Crazy Machines

The guy in charge of this crazy lab might give Einstein a run for his money, with his wild white hair and chalkboard full of insane ideas. He's a mad scientist, and your kid can learn to be one too! Of course, no one becomes a master scientist overnight.

Players start by solving simple tasks and participating in experiments, so they can get a grasp of concepts like propulsion or momentum. They can also move on and build mad machines from scratch. Logic puzzles are this app’s bread and butter. But it also introduces simple physics concepts. Junior inventors will have a blast figuring out the kooky professor's contraptions while working on the important, and often neglected, skills of logical thinking, problem solving and design. Design thinking is a hot new area of education, as multiple studies continue to outline the value of inventiveness and adaptability. There’s much to love about this app, which celebrates imagination and creativity.

While it can be a bit difficult for beginners, instructions and tutorials are comprehensive. And once your kid gets the hang of it, there’s plenty of room to grow with lots of levels of difficulty, and downloadable construction add-ons that make contraption action even more fun.