For some, Halloween means dressing up, going out with friends or family, collecting candy and playing scary games. For others, it means closing the curtains, switching off the lights. hiding behind the couch and pretending I am not home. For those children who cannot go out for Halloween (for whatever reason), here is a list of apps to make them feel included in the festivities. I searched high and low on the Android market for apps that were not full of ads, had decent graphics and were suitable for kids. They are listed in no particular order and some are more suited to younger kids, while some are more suited to older kids. Happy Halloween!
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I am starting with a toddler app to credit our title image. Russpuppy has a range of apps expecially for toddlers, that are great on a tablet, and very handy on a phone. This one simply requires the child to tap on a picture, which will then be shown at the top of the screen, animated and with accompanying music. Short and sweet, this is a lovely way to introduce Halloween to your toddler. The illustrations and quick riffs engage and delight. I love Russpuppy apps for toddlers so much I have included two in this list of apps!
Fully FREE Fully FREE $1.00
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This classic Dr Seuss story is perfect bedtime reading on Halloween night. The story actually is a great inclusion story, and could be used to teach children to be friendly to new children in their class, particularly those who seem scary because they look or behave differently to others. The character stumbles across a pair of pale green pants that are unoccupied, but seemingly alive. Scared at first and with apparently no way of avoiding the pants, the two eventually become friends. Oceanhouse Media has worked its magic on the original illustrations of this story, given them animation, and adding tap-to-read text and labels.
$0.99 $1.99 $0.99
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You may be mistaken for thinking your device is possessed with the constant appearance of apparitions in this app. A tap-to-react whack-a-mole type of game, the player is required to tap the party going ghosts as they appear, and avoid the party crashing ghosts. Levels are achieved by attaining the set quota of points. These kind of games that require keen observation and quick response can actually help improve reading fluency!
FREE FREE
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This app offers a range of Halloween themed toddler activities that cover skills such as memory strengthening, comprehension, shape discrimination, matching and more. It also has a lite version for you to try before you buy.
FREE Lite Version $1.39 Full Version
$1.39
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The aim of this game is to escape from the tower, earning coins, collecting candies and avoiding obstacles along the way. This is a tilt-to-play arcade style game that will have your child on the edge of his/her seat! The haunting background music creates an atmosphere of suspense and limited lighting means never knowing exactly what is up ahead. Game currency can be spent at the costume shop where costume items can be mixed and matched to customize the avatar.
FREE $0.99
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Some developers you just keep going back to. StoryToys is one such developer because you can rely on them to produce good quality apps that engage and entertain children. Their 3D stories are innovative and encourage imagination. The Haunted House pop-up book is not a story as such but a series of mini-games focused on ghosts and ghoulies. Verbal instructions are given for each activity, making this suitable for younger children (with parental guidance!).
$2.99 $2.99
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Another Russpuppy app, this time more suited to a slightly older age bracket than the Kids Halloween app. Spooky Cats is a simple run-and-jump arcade game the involves collecting coins and avoiding villains. The controls are simple and the characters are cute making this a really cool preschool kid app.
Fully FREE Fully FREE
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For many children, this is probably one of those stories they look forward to hearing every Halloween. Another classic, given Oceanhouse Media magic, this story follows Little Critter, as he and his family prepare for Halloween festivities.
$0.99 $1.99
$0.99
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Now here is the kind of app we like! Mr Shingu teaches your child how to fold origami Halloween items such as a pumpkin or a skull. First s/he will fold the paper on the screen, but then s/he will be able to fold some real paper and make some Halloween decorations for your home. Origami is a great fine motor activity and once the basics are mastered, children can be quite imaginative coming up with their own creations. A must-have app for Halloween!
Fully FREE Fully FREE
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Based on the ever popular storybook by Julia Donaldson and Alex Sheffler, Room on the Broom has now been developed into a fun app for kids. The story revolves around a kindly witch, who has room on her broom for more than one pet, much to the annoyance of her cat! With original text scattered throughout, this app has eight activities to educate and entertain your child.
