We Reviewed Dozens Of The Best Fun Apple iPhone Games for Kids Ages 10-12 So You Don’t Have To. Here Are Our Top Picks.
Every elementary kid wants to play games on the phone. Sometimes it’s an escape, sometimes it’s a way to feel more mature, and sometimes it’s just for fun. Now you can offer your fourth or fifth grade kid some of the best games available.
iPhones are the cream of the crop when it comes to kid-pleasing, fun, and educational apps. Your fourth or fifth grader can play with these engaging and interesting games and maybe even learn a little along the way!
Learning Games
Inventioneers
InventioneersPut together incredible machines to solve seemingly simple problems with the Inventioneers. Some challenges seem amazingly easy, such as getting a cat out of a tree, but when the Inventioneers get to work on the problem, they build complex (and amusing) solutions. This free app will give players a good taste of the game, and the full version is only $1.99 as an in-app purchase.
The machines look quite a bit like something from the creators of the classic Mousetrap game or perhaps from the old-school “Incredible Machine” computer game. Developers did a great job of incorporating a physics engine, so it’s simply a matter of figuring out each device’s behavior in this crazy world, then putting together lots and lots of causes and effects to get the job done. It’s a great workout for logic, thinking, and planning skills. The app is free and offers a full version for $4.99 as an in-app purchase.
Studypop
StudypopThere’s nothing like a little head-to-head competition among friends to take the tedium out of learning activities. HMH has developed a real winner here in that regard. The Studypop app includes content that is suitable for grades 3-12, so the app can accommodate kids who need extra review and those that need more challenging material. It’s perfect for families and for friends.
Play in pairs or with two teams. Take turns to earn points and declare yourself champion. One player or team must guess the word or concept while the other provides them with clues. With lightning fast sixty-second rounds, this is one game that keeps them moving. The app is free to download and play.
Thinkrolls Kings & Queens Full
Thinkrolls Kings & Queens FullEveryone can get in on the action with this creative puzzle and problem-solving game. The easy levels are designed for younger elementary kids, but the game includes over 100 levels designed for upper elementary players (and older) that will challenge logical thinking, planning, and observation skills.
Each level is more challenging than the last, and a real-to-life physics engine ensures that players are mastering important concepts that will help them in school and in life. The game has a lot of elements typical of escape puzzles, where players must solve problems and find hidden elements to solve a problem, find a key, or move to a new level. It’s a great game for the whole family! The app costs $6.99.
eWordSearch – Word Search
eWordSearch – Word SearchDevelopers have taken classic word search puzzles and added several competitive twists. Instead of a traditional word list, players work from a single keyword. The mystery words in the puzzle are all related somehow to the keyword. The easy levels provide a few clues, such as initial letters and number of letters, but more challenging levels do not.
To add to the challenge, there’s a timed element. In addition, players can compete with themselves to beat their previous records, or they can compete with friends far and near to see who has the best reflexes and the widest vocabulary. The app is free with in-app purchases to remove ads for ninety-nine cents or purchase extra coins or other game enhancements for prices ranging from ninety-nine cents to $19.99.
Games for Fun
Tic Tac Rings
Tic Tac RingsThis highly-addictive game challenges players of all ages to put three rings of matching color into a row on the three by three board. It’s not as simple as it sounds-the rings may be presented singly, doubled or in three concentric circles, and the colors begin with simple reds, blues, yellows and greens, but quickly escalate to a multitude of shades that it’s tough to even distinguish, much less keep track of.
The app is completely free to play. Each “peg” on the board can hold three rings (small, medium and large). The rings are presented randomly, and you decide where to place them. It’s easy when they come one by one and there are only a few colors involved, but just when the game lulls you into a sense of complacency, rings start appearing two or three at a time (concentric), and in more and more colors. How many points can you score?
Pegs ‘n Holes
Pegs ‘n HolesPegs ‘n Holes is a great (and addictive) logic game. The object is to fill in the colored “holes” with the correctly colored pegs as they are offered, but make one boo-boo and it throws off the entire level. Like most puzzle games, it starts out deceptively easy, and quickly becomes more and more challenging. Go off of the right track and you must either reset the level or backtrack to find your mistake.
The game features an almost infinite number of puzzles, a choice of levels of difficulty, and more. It also can be connected to Game Center so players can compete with family, local friends, or players from around the world. The app is free to download and includes in-app purchases to remove ads or upgrade to a larger board size.
Incredibox
IncrediboxFor the musically-inclined and even the musically-challenged, Incredibox offers a great chance to create wonderful sounds. Players control a set of beatboxers. Activate them in any order and in several ways, and then play back your creation to see what you have made. You can even record the music to share with others later.
Find the right combinations to tickle everyone’s ears, and you can unlock some great bonuses. Best of all, players can share their work with other aspiring musicians from around the world and even gather votes to jump your work into the Top Fifty Chart. It’s a fun way to introduce kids to concepts of rhythm and a blast for players of all ages. The app costs $3.99.
Flow Free
Flow FreeThis brain teaser will keep your preteens and teens on their toes. The concept is deceptively simple. All you have to do is connect the colored dots to create a “flow.” However, the connections cannot overlap or cross one another. The puzzles start out simple and quickly become amazingly complex.
The app is free to download and includes some optional in-app purchases for additional puzzle packs, including a kids pack that’s a bit easier, for ninety-nine cents to $1.99. There’s also an option to purchase all packs and remove ads for $4.99.
Classic Choices
Gold Rush! 2
Gold Rush! 2Close your eyes and imagine that you’ve gone back in time to 1869 in California; you are twenty years past the Gold Rush, and about to be immersed in an adventure. This simulation game pulls you into this old-time world as you try to stop the evil plans of the villain.
Players will confront greed and corruption, solve mysteries, and make the world a better place by bringing the villains to justice in this role-playing game. They will also appreciate the hi-res graphics, the HD animated scenes and the high-quality background music. The app costs just ninety-nine cents.
Discolor Rebounder
Discolor RebounderThis game is reminiscent of “Pong”- players must guide a large ball to collide with other balls to bounce them around the screen. However, it’s not as easy as it sounds. The little ball changes colors when it hits balls of different colors and rebounds, and you can only hit it when it is the same color as your larger ball serving as a “paddle.”
Of course, it speeds up over time, and play increases in complexity, so there is a lot of content here to keep the ball moving, so to speak. This game is definitely one where the rules are deceptively simple, and the play can intrigue for a very long, long time. This app is completely free to download and play.
Sonic the Hedgehog Classic
Sonic the Hedgehog ClassicHere’s one of the original platforming games, adapted for your iphone. Join Sonic and his friends in their never-ending quest for rings. On this version, kids can play Sonic or several of his friends. No matter which way they choose, there’s power and speed to spare.
The app is free to download and play. It offers a premium upgrade for $1.99 as an in-app purchase.
TETRIS
TETRISHere’s a time-honored classic brain game! There’s a reason why it’s one of the best selling video games of all time and why it has so many imitators. This newest version has all sorts of great new features to enhance your game play. It’s got out of this world modes, ways to compete with the tetris universe, and ways to share your great moves and scores on social media.
The app is free to download. You can get the ads removed for an in-app purchase of $4.99. You can also purchase more of the in-game coin currency for prices ranging from $1.99 to $99.99.
