Educational iPad Games You'll Want Your Kids to Play

The iPad can be used for so many things, but what better way than to enhance your children's creativity and hone their skills?

I have always been attracted to new, shiny gadgets that hold a lot of promise. When the iPad was first announced, I have to be honest that I didn't immediately think of it as an educational tool. However, three versions and countless apps later, I am now a firm believer in the power of the iPad for educational purposes.

There may be a plethora of apps in the market today, which may result in low quality. However, there is no discounting the fact that there are excellent apps available, and with a little bit of effort, you can find the most appropriate education iPad games that you will not mind your children spending a lot of time on.

Image via chijs on Flickr

WELDER

W.E.L.D.E.R.

When I first saw W.E.L.D.E.R. installed on my iPad, I was not really enticed to play it. I thought it was just another word game. Once I did start playing the game, however, I got hooked.

A word of caution: this game is not always easy. As such, I highly recommend the game for kids who are at least 10 years old, maybe even older. Then again, if your children are already into word games and have acquired a more than decent vocabulary, W.E.L.D.E.R. will prove to be a good, challenging game.

The idea behind W.E.L.D.E.R. is to create words that have at least four letters by swapping the tiles. Each tile has a corresponding value, and you can swap horizontally, vertically, and diagonally. As you progress, you get special tiles - which can be good or bad - and you also earn different kinds of swaps such as Reverse, Group, and Jump.

Get W.E.L.D.E.R. at the App Store for $2.99. Oh, and it's compatible with the iPhone as well.

BOGGLE

I grew up having BOGGLE nights with the family - we were only four then - and memories of those nights are brilliant! We didn't have TV in the house back then, but now I realize that because of that, we were able to engage in activities that honed our minds. As a family.

It may not be common to see "real life" BOGGLE sets these days, but you can always use the virtual version on the iPad!

The experience is rather different from the old school style, of course, but it still offers a lot of fun, maybe even more because of the features EA has incorporated in the game. I've uploaded to screenshots of the game below to give you an idea.

BOGGLE for the iPad is only $0.99 on the App Store. Don't allow your kids to miss out on this wonderful experience!

BOGGLE

BOGGLE 2

Scrabble

Scrabble is another classic word game that many of us grew up with. We still have our old board game at my parents' house but I don't know if kids today still have the pleasure of playing Scrabble with each other.

If your kids like to spend more time using the iPad than actual board games, you might want to introduce them to the experience of playing Scrabble. The beauty of this app is that you do not have to have other people with you to play. You can play alone, against the computer.

If there is Internet connection, you can even play with other players. Even better, if you have multiple devices - other iPads or iPhones, you can play over the network. Imagine the fun that offers!

Scrabble for iPad is a tad more expensive than the other games, though, at $9.99. Still, I think that's a small price to pay for the benefits that the game presents.

It's All About Participation

These are only a few of my favorite educational iPad games. For sure, there are a lot more to choose from. You can easily search for word games or educational games on the App Store.

What is important, though, is that you actually join your kids in playing these games. Playing alone is convenient and fun. Still, nothing beats the experience of the entire family coming together to play these games. It's more than an educational experience. It is a family bonding together.