Back to School: Apps That Will Make Your Kids Smarter

Take fun with reading to a whole new level with these iPad and iPhone reading apps for kids--and bring them along in the car for a little bit of catchup before school starts. MeeGenius! Children's Books has favorite kids' titles with audio playback, word highlighting, and personalization (iPhone/iPad app is $1.99; comes with 12 enhanced titles). Alice for the iPad lets you throw tarts at the Queen of Hearts and play croquet with a flamingo (and read the story, of course) (iPad, $8.99). The Cat in the Hat app is a great animated version of the all-time favorite kids' story; kids can read it themselves, or the app will read it to them (iPad and iPhone, $3.99). There are other Dr. Seuss book apps, too, including Green Eggs and Ham. Disney has lots of read-along, interactive iPad apps, including Toy Story 3 and The Princess and the Frog (each $8.99). i-Itch has teacher-developed apps; their ABC Shakedown Plus app is $1.99. Word Magic is designed for 3- to 6-year-olds learning to spell and is available with different difficulty levels (iPad and iPhone, $0.99).