Screen Play Apps of the Week: Toca Tea Party & Helicopter Taxi

Did you know that there are approximately 65,000 apps in the Android marketplace and 350,000 in iTunes? The sheer volume of apps available to suit every single taste and need imaginable is staggering. When it comes to kid-focused apps, there are choices aplenty. Some great, some not so great. There are literally thousands available and even though I haven’t come even close to reviewing all of them, I have seen a lot and will share my picks with you on a weekly basis (and will even throw in ones that are great for parents!). 

The two apps stars of the week have just been launched into the marketplace – and they’re awesome. (Full disclosure: They were developed by Brickmark, a division of our parent company Bonnier in Sweden.) 

 

Toca Tea Party

Works on: iPad

Cost: $2.99

Ages: 3+ 

Toca Tea Party brings the time-honored pastime of tea parties to the digital world. Children use the iPad as a virtual tea party setting and can do everything that a good host would do including picking the right tablecloth, dragging and dropping dishes, putting out the right tea cookies and cakes, even cleaning up for guests who spill. Using simple taps and swipes, your child will soon feel like the hostest with the mostest with a beautiful table setting and when guests are happily enjoying their virtual tea and cookies. The app also lets kids clean up all the dishes to get set up for the next fancy tea party.  

 

Helicopter Taxi

Works on: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

Cost: $1.99

Ages: 3+ 

If your children are into transportation and making things go, Helicopter Taxi is a must-have app. Using augmented reality, this app uses the device’s camera to create an effect of a helicopter flying across the room with your children who, of course, are always on-the-go. By moving the device around, your little pilots steer the helicopter to wherever they want it to fly, and then land on different surfaces to pick up more passengers. The graphics are crisp and strikingly real – your kids will delight in being the navigators of their very own helicopter adventures.

Take a look at the app in action:  

 

If you have an app that you would like considered for Screen Play, please contact LetsPlugIn@gmail.com.