When planning for summertime travel with toddlers and kids, there are certain necessities that must be on the checklist—snacks, favorite toys, that special blanket—anything that makes the journey to your destination bearable and even fun. High on that list of must-haves is entertainment. An iPad is perfect for long car, plane and train rides because it’s light, portable and can be loaded with exciting new apps to help keep the little ones occupied. Here are some Disney apps you might want to purchase before heading out on vacation.
Don’t Let the Pigeon Run This App! lets kids create their own stories featuring a mischievous and humorous pigeon. A bus driver asks for ideas for the story (through multiple choice options kids tap to select or by recording their voiced answers) and instructs them to “shake the pigeon” to make the story. Kids then watch and hear their own originally created story and can save it for later or try again. They will love this fully animated app and its interactive features, especially the shake-and-play technology and customized voice integration. Kids can record their own voice as part of the stories they create or participate in a pigeon-drawing tutorial. For school-age users, it has a read-along option. This is a fresh and fun app with no licensed characters.
it’s a small world is a simple but visually engaging app best suited for younger users. It lets kids experience the “it’s a small world” attraction’s song and lyrics in a new way with colorful artwork and whimsical animation. There’s a sing-along feature than can be turned on and off as kids explore destinations from around the globe. The app utilizes ride-and-explore technology and tap-and-play interactivity. Kids can learn to say “Hello!” in 16 languages. Toddlers may enjoy this app with help from an adult, but school-age children might prefer something a bit more sophisticated.
Tangled: Storybook Deluxe is Disney’s “Tangled” re-imagined in an interactive storybook app about Rapunzel and her adventures with a thief named Flynn. Their jaunt across the kingdom brings them in contact with a variety of characters and experiences as Rapunzel explores life outside the tower she’s lived in all her life. This interactive app features vibrant, colorful tap-and-play surprises, customizable reading modes (follow along, read and explore, and voice recording) depending on the user’s skill level.
The Lion King: Timon’s Tale is a fully-animated, interactive storybook app featuring Timon the meerkat as he retells the classic Disney story of Simba’s rise to kinghood. Users interact with a variety of familiar characters as they experience the app’s touch, shake and swipe technology, character narration, multiple reading modes, and listen to beloved music from “The Lion King” movie that kids and parents will recognize. A language selection feature is coming soon that will allow kids to experience the stories in seven languages besides English.
Cars 2 World Grand Prix Read and Race has visually stunning movie images and animation and is the perfect app for kids traveling to the all-new Cars Land at Disney California Adventure Park, which opened last week. Kids read along as Lightning McQueen races through the streets of Japan, Italy, England and Radiator Springs. As the story progresses, there are “Reader Pit Stops” so users can create their own team of World Grand Prix race cars. When the story is finished, it’s time to compete alongside favorite “Cars 2” characters with exciting device-tilting racing technology and tap-and-play interactivity. There are multiple reading modes, including voice recording and read-along text highlighting, which is perfect for developing early reading skills. Kids will love creating custom 3-D race cars as they read the story and can choose the color, engine, headlights, exhaust pipe, spoiler and tires. When they’re done, kids can save and email their favorite car designs. The app features nine language options: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish and Swedish.
All of these apps can be found on Disney Mobile’s iTunes page.
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