The Festive Apple 2012: Christmas activity iOS apps for kids

Here’s a selection of iOS apps that provide Christmas activities for the kids.

Text Santa

ilical apps has released Text Santa 1.0.1, a great way of letting Santa know what is on your list this Christmas. Easy to use, this Apple iOS App simply allows anyone to write a wish list/personal message to send over to Santa in time for Christmas. Santa will then reply with a message to you either via a text message (SMS) to your mobile/cell phone, or by an email to your personal email address. The app also includes a countdown to Christmas, so you’ll always know how long till Santa arrives.

Features:

• Countdown to Christmas
• Ability to submit a wish list to Santa
• Allows sending of a personal message to Santa
• Personalized reply from Santa via either SMS or email
• App includes 3 replies from Santa; more can be purchased from within the app
• Christmas background music
• iPhone 5 optimization

Price: $2.99 for a limited time

Product [Text Santa]

Santa and the Christmas List Muddle

MiBooks has introduced Santa and the Christmas List Muddle 1.0, their brand new holiday-themed kids adventure book for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

It’s the night before Christmas and Santa’s head elf Simon makes a startling discovery—the pages of Santa’s Christmas list have all been muddled up! Join Simon, Santa and all the elves as they fly around the world to ensure everyone gets the right presents on Christmas morning.

Santa and the Christmas List Muddle’s interactive style engages children whilst they are reading, allowing them to touch and interact with objects and characters that provide rich visual and aural feedback to the reader, including story-driven animation. The illustration style of Santa and the Christmas List Muddle is also particularly appealing to young children.

In Santa and the Christmas List Muddle, the reader can get involved in the story by making decisions about which direction the story should take. This type of interaction allows the reader to feel more involved in the flow of the story.

Santa and the Christmas List Muddle allows the reader to read the book themselves, with a parent, or have it read to them with the aid of voiceover audio. This is perfect for some younger readers who aren’t yet ready to read the book themselves but still want to enjoy the adventure and fun of Santa and the Christmas List Muddle.

Santa and the Christmas List Muddle also features two fun mini-games during the book, allowing the reader to be immersed in the storyline and take part in helping Simon and Santa get all the people of the world the right presents.

Price: $2.99

Product [Santa and the Christmas List Muddle]

The Xmas App – Bring the Christmas Spirit to your iPhone

Bring the Christmas spirit to your iPhone. With over eight Christmas activities and games, The Xmas App from TheHermanApps allows the user to play three quiz modes from Christmas Movies to Christmas Music to Christmas Toys. The app also lets your children email Santa their Christmas list directly and have Santa send them a personal email back.

Features the user will experience:

• A movie quiz, all based on the greatest christmas films ever made
• A music quiz, all about Christmas greatest music hits
• A toy quiz, all about the best selling Christmas toys of the last 50 years
• Each quiz has its own scoreboard so you can challenge friends and family
• All the quizzes have been design to bring back all your wonderful christmas memories
• Email Santa your christmas list direct from the app and have Santa email you back personally
• Find Santa on his visits to some of the greatest city’s in the world. Abit like Where’s Wally
• Eight full christmas carols to read and sing along to with the family, or even use them going carol singing
• The christmas tree game to keep the family entertained on long car rides or walks
• A great soundboard with christmas songs, sounds and famous quotes from the greatest christmas films
• A wonderful photo gallery and even use the photos as a home screen

Price: $0.99

Product [The Xmas App]

Contact Santa

Kids being naughty or want to contact Santa? Get Santa’s help with his call, write and reward chart application. Independent app developer Ellie Saffron has teamed up with Santa to help him create an easy and effective way for you and the children to contact the north pole. This is a unique app due to its multi person call options and gold star reward board. Its also easy to use:

1. Call the north pole: This feature provides direct mobile contact to; Santa , Mrs Claus and Rudolph. You can hear their messages and leave one yourself.
2. Reward good behavior with Santa’s gold star chart: Encourage good behavior with Santa’s gold star reward board app that delivers a loud cheer and applause whenever you decide and award a gold star to a child. If they are being naughty give them some black coal for the coal tally.
3. Finally, the kids can draw or write a letter to Santa addressed to The North Pole. The kids can remind him how many gold stars they have earned or what they would like for Christmas. They can add stickers and draw in different colours, there is a special chime and animated letter that floats away to the North Pole when they press send.

Price: Free

Product [Contact Santa]

Jolly Jingle App

With the Jolly Jingle App, parents now have access to a festive and educational tool that teaches children timeless Christmas carols through the use of sing-along lyrics and animated characters. Jolly Jingle app brings the Christmas spirit right to your door and is suitable for all children ages 3 and older. The app is available on all Apple devices and can be already downloaded at the iTunes App Store.

Jolly Jingle was created out of love for children in order to have them enjoy more the Christmas celebrations. It helps parents teach their child the greatest Christmas carols of all times, including Jingle Bells, Frosty the Snowman, We wish you a Merry Children and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. To facilitate the learning process, the page of every song incorporates vocals performed by kids with highlighted lyrics at the top of the screen.

Children will soon find themselves in a vibrant and snowy wonderland where their favorite Christmas characters will guide them through an uplifting soundtrack of holiday music. As they cheerfully sing along, they can click on magical objects that reveal hidden surprises. It is extremely interactive for all children, siblings and the whole family.

Price: Free

Product [Jolly Jingle]