The List: 10 Apps for Smart Kids

Sometimes you just need some downtime—and so do the kids. We've got 10 of the best learning apps for youngsters that they'll love to play.

ABC Go showcases over 65 modes of transportation in a clever and innovative approach—perfect for a younger audience. Using lots of (age-appropriate) movies, images, sounds and interactive games, kids will be thoroughly entertained and engaged to learn new words, the alphabet and spelling.

Adorable aliens guide your child as they learn their upper and lower case letters, colours, shapes and numbers through matching, puzzles and dot-to-dot games. Kids will develop important skills such as problem solving, sequential counting and fine motor skills with the help of their Alien Buddies.

This is a simple animal matching game which helps to foster memory and concentration. The interface is intuitive and easy enough that the youngest child can play. Kids will no doubt love the app for the cuteness factor of the animals and their animal sounds.

The popular Bob Books are perfect for the first time reader. The methodology used in the original print series is carried forward to the Reading Magic #1 and #2 digital series which combines interactive, engaging and creative elements with the familiar Bob characters and stories.

Boing and his friendly-alien friends land their spaceship on the savannah but this math app is all about the animals. With the help of ostriches, meerkats and frogs, kids ages 3 through 6 will have fun as they learn counting, number ordering and adding or subtracting. We love that kids can play head-to-head against another player such as a parent or pal. Parents can track their child's progress with the personalized report feature.

Through a child's eyes, a dot becomes falling snow or bath time bubbles, and squiggles become the throwing flames from a fire breathing dragon. There's no limit to a child's imagination. Let's Color has 18 animated scenes that come to life once your child adds their creative touches to the scene.

The creators of the hit Monkey Lunch Preschool app have done it again with Monkey Math School Sunshine. Who knew a cute little monkey on the beach could teach a young crowd the basic fundamentals of math, including patterns, shapes and sequences? The app contains 9 interactive games, complete with an interactive aquarium that kids can fill as their reward for a job well done.

Let's face it, potty training is not glamorous—but Elmo makes it fun. This app follows our beloved red furry friend as he helps his doll, Baby David, make the transition from diapers to underpants. Five fun songs, puzzles, a reward chart and stickers make the perfect reinforcements in encouraging your child to reach the potty milestone.

Numbers, letters and dinosaurs, oh my! This iPad app teaches toddlers sequencing and pattern recognition of upper and lower ABCs and 123s up to 20 by way of dinosaur puzzles. Kids must match the dinosaur puzzle piece to the template with the corresponding number or letter.

Learning to write with ketchup, whipped cream and chocolate frosting? Yummy! Touch and Write includes 16 different writing ‘instruments,' 28 writing papers, two high-frequency word lists, two alphabet word lists and an alphabet list. Added bonus: parents can create their own custom word lists. Learning to write has never been this much fun.