Tablet Time! 7 New Apps to Keep Kids Busy All Summer

This summer, take advantage of your kids’ savvy tablet skills with our top picks of family-friendly (and sometimes school-worthy) apps. From Reading Rainbow to Sesame Street, these cool new programs will fill the down-time (and preserve your sanity!).

Can’t visit the grandparents across the country? There’s an app for that. Looking to get lost in a book? There’s an app for that. Did your little one slip and fall at the playground? There’s an app for that, too.

First, what says summer success like a potty-trained toddler? Ditching the diaper might be easier with Sesame Street‘s Potty Time with Elmo, an app filled with songs, stories and sticker charts geared toward teaching your tot to use the toilet.

You’ve already done your fair share of decoding your pint-size Picasso’s masterpieces, so why not hand off the job to Lazoo‘s Squiggles program? After your little artist fills their faux canvas, just hit the magic go button and the app brings their one-of-a-kind drawings to life (without you having to play the guessing game!).

A picture is worth a thousand words — or close to it. With SeeMail‘s new audio technology, your child (and, let’s face it, you) will have a blast sending family and friends tons of sweet snapshots with an attached 11-second personal voice clip. Whether you sing a song or verbally caption your photo, everyone is sure to love the added personal touch.

Calling all book buddies! With their expansive collection of children’s stories (geared for 2 to 9-year-olds), you and your book worm will love catching up on FarFaria‘s long list of classic kids tales. Best of all? Three new stories are added to the online subscription library each week.

Just call it a virtual dose of summer school! Gazzili World is all about teaching your tot the basics (think colors, shapes, problem-solving and more) with their collection of educational apps that will keep them engaged and eager to learn.

Hello, Muppets and bye, bye boo-boos! Quickly turn that frown upside down with Band-Aid‘s Magic Vision. In addition to singing with Kermit, posing with Miss Piggy and helping Gonzo the Great, the program uses augmented reality technology to allow your tot to be the true star of the show.

Send them back to the drawing board with Doodle.ly, a virtual sketch pad that is sure to get your crafty kid’s creative juices flowing. Once they’ve put the final touches on their works of art, they can even put their talents on display by uploading their finished pieces to their fave social media sites.

— Anya Leon