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Travel back to the Mesozoic Era with the magic of 21st-century technology. The convenience of iPad and mobile apps has opened up a world where information is literally at a child’s fingertips. We surveyed the online landscape to find the most popular kid-friendly dinosaur apps. Take a scroll down and make your own ancient beast discoveries.
For The Little Learners
Dinosaurs are a popular obsession for even the youngest learner. These top-rated apps were designed with the preschool child in mind.
1.Millie’s Dinosaur Adventure
This multiple award-winning ebook app includes a high-quality interactive story about Millie the dog discovering the world of dinosaurs. Additional features include puzzles, mazes, and three mini-games. The ‘story switch’ mode allows kids to participate in the plotline of the story. The innovative ‘bedtime mode’ ensures that the games are hidden, lowers SFX, and the screen light gets dimmer to create a less stimulating environment for the child.
The app is child-focused with a delightful musical accompaniment, unique illustrations, verbal instructions, and a read-along text to assist kids with their reading skills. Parents are also given peace of mind as the app includes parent-only sections, no in-app purchases, and the exclusion of the child’s personal information.
2. Dinosaur Train A to Z
Created by PBS Kids, this animated app teaches the 26 dinosaurs with the help of the alphabet. The interactive platform includes a dinosaur index of interesting facts with features that allow kids to feed the dinosaurs, discover dinosaur x-rays, and spell, sort and organize dinosaur-related vocabulary.
The app is available in English and Spanish, and also includes additional dinosaur packs such as ‘Big Dinosaurs Pack,’ ‘Water Pack’, ‘Carnivore Pack’, and ‘Winged and feathered Pack’. This app is ideal for extending core natural science knowledge and developing an inquiring mind.
3. Alphabet of Dinosaurs
With positive reviews from the Smithsonian Museum, this enchanting A to Z storybook app includes detailed illustrations with interesting dinosaur facts and entertaining rhymes. Kids’ literacy skills are extended with the app’s text highlighter.
Specifically designed for ages three and up, the vocabulary and illustrations are tappable to consolidate the learning process. The narration and voice record features allow kids to create their own stories, and parental controls are also included in this award-winning app..
4. Dinosaur Roar
Based on the popular kids’ book ‘Dinosaur Roar’ by Paul and Henrietta Stickland, this app is an interactive experience. The scrolling function allows kids to move through the story at their own pace. There is a read-along feature and a recording option where kids can record themselves reading the book.
Additional app activities include a full-screen coloring-in section with 14 dinosaur pictures taken directly from Paul Stickland’s book illustrations. Kids can extend their creativity skills by adding their own colors and unique patterns. The feature also has a save option. A Dinosaur name game allows kids to type in their name and shake the iPad to reveal fun dinosaur animation.
5. Dinosaur Games for Toddlers
Enjoy exploring the Dinosaur Park with Raccoon and his friends. Eight delightful dinosaurs help kids learn interesting facts and engage in fun games such as helping a Velociraptor set up his birthday party, camp with a Brachiosaurus, build sandcastles with an Iguanadon, and deep-sea dive with a Plesiosaurus!
The vibrant graphics and animation are accompanied by cool music and sound effects. The app includes kid-friendly controls and can be played offline.
For the Smart Scholars
Read on to discover popular apps for the school-going dinosaur enthusiast.
1. Velociraptor: Small and Speedy
A collaboration between the Smithsonian Institute and Oceanhouse Media, this prehistoric ebook tells the tale of a velociraptor. The enchanting app offers detailed illustrations, a text highlighting option, and a voice recording feature to personalize the story. Kids will be introduced to new dinosaur-related vocabulary, interesting facts, and other trivia. The app is an ideal choice for ages up to eight.
