Best new apps for kids (and their parents): October 2012

That iPhone or Android smartphone you have might seem like a technological wonder and an indispensable toy for you, but give it to your kids, and you are hardly getting it back. Kids love touching the screen and the immersive and fully interactive experience.

Apps are a huge part of that, but which are the ones that really deserve the attention of Junior? In the dark woods of app catalogs, we’ve cherry picked the best new apps for kids, but if some of them you’d probably enjoy yourself as well, rediscovering that grown up kid.

We’ve included interactive books, games and puzzles. Most of the apps are really great looking, and some even feature the voices of showbiz stars like Alicia Keys. We’ve also first listed Apple apps, followed by Android applications, so there is choice for people on both platforms. We’d also love to hear your favorite new apps for kids, sound off in the comments below!

Best new apps for kids (and parents): October 2012

1. Disney Creativity Studio - iPad - $3.99

Disney Creativity Studio turns the iPad into a drawing board, but more than that - it actually teaches kids how to draw their favorite Disney characters. You can also interact with Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and Pluto!

Download Disney Creativity Studio for iPad

2. The Journals of Mama Mae & LeeLee - iOS - $3.99

The Journals of Mama Mae & LeeLee is a kids’ app with music from Alicia Keys. It lets you explore a room with a virtual piano and a drawing pane.

Download The Journals of Mama Mae & LeeLee for iPhone, iPad

3. Me Books - iOS - Free

Me Books is a book app. There is a free ebook included, but you can buy more and they come with pictures, read by celebrities, and kids can stop and retell the story at any time.

Download Me Books for iPhone, iPad

4. Toca Tailor - iOS - $1.99

Another fun app for creative kids, Toca Tailor lets them show off design skills and create cool outfits for four different models, picking between a plethora of ready designs that can be tweaked.

Download Toca Tailor for iPhone, iPad

5. Animal SnApp - iOS

A colorful story book with a fun slider game, Animal SnApp tells the story of Lucky Lamb, Gobbly Goat, Cuddly Cow, Portly Pig, Diggity Dog and Higgledy Hen.

Download Animal SnApp for iPhone, iPad

6. It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown - iOS - $4.99

Hey, Halloween might have passed, but it’s still pumpkin season, and pumpkin festival game is now live on Apple’s platform. You get to pick between millions of neat costume combinations and dress up Lucy, Pigpen and the rest. A slight downside? In app purchases in a kid’s app that already costs $5. We’d be very, very careful with that.

Download It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown for iPhone, iPad

7. Signed Stories - iOS - Free

Signed Stories is the world’s first animated storytelling app with both British and American Sign Language, and that should be telling.

Download Signed Stories for iPhone, iPad

8. Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty - iOS - $4.99

Princesses and fairies come to life in Grimm’s tales, animated for iOS.

Download Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty for iPhone, iPad

9. Doodle Joy - Android - Free

Doodle Joy is a drawing app with more than 20 brushes including funky effects like glow neon, crayon, chalk and others, and it’s probably as fun for kids, as it is for their parents.

Download Doodle Joy on Android

10. Britannica Kids - Android - $1.99

A series of books for children to explore the world, the Britannica Kids app delivers everything from science to history in an extremely fun and easy to apprehend way. Each book costs $1.99.

Download Britannica Kids on Android

11. Bamboo Paper - Android - Free

Designed for the Bamboo stylus, this drawing app actually works with other styli as well. Writing and sketching is fun, and while not designed for children, the app is colorful and easy enough for them to learn.

Download Bamboo Paper on Android

12. Sweetapple Apps - Android - $4.99

Sweetapple’s music books are a series of four releases each with over an hour of story, music and animation.

Download Sweetapple Apps on Android

13. BB Give Thanks - Android - $3.99

A Thanksgiving story, this interactive Android book is one of quite a few from Berenstain Bears, all interactive with beautiful illustrations.

Download BB Give Thanks on Android