One of the hardest things about being parent these days thinkrolls space not being consumed with jealousy at all the best apps for kids. Plus there are some really great games, too. Yet not all kid-focused apps and games are made equal.

Our favourite apps for kids The latest entry in our list of the best apps for kids. Then, shortly after receiving the marble run, said kid gets bored with how little they can do with it. We’re not going to pretend there’s a lot of educational value here. Automatoys is almost gleefully simplistic with its one-thumb interaction model, a tap simultaneously activating all of a machine’s moveable components.

There’s so much imagination in each colourful contraption. There’s genuine skill and timing in getting the marble to the goal. And at two quid for the full set of a dozen virtual toys, it’s a whole lot cheaper than any pile of plastic parts. Imagine Populous merged with a children’s nature book and that’s Toca Nature. Your tiny person can build hills and dig channels for rivers and lakes, all without getting their hands dirty. Trees are then planted with taps, whereupon rabbits, bears, fish and beavers start mooching about their respective habitats.

Your youngling can then observe their creation from above, like a miniature god, or use the magnifying glass to get up close and personal, lobbing acorns and fruit at their adoring furry and fishy subjects. The idea behind Pok Pok Playroom is to create a safe exploration-oriented play environment for children that echoes what they might find in the real world. Its games are therefore open-ended and risk-free, but afford young children the means to experiment and grow as they discover new things. From a visual standpoint, its colourful and minimal aesthetic comes across as friendly and offers great clarity. The subscription is a touch ambitious, but the app does regularly receive new toys, and at the very least it’s worth trying for a few months to see whether it clicks with your younglings.

The goal is to clear a pathway so the rotund hero can continue progressing through a massive maze. The snag is this involves figuring out how to work with all kinds of contraptions, like gears, bridges, hatches, and even a harp that makes an otherwise ravenous crocodile sleepy. Just the thing to get tiny minds working overtime, while sneakily getting them interested in videogames. If you’ve tiny humans toddling about, chances are you’ll own some wooden puzzles where letters are slotted into a board. If you’re very fortunate, you’ll still actually have a few of the letters, rather than a sad infant pointing forlornly at gaps.

Endless Alphabet should take their minds off of such losses, with dozens of words to sort by dragging letters about, and a bunch of amusing animations when each word is completed. Which means, naturally, we felt honour-bound to thoroughly test the app for inclusion in these pages by watching 20 episodes of Danger Mouse back to back. But Metamorphabet brings new life to learning the alphabet by way of imaginative, surreal and frequently disturbing animations. Tap and it sprouts antlers you can ping about. A’ then transforms into an arch and goes for an amble. B’ with a bushy beard and a beak belching an endless stream of colourful bugs. It’s weird, creative, brilliant, and usable enough even for an 18-month-old to try their tiny hand at.

The world’s most loved and gluttonous larva stars in a range of books with holes in, some of which have been awkwardly shoe-horned into apps. But this one’s different, coming across like a virtual pet. It starts with an egg, which when hatched reveals the titular wriggler, who merrily scarfs down any food plonked in front of him. Then it’s playtime, which, depending on the season, might mean belly-sliding on an icy pond, frantically smacking a bouncy ball around, or popping bubbles.