$4.99 $4.99
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This adventure story has just the right mix of mystery and suspense to make moving from one scene to the next thrilling for kids. Gilbert Grimsley is sent to live with his Great Uncle Everett, but when he gets there, his Uncle is nowhere to be found. Gilbert is then directed all over town searching for clues as to where his Uncle might be located. He finally finds his Uncle, but that is when the adventure really begins.
Fully FREE Fully FREE
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It is Halloween night, and everyone is on edge. Ordinary sights and sounds are mistaken for something more sinister as Mickey prepares for his party. If your child is a Disney fan, then they will love this! As Mickey goes about his house, decorating and searching for a costume, there are six ghosts to be found. Also, some pages of the book have been cut into six piece jigsaw puzzles. The final activity is a shape puzzle of the ghosts that were found scattered throughout the story. This app is great fun for a younger age bracket.
$0.99
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How cool is this? An Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) app that is designed specifically for Halloween? AND it is FREE! The picture board includes ten phrases such as "Happy Halloween" and "Boo!" so would be very handy for non-verbal kids to have on their phone while trick-or-treating with friends.
Fully FREE
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I must have come down in the last shower. Why did I not discover this storybook earlier? This is excellent early childhood literature and will be staying on the tablet well after Halloween is gone and forgotten. The features of the big green monster appear as they are described, and then the process is reversed as the monster is told to go away, piece by piece. The story has fantastic structure for children learning to read and could be used to create your own stories with your child. Do not skip over this one!
$1.99 $2.99 $2.99
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This app contains seven puzzles with a further 17 available as an in-app upgrade. Each jigsaw puzzle has three levels of difficulty: four-piece puzzle, six-piece puzzle or 12-piece puzzle. The illustrations are really aimed at a very young age bracket and so this would suit a toddler or preschooler who is developing spatial awareness. Matching puzzle pieces together like this is also a good pre-reading skill.
FREE (IAP)
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Rhythm, rhyme and repetition are all essential early literacy skills. This story is told as a song with a repeating rhythm and melody. Children love to join in with the lilting folktale, before stumbling into the story's surprise ending. The app also includes jokes, rhymes, games and a jack-o-lantern creator.
$0.99 $0.99
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Another excellent free app by Disney! This one is a mystery adventure empire building game that would suit an older age bracket due to the nature of the game, and also the option to connect through Facebook. These kind of empire building apps are great for older kids to develop long term goal setting, project management skills and patience!
FREE
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What would a Halloween list be without a learn-to-read app in it? Of course, Starfall comes into its own with this pumpkin carving app. Tap-to-read text, customizable pumpkin face and this app has the added bonus of some math thrown in! After creating a pumpkin (which is automatically added to the "Pumpkin Patch" gallery), the player adds weights to the scales to see how heavy his/her pumpkin is.
$0.99 $0.99
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This app comes with four free puzzles with the option to purchase a further eight with an in-app upgrade. Each puzzle has three difficulty levels: Easy (find five differences), Medium (find six differences) and Hard (find seven differences). The puzzles are timed with extra time being awarded for every difference found. Haunting music plays in the background whilst playing this app (volume button controlled) and CoRa Games has a couple of other free Halloween apps (ad supported) if you are interested.
FREE (IAP) FREE (IAP) FREE (IAP)
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Spooky Manor
This adventure quest type of game is made by the same developer who brought out Mystery Lighthouse what seems a very long time ago now. The story goes that the player has been willed some inheritance from a relative but must visit Spooky Manor in order to collect it. Inventory items are collecting while exploring the dingy digs and used along the way to keep getting closer to the goal. Great fun for all ages and may just give mum and dad a brain workout!
$0.99 $1.00 $0.99
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Be sure to check out these related posts:
Top Ten Monster Apps
Best Kids Songs (Halloween)
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
Halloween Story Books