-aged children as they encounter transitions common to military families.
Because of the sensitive topics in this app, we highly recommend that a parent or guardian previews the materials before co-viewing with a child.
Sesame Street: Incarceration (no reviews yet, guidance suggested, currently free)
The Sesame Street: Incarceration app provides parents and caregivers with tools to help children ages 3-8 cope with the many transitions related to a parent’s incarceration.
Features include: Tip Books for parents and caregivers with age-appropriate language to talk honestly with children (3–8) as well as strategies to help children cope with a parent’s incarceration; videos featuring real families talking about their experiences, and a new Sesame Street Muppet, Alex, as he talks with his Sesame Street friends about his own parent’s incarceration; an interactive storybook called “In My Family,” as well as a photo activity, which you can use together with your children to take pictures with the characters in the storybook and help show children that they are not alone; and suggestions for additional support and educational resources.
We recommend that you watch the videos in the app before sharing them with your children so that you can choose what is most relevant and helpful for your family. Resources in this app are part of Sesame Street’s Little Children, Big Challenges: Incarceration initiative. You can access other project materials online, at http://www.sesamestreet.org/incarceration.
• Tip Books providing parents and caregivers with age-appropriate language to talk honestly with children (3-8) as well as strategies to help children cope with a parent’s incarceration
• Videos featuring real families and Sesame Street Muppets
• An interactive storybook and photo activity for caregivers to use with children
• Suggestions for additional support and educational resources