If my tots are going to be using an iPad, I want them to have fun and learn something new. While the number of educational apps grows everyday, Dragon Box stands out by teaching exceptionally tough mathematical concepts. It teaches algebra, and the best part is that your kids won’t even realize that! They’ll think they’re just playing a fun game. To be honest, the higher levels are pretty challenging (even for me!), but kids who have grown up with this technology have an incredible knack for picking up the rules. And in Dragon Box, those rules are taught with the help of dragons, fish, and other cute creatures. You match up opposites and move them from one side of the equation to the other. A sample rule is that what you put on one side you have to put on the other. Or that if you have matching but photographic negative images of creatures, they’ll cancel each other out and disappear. The game starts out using the creatures and boxes, but eventually the creatures become X’s and the boxes turn into A’s and C’s. So your tots end up doing (and enjoying) math, although I can’t say I got that far! Overall, it’s an engaging game and since your kids are going to beg to play on the iPad, at least you can rest easy knowing that they’re getting something out of it. Plus, they’re learning in a much more efficient way than we did back in the dark ages! Available on the iTunes store for $5.99.