2. Find Them All!
Offered in eight languages, kids learn dinosaur identification with words, sounds, and pictures. Children can build dinosaur puzzles, find dinosaurs in their habitat, win animated cards, take photos, and play a photo quiz. The free app version focuses on eight dinosaurs, including Brachiosaurus, Spinosaurus, Carnotaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Pteranodon, Sauropelta, and Styracosaurus. Additional features can be purchased for more extensive activities.
3. Triceratops Gets Lost
This triple award-winning ebook encourages literacy skills with a delightful story about a Triceratops. The app includes high-quality graphics to illustrate the new vocabulary. Kids can choose the highlighted narrated feature or record their own narration and share it with friends. The app is easy to navigate and has been noted for its accuracy. The necessary parental controls will help to ensure kids’ online safety. The app is a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institute and Oceanhouse Media.
4. Dinosaur Games – Jurassic Dino Simulator for Kids
Kids will enjoy a choice of 12 mini-games, including excavating dinosaur fossils, helping a pterodactyl inside a maze, dinosaur whack-a-mole, and memory activities. The app is layered with cool sounds, original artwork, and cool animations, offering kid-friendly navigation. Although the free version has limited activities, children can receive the full version at a decent price.
5. Archaeologist – Dinosaur Games
Although the word ‘paleontologist’ would be more fitting for a dinosaur-related title instead of ‘archaeologist,’ this app takes the child on an adventure with Joe, the explorer, and his wife, Bonnie, the paleontologist. Children will enjoy digging up hidden dinosaur bones, assembling dinosaur skeletons, building dinosaur puzzles, coloring-in dinosaur pictures with a magic brush, and learning dinosaur facts. The high-quality graphics and animations are vibrant and colorful, making an appealing world for the young dinosaur fan.
For the Older Explorers
Here are the top-rated apps for older kids to keep their dinosaur passion growing.
1. March of the Dinosaurs
Narrated by actor Kerry Shale, March of the Dinosaurs is a 65-page book app that follows the journey of two young dinosaurs. Kids can adjust the sound toggle to hear the narrated story or read independently. Additional features include rotatable 3D animations of dinosaurs depicted in the story. To read informative data, kids can zoom in on creatures such as an Edmontosaurus, Ankylosaurus, and Albertosaurus. March of the Dinosaurs has proved to be a favorite for kids and adults.
2. Britannica Kids: Dinosaurs
Aimed at kids aged eight to 12, this interactive app covers information about the 36 different dinosaurs, including their characteristics and ultimate extinction. Additional age-appropriate features include high-quality jigsaw puzzles, a magic dinosaur square game, fossil excavation, a dinosaur quiz, and a memory match game. Children also have access to the official Britannica online website for further dinosaur research.
3. Inside the World of Dinosaurs
Ideal for age nine and up and narrated by actor Stephen Fry, children are taken on a wonderful journey through the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous eras. The app includes a visual timeline, 310 3D interactive dinosaur animations, 60 detailed dinosaur images, 40 3D visuals of flying dinosaurs, and an A to Z index tab for easy access to dinosaur data. Although the app has a hefty price tag and a large download size, Inside the World of Dinosaurs is a worthwhile expense for dinosaur-lovers.
4. Ultimate Dinopedia
Based on the highly praised encyclopedia, National Geographic Kids Ultimate Dinopedia, this app includes over 700 dinosaurs! It’s a perfect introduction to understanding dinosaurs. Children can read about a wide variety of known and obscure species. The detailed, age-appropriate text is supported by multiple color illustrations. Additional interactive features and videos are also included.
5. Walking with Dinosaurs
Another dinosaur app narrated by actor Stephen Fry, Walking with Dinosaurs, is an educational app supported by the BBC Earth team. Children will learn more interesting information about 60 dinosaur species in 3D animation. The app also includes an augmented reality app that allows children to include dinosaur movie characters in their photos. These images can be shared and uploaded online. This reference app is a popular choice for dino fans of all ages.
Hopefully, you’ve unearthed the perfect dino app choice for your youngster. Enjoy exploring the prehistoric past with technology from the future!
