by Carolina Nugent, Columnist 0

Do you have a little one starting Pre-K or Kindergarten in just a few months? Are you looking for ways to help prepare him for this big transition to school?

There are many ways to give your child a "boost" before they head off on his first day of school. To give your child a head start on learning colors, try these 6 apps, which teach colors in fun and creative ways.

1. Baby Learns Colors

Ages: 3-5

Device: iPad

Why I recommend it: Baby Learns Colors is a fun, coloring learning app. 12 colors are learned while exploring the 3 different environments: an artist’s pallet, an underwater aquarium, and outer space. Learn or play by answering questions asked by the cutest little characters. Answer questions to earn prizes that can children play with in the apps interactive prize world. One notable feature give you, as the parent, the option to record your voice to create a personalized experience for each of your children. 

Available here, $2.99* or try the Lite version for Free

2. Tiny Diggers

Ages: 3-5

Device: iPad & iPhone

Why I recommend it: Tiny Diggers puts your child in the driver's seat to learn about colors, numbers and shapes. Our kid testers went crazy over this app! Drive each truck and answer questions by interacting with each trucks unique parts. Need some play time? Enter into the free play mode and test out your horn or CB radio. We really hope more vehicles and content is added because the theme of this app is highly motivating!

Available here, $1.99*

3. Scout's Shapes & Colors Farm

Ages: 3-5

Device: iPhone

Why I recommend it: Scout’s Shapes and Color Farm is a must have early learning app. The developers at LeapFrog understand learning and instruction which comes across clearly in this educational app. Children learn colors by tapping and exploring a barnyard. Shapes are described, traced and modeled successfully in the farm’s vegetable patch. Children also identify shapes in the puzzle-like game of fixing farm equipment. There is plenty of room for play in each of the games and there is also a doggy dress-up area where children can use all the prizes they earn by completing activities. Features include log-ins for multiple children, simple taps to skip repeated directions, and multiple levels of difficulty that increase the amount and challenge of the educational content.

Available here, $0.99*

4. Color Collector

Ages: 3-5

Device: iPhone

Why I recommend it: Color Collector encourages your child to search for colors. Take pictures by tapping a large circle in the middle of your device to learn the color of what you just found. After finding three colors, get a little surprise. This app encourages discovery and investigation while reinforcing basic skills. Parents love that the pictures are not automatically saved on in iPhotos. One more highly motivating, early learning app from Tickle Tap apps.  

Available here, $1.99*

5. Mini Catch

Ages: 5-6

Device: Universal

Why I recommend it: Mini Catch has children playfully recognizing colors, shapes, and numbers. Tilt, turn and twist your device to move a truck around the screen catching gems. Game play gets harder as children need to catch gems of specific shapes or that have the right number. Beware there are plenty of gems that do not belong and even the occasional gem bomb. Mini Catch has two locked levels that can be purchased with in-app purchases.

Available here, Free*

6. Frogs and Fireflies - Color Mixing Game

Ages: 4-8

Device: iPhone

Why I recommend it: Frogs and Fireflies is a delightful app that has your child mixing colors in increasingly complex ways. Colorful frogs sit on lily pads and fireflies of varying colors fly around the sky. Drag fireflies together to match the colors of each frog. Start with combining two primary colors and move on to mixing three or four colors to match a specific shade. This app does a great job of teaching new users how to play and is very supportive, allowing for trial and error. You'll enjoy adding this to your app collection and using it alongside your child.

Available here, $1.99*

*Prices current as of publishing

Carolina Nugent is an experienced educator and the Director of Education for KinderTown, an educational app store that helps busy parents find the best apps for young kids. Sometimes referred to as the "Chief Curation Officer," she's evaluated more than 1,000 apps for kids. See more of her reviews in the FREE KinderTown App, available for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.

Image Source: Pink Sherbet Photography via Flickr/Creative Commons

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, POPSUGAR.