When it comes to gaming apps, tweens (kids between the ages of nine and 12) can be a tough group to please. Too old for apps and games targeting young kids, but not quite ready for those that are appropriate for older teenagers, tweens can’t always say what they’re looking for in an app-based game, but they usually know it when they see it. If you’re the parent of a tween in search of such an app, try one of the following seven suggestions. All great choices for tweens, these games are fun, cool, and (bonus for parents!) can even provide some educational benefit.
Minecraft
It should be no surprise to see Minecraft at the top of a list of apps and games popular with tweens. Just like Lego, Minecraft is all about what kind of world you can make by putting “building blocks” together in different ways, and this fantastic blend of creating and playing is hugely appealing to developing minds. Plus, because it’s so adaptable and absorbing, it’s also a game that parents can enjoy as much as their kids, especially when playing together. Check out Minecraft on your desktop, or on most game consoles and mobile devices.
Lifeline
If you’re a parent who remembers loving the “choose your own adventure” books that were hugely popular a few decades ago, you’ll get a kick out of introducing your tween to Lifeline. This app brings the “choose your own adventure” genre into the digital age: the game plays out as an unfolding story delivered to you through text notifications on your device, and your job is to respond with instructions as to what the characters should do next. With just the right blend of tension and suspense, plus the option to rewind and make different choices, Lifeline is an enthrallingly re-playable narrative game.
Neko Atsume
Tweens around the world are going wild for Neko Atsume, which means “Cat Collection” in Japanese. And once you know the name of the game, you know the concept: Neko Atsume involves placing food in a virtual yard to attract kittens, then caring for these little cats with food and toys. It might not sound that exciting, but the game takes full advantage of the current popularity of Japanese art forms like anime and manga, and young players can’t seem to get enough.
Heads Up
Playing a game on your smartphone doesn’t always mean that your eyes have to be glued to the screen. Heads Up is a hugely popular game for families who appreciate the fact that the whole point of the app is to encourage real-life interaction and fun. Essentially a digital version of charades, Heads Up is simple to understand and play: one player holds their smartphone against their forehead, and the app displays a particular word or phrase on the screen. The job of the other players is to act out that word so that the first player can guess what it is. It’s a great game for tweens to play with each other or with their parents.
Hopscotch: Make Games
While young children love playing games, tweens often start to get curious about making or inventing their own games. Enter Hopscotch: an accessible app that’s all about introducing players to the fundamentals of coding and programming. But this is no dry and daunting tutorial; rather, the app uses a colorful, friendly interface and plenty of interactive directions and guides to help players design and play their own digital games. It’s an excellent introduction to the basics of game design, and best of all, the creations are shareable, so your tween’s friends can play the game they created right on their own devices.
DragonBox Algebra 12+
If you’re looking for a way to trick your tween into having fun with math, check out DragonBox Algebra. Designed with the ambitious mission of making math approachable and fun, this innovative app helps teach the principles of algebra by gamifying the process through hundreds of short puzzles. As players progress through each level, new concepts are introduced with minimal explanation, so the fun of the game becomes figuring out just how these concepts work. If equations and formulas have seemed dry and dull before, they won’t after some time spent with DragonBox Algebra.
Civilization Revolution 2
A pumped-up version of the popular world domination board game Risk, Civilization Revolution 2 is part of the Civilization series of strategy games that has been going strong for more than 25 years. The basic concept of the game is that players launch a civilization in ancient times and guide it as the centuries move forward to the present era and beyond. While the focus is on inventing a unique history and society, Civilization Revolution 2 teaches plenty of lessons about real-world history, making it one of those rare games that’s fun and educational at the same time.