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iPod Educational Games

The iPod, iPhone or iPod touch can be used to access countless types of applications and media, from music and videos to social networking platforms and fitness utilities such as calorie counters and pedometers. However, these handy pieces of technology also offer ample games. While many of these games provide simple entertainment and distraction, some of them have education as their focus. This allows users to gain knowledge or hone an educational skill while still having fun and interacting with the high-tech tool.

Oregon Trail
- "Oregon Trail" takes children through the Oregon Trail, used by wagon-riding pioneers to travel west in the mid-1800s. Through crisp graphics and involved game play, children learn what the trail actually involved: broken wagon wheels, sickness that can lead to death, stopping on the trail to hunt game and bartering your items for necessities along the trail. During loading time, children also get historical facts, such as what diseases would affect pioneers the most. The game is a "lite" version, which means it's free and doesn't allow children to complete the entire game. You can purchase the complete version for $.99 on iTunes.
Stack the States
- "Stack the States" was voted Best Kids app for iPad in 2010 by the Best App Ever Awards. It was also voted Best Educational Game App by iEar.org. However, it is available for iPods. In "Stack the States," children learn current geography, like the names of U.S. states, the placement of states on the U.S. map and identifying the states based on their shape. The game costs $.99 on iTunes, but you can get the free lite version. For similar games that teach more geography, look to "Stack the Countries "and "Stack the Countries" Lite.
Word Wagon
- "Word Wagon" is made by Duck Duck Moose, a company that has won several Parents' Choice Awards for its apps. There are four levels of game play ranging from preschool to first grade, fitting for children ages 1 through 7. Level One teaches the names of letters; Level Two teaches the sounds of the letters; Level Three teaches how to spell words up to four letters long; and Level Four teaches children how to spell words up to six letters long. The game also teaches children how to spell more than 100 words from seven different categories. The app costs $1.99 on iTunes.
Math Bingo
- "Math Bingo" was ranked No. 1 Educational App and featured in the Best iPad Apps book by Peter Meyers, according to iTunes. The app is available also for iPhone. In this game, children have to get a pattern of five Bingo "bugs" in a row by answering math problems correctly. There are four games, ranging in three levels or difficulty. You can also create five player profiles and keep track of games played. The game is $.99 on iTunes.

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