Apple for Kids

Apple most likely did not create the iPhone, the iPod Touch, nor the iPad specifically with children in mind, but make no mistake – these Apple products have caught on quite strongly with kids. And, more and more, we are seeing an influx of applications for children arise on the Apple application market. To some, the idea of applications for children may take them aback a bit. Aren’t iPhones and iPads toys for adults, they may ask? And, while, yes, these Apple products most definitely serve plenty of “adult” functions, they also double quite neatly as a superior children’s product.

The beauty behind all of this is that parents can purchase an Apple product for themselves that their kids will also appreciate. And unlike purchasing a new Nintendo DS, which costs well over a hundred dollars, not to mention the price of purchasing additional games, children’s applications can be downloaded from the Apple Store for no cost at all. So even without purchasing their child an altogether new gaming unit, parents can download one or two applications to their iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad specifically for their children.

Of course, downloading one or two applications for children isn’t the only way to go for parents looking to make their kids happy. Another alternative is for children to get their very own iPod Touch. The Touch is rapidly becoming the gaming device of choice for many children around the nation, and rightfully so. Kids with iPod Touches don’t have to save their allowance for week after week to purchase a new game. Rather, game applications can be downloaded, if not for free, for only a few dollars per game. Doesn’t this seem quite a bit more practical and feasible for children than spending upwards of fifty dollars for every new game they purchase?

USA Today, on July 8, 2010, posted an article titled iPad Apps Entertain Kids on the Road, and the article couldn’t have hit the nail more on the head when it made reference to the fact that one iPad or one iTouch could make all of the difference in the world for a kid on a long car ride. Everybody knows that kids don’t tend to fare well when travelling long distances, and parents everywhere all seem to be looking for the perfect solution to their all too often problematic travel time with the kids. There was once a time when the possible remedies were limited to coloring books and Etch-a-Sketches, but those days have graciously come to an end.

The Apple App Store has hundreds upon hundreds of applications to choose from, many of which are children’s applications. Kids can choose from fun games to creative artistic applications to educational applications. Rarely does an application cost more than five dollars, so costly spending need not be a concern. For parents who already own an iPhone, all that is left to do is download a couple of apps. And, for parents without an iPhone, the iPod Touch costs under $200, and the iPad starts at just under $500. For those planning on taking a trip with the kids, it could very well be the best investment of the summer.