What it is: a pack of activities (about 18 different activities) for developing and strengthening early math skills. 3 difficulty levels (numbers from 0 to 20).

What you do with it: the activities include: number and quantity recognition, counting, comparing numbers and quantities, number puzzles, patterns, addition, subtraction etc.

Complete the tasks and invite more and more friends for a train ride.
The activities get progressively difficult as you advance (start with basic counting and number recognition at the 'easy' level up to ?+?=8 type problems at the 'hard' level).

What we liked: the concept, wide range and good quality of activities, spoken instructions and visual clues, ease of use, simple graphics and animations, no distracting elements, the 'advancing difficulty' option.

What we didn't like: there is no option to choose a particular activity or group of activities. The activities can get a bit repetitive after some time. No progress/level tracking for parents.

Free preview: if you are not sure, please see our 'See before you buy' video (below) or try the free version of the app.

Appysmarts

What it is: a pack of 18 games and activities concentrating on fine motor skills, critical thinking and problem solving.

What you do with it: please refer to the full list with descriptions available on the producer's website: http://littlebitstudio.com/bugsandbuttons/

What we liked: the concept, great graphics with very realistic animated insects, easy navigation and operation, the number and quality of (most) of the activities, adaptive learning system (difficulty increases or decreases depending on the child's progress), the sound backgrounds, the 'stamp collecting' rewards feature.

What we didn't like: no spoken instructions (in our opinion the 'visual instructions' were sometimes not sufficient). Some activities may require some help or additional explanation from a parent. We didn't like the human-like sounds (when insects are touched), the numerical scoring system with a timer (not very useful for younger kids), the activities where the insects are 'hurt' (caught with fingers or flung with a slingshot). The app could have even more educational value if it contained some real-life facts about the insects (e.g. presented in the Stamps section).

Bottom line: a great set of fun activities for developing fine motor skills, critical thinking and problem solving.

Appysmarts

What it is: an app for creating simple animated movies.

What you do with it: create simple animated sequences using various shapes by moving them around the screen and 'recording' animation frames. Animations can be saved and edited.

There are two modes: Easy (simple pre-defined animation templates, includes tutorial and step by step instructions) and 'Expert' (free play, unlimited designs).

What we liked: excellent concept. Very easy to use. Step by step tutorials, guiding the user from very basic to more advanced animations. Overall quality of the app. No distracting elements.

What we didn't like: no sounds. No option to export the animation.

Bottom line: excellent introduction to the world of animation.

Appysmarts

What it is: an app teaching story order (15 pre-defined stories/sequences with option to create your own).

What you do with it:arrange the pictures in the correct sequence and make a short story

What we liked: the concept, easy operation, good graphical quality, high educational value, option to add user-created sequences

What we didn't like:navigation is a little bit inconsistent, for younger kids this app requires parental assistance (to explain rules), not much 'fun factor', many outside links on the main screen. For this price we would like to see more (and maybe longer than 5 pictures each) sequences.

Appysmarts

What it is: six activities based on the Montessori method for teaching early math.

What you do with it: six activities: simple counting (0-9), tracing numbers, number rods in and number beads for sequencing and recognizing quantity, number blocks for counting and recognizing quantity and counters for counting, recognizing quantity and learning odd and even numbers.

What we liked: the concept, high quality graphics, easy operation, number of options for each activity, detailed instructions for each activity (for teachers and parents), audio instructions for children.

What we didn't like: the interface is a little slow (e.g. 'opening' animations could be left out). Not enticing enough for kids to play on their own. We had a problem with identifying the target group for this app: for parents of kids from the Montessori schools this app will be redundant, for those who are not familiar with Montessori concepts this may be too difficult or too abstract.

Appysmarts

What it is: a set of activities for early math practice (numbers from 0 to 20).

What you do with it: the activities include:

- counting

- completing the number sequences on the number line

- identifying quantities

- simple addition and subtraction problems

- more complex addition and subtraction problems (e.g. 2-0+8=?)

- choosing and adding numbers to obtain a given sum

What we liked: nice variety of activities (but please see the note below). Ease of use. The reporting feature. Support for 8 different languages. No distracting elements.

What we didn't like: the range of activities is too broad (counting vs. more complex math problems). The activities are rather simple and could be more engaging. The app could be more inspiring visually.

Free preview: if you are not sure try the free version of Number Splash app.

Appysmarts