Kids mobile games

Discover kids mobile games - what are they, where can you get them, and are they any good?

Yes indeed - the tide of technology now brings us yet another way to play, this time using our cell phones/mobile phones. So what's all the fuss about?

Let's take a look at some of the basics, and find out why mobile games for kids are suddenly making a big splash in the kids' games ocean!

What can you play mobile games on?

We'll split this into three categories:

• Your "normal" mobile phone or cell phone - LG, Nokia, Motorola, Samsung etc.
  You use this candybar sized phone mostly for calls and text messaging. Mine has internet access, too - so I can check the news, for example, although the display is small and I can't get video or some pages to load.

• Smartphones such as BlackBerry, Google Android powered phones, Windows Mobile or Palm Pre
  - as well as smartphones from Nokia, LG and makers of those "normal" mobiles. These phones offer bigger screens, sometimes touchscreens, keyboards, more multimedia - and are beginning to approach the idea of your own phone/computer/entertainment center device.

• Apple iPhone, iTouch, iPod
  Apple's devices are in a class of their own here, with the iTunes store providing audio, video, and the App Store - where you'll find the games.

What kind of games can you play?

You can download new games from your carrier, and they might be free or there may be a charge.

But there are some really exciting developments as far as kids mobile games are concerned! New devices with internet enabled connections, multimedia experiences and touchscreens make gaming much more accessible and fun, and there are now games being specifically developed for kids in this market.

Checking out the iTunes store, you can find kid game apps for iPhone and iPod touch such as

• ABC Memory Match
• Toddler Flashcards...
• or Peekaboo Barn!

Carriers such as Verizon, T-Mobile, Bell, Sprint and so on provide downloadable games such as Mickey Mini Golf and Hannah Montana in Action, both from Disney. You can no doubt access info on these games from your phone, or check out the carrier websites where you can discover which games are available and whether they are compatible with your phone.

You can browse your favorite kid game websites, too, such as Disney itself, and see whether they have mobile games on offer, and where to go to get them - but not many of the sites I checked had kid mobile games available.

What mobile games does your child enjoy?

I'd love to hear what mobile games your child enjoys - and as a "thank you" I'm giving you my Kid Activity Ideas download for free! Here you'll find 150+ ideas to keep your child busy over the summer :)

So here's my quick survey; no emails or names needed, and I won't be quoting you - this is purely for research purposes so that I can see what games you are playing!