So Santa brought my oldest son an iPhone.
Okay, not really.
Santa brought ME an iPhone 4.
And, out of the desire to not here him beg me for an iPod Touch anymore again ever kindness of my heart, I gifted him my old iPhone.
Because, with the phone part disabled, it’s basically the same thing as an iPod Touch.
He can put his corny kid music on there and use the wireless at home to download apps (mostly free ones of course) to his heart’s content.
But, what’s a Dude to download?
I mean, at 10 he’s beyond being completely duped by the fun-educational-game genre. He plays them, sure. But he usually only does so under duress when he’s exhausted himself on whatever not-even-remotely-educationally-inspired game he’s into at the moment.
Which is fine with us because he’s only allowed to play for an hour a day, when the stars are perfectly aligned he’s finished his homework, completed his after-school activities, and practiced his math facts numerous times.
And, he’s not allowed to play bloody mature type games.
And, he’s not allowed to play games I have to pay for (unless he earns them by doing my bidding).
So what does he play?
Most of the games on those “Best Apps for Kids” lists are too young, too easy, or too educational for what my Dude is into.
So, after hours of examining games in the app store to shut him up at his request, this is what I’ve come up with.
Dumb Mom’s Guide to Apps for Big Kids: 5 Apps That Aren’t So Educational They Aren’t Fun and Aren’t so Un-Educational They Make You Dumb
1. Ninja/Zombie/Random-Scary-Thing Farm.
Zombie Farm
First, let me tell you, there is fighting. But it’s mostly of the chubby-brightly-colored-cartoon character sort. Basically, it involves planting some of the evil-ish title creature (we play Ninja Farm and Zombie Farm so we plant ninjas and zombies) so that it grows into fighting machine to battle all over the land. Very nefarious. And for some reason super fun to 10 year olds.
2. Angry Birds.
Angry Birds
Explanation is probably not even needed as this game is SO popular. But, my Dude likes to play other versions of the franchise as well, like Angry Birds Rio and Angry Birds Seasons.
3. Temple Run.
Temple Run
Exactly how it sounds, this game just involves running through a temple. You jump a little and collect a few hundred coins on your way, but there’s still just a bunch of running. Through a temple. Which 10 year old boys seem to love.
4. Fruit Ninja.
Fruit Ninja
I’m sure you’re sensing a theme here: my Dudes are ninja obsessed. They don’t really care how they get them as long as they do. So, fruit flying at you on the screen of the iPhone while you use some sort of samurai blade to slice them in half is totally winning in the land of the dude.
5. Paper Toss.
Paper Toss
It takes the most fun part of working in a cubicle (shooting paper balls into your trashcan while actively avoiding the detection of your boss) and puts it in your iPhone. You know, so you can pretend you’re at work even when you’re not! It doesn’t sound awesome, but it kinda is. Even I get caught up in the paper tossing fun. And, there is even a teeny bit of math thrown in there (you have to account for the fan blowing and such) to make you think while you goof off on the job!
Want more cool kid app recommendations? Check out Parenting.com’s 30+ Best iPhone Apps for Kids and of course Famigo.com!
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Dumb Mom has been wowing the Internet since 2008 when she launched her pretty-much-useless guide for parents, parenting BY dummies. As it turns out her parenting advice is not generally useful for more than a good laugh, but sometimes that’s exactly what you need! Dumb Mom spends her online time (which is embarrassingly limited) running a photography business, working as a social media director for a local print publication, writing freelance articles about stuff she loves, wrangling Dudes, petting her Baby Dog Daughter, and eating cupcakes in her garage to escape the crazy. You can Tweet with her online as @dumbparent, but don’t expect her to be serious. It’s virtually impossible.
