It’s never too early to learn a language.    What could be more fun than Spanish for kids on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad?  Not much.   Here are six language learning apps that entertain and teach at the same time.

1.  PEEKABOO BARN

Age rating: 1+ | Price: $1.99

Peekaboo Barn is a fantastic educational app for babies and toddlers new to playing apps whether it’s on the iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. Touch the little red barn to open the doors and find out which animal is inside.

You have the option of having the names of the animals read in English or in Spanish as well as in a child’s voice for the English version. It’s great that the app also spells out the name of the animal for older children who are learning to read. Your kids will love the animal sounds and shaking the iPhone to get a new animal in the barn.

2.  WHEELS ON THE BUS

Age rating: 1+ | Price: $0.99

You might already have this app classic in your collection and not know that there is a Spanish language feature to Wheels on the Bus. The words on the app describing the page “The wheels on the bus go round and round” remain in English, but click on the musical note to find an option for the song to be sung to your child in Spanish, French, German or other languages.

3.  FIRSTWORDS: SPANISH

Age rating: 1+ | Price: $4.99

FirstWords: Spanish is an engaging app that teaches children to recognize letters, words, shapes, animals and more. It’s terrific that FirstWords has added an app that’s entirely in Spanish. Worth the high price considering your child is learning so much at the same time their being entertained and challenged.

Touch a letter to hear how it sounds, and then after the letters are placed correctly to complete the word, the word is pronounced and the graphic spins and makes noise as a reward to the child. Great to have your child play when you want to show off to parents who aren’t as tech friendly with their kids. I love that you get so many more pages than with the original FirstWords.

4.  FEED ME! (SPANISH) – PENCILBOT PRESCHOOL

Age rating: 1+ | Price: FREE

What? A clever Spanish language app that doesn’t cost a dime? Just when you think you’ll be paying extra for second language apps, here comes Feed Me! (Spanish) – Pencilbot Preschool, a terrific app completely for free.

Kids solve color, shape, pattern and math puzzles by dragging the appropriate items into the happy monster’s mouth for him to eat up. Choose the wrong object and your monster may get sick. Available in multiple languages including Spanish, Mandarin, Japanese, French, German and more.

5.  ROSITA’S JUMP COUNT

Age rating: 1+ | Price: $ 1.99

Rosita’s Jump Count is a simple app that helps your child learn to count in both English and Spanish. Watch Rosita jump rope at the same time as the user (yes, kids need to jump for the app to work) and she calls out the number as you jump.

I wish there was a feature that let you choose whether you wanted her to count in Spanish vs. English, but she changes it out often enough. It works with the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, but makes more sense with the first two devices. Just make sure your phone or touch has a protective casing in case your child drops it.

6.  KIDS SPANISH

Age rating: 1+ | Price: $ 1.99

Kids Spanish is the full strength version of Kids Spanish Lite (only Colores and Numbers). Great sound effects help your child’s early recognition with objects, numbers and colors. As your child touches the symbol, the app reads the name in Spanish. I loved the sound effects and bright colors.

Like this?   Get our monthly newsletter.

Read our disclosure policy.

Grade: A- | Age rating: 4+ | Price: $1.99

Highlights My First Hidden Pictures is a fun app and a great way to introduce toddlers and preschoolers to the delight of hidden picture puzzles.

Kids can look for almost a hundred objects hidden in the eight included illustrations and get clues whenever they need them with no penalty.

What’s Hot:
We’re not surprised that this app is polished and intuitive, since it’s basically just an easier version of the Highlights Hidden Pictures app (which we know and love).  These classic illustrations are easy on the eyes and looking for the hidden objects will provide your kids with hours of quiet, thoughtful fun.

The music and sound effects add to the experience, but you can turn them off if you’re somewhere silent.

What’s Not:
We’d still like to see more puzzles included in the initial purchase price, because once you solve them, you’re done.  You can get two extra puzzles by registering and many more with in-app purchases (which you’ll need to turn on in your settings if you’ve previously turned it off).

The Bottom Line:
One of our favorite things to do when we were kids and still fun today in a more high-tech way.

Like this?   Get our monthly newsletter.

We tested version 1.3.1, which is compatible with the iPhone (OS 3.1.3 or later),  iPhone touch, and iPad. Developer Mobad Games. Read our disclosure policy.

Grade: A- | Age rating: 4+ | Price: $0.99

Cake Doodle is a fun, creative app that lets you bake and decorate all kinds of delicious confections without the mess or calories!

Choose from eight cake flavors, twelve cake styles, 49 frosting colors, and 71 cake toppers.  Do you see now why this is so darn fun?

What’s Hot:
Cracking the eggs, slicing the butter, and stirring with your fingers.   You’re really only limited by your imagination when it comes to these cakes.  Also?  The short baking time is a definite plus.

What’s Not:
It’s kind of easy to touch a baking pan by accident (and choose one you don’t want) and there doesn’t seem to be any way to go back.  You just have to bake your way through it.

The Bottom Line:
Well worth the $0.99 and so much less messy than real baking!

Like this?   Get our monthly newsletter.

We tested version 1.0, which is compatible with the iPhone (OS 3.0 or later) and the 2nd generation iPhone touch. Developer Shoe the Goose. Read our disclosure policy.

Grade: B+ | Age rating: 4+ | Price: $0.99 per topic

Schoolhouse is an educational app for kids in kindergarten through 5th grade who need or want a little extra (and fun) practice with math, spelling, time, and money.

What’s Hot:
There are great graphics and the app reinforces a positive attitude every time the student stops by telling your child that they “rock”.

Parents will need to play the app first and set the customizable settings for their child before they play. Why? Under some settings the child can only move forward if they get the answer correct (spelling) and on other occasions the test moves forward even when the kids answer incorrectly (math) – so they wouldn’t find out which problems they missed on. But parents can fine tune settings and set to their expectations.

What’s Not:
If you’ve got an iPhone 3G or 3GS, you’re going to need to download the new (free) iPhone 4.0 software before buying this app. It seems like a pain, but you’ll be glad you did…right after you download the sound files (a separate chore), and upgrade each subject ($0.99 each) just to get out of the super basic practice mode.

The Bottom Line:
Parents who favor educational apps over just-for-fun app games will love this app. Kids, however, might just view it a mobile version of additional homework.

Like this?  Get our monthly newsletter.

We tested version 1.1 which is compatible with the iPhone (OS 4.0 or later), the iPod touch, and the iPad. Developer BizzyTime LLC.  Read our disclosure policy.

Grade: A- | Age rating: 1+ | Price: $2.99

Interactive Alphabet for the iPad and iPhone is such a lovely way to experience the alphabet, that kids will want to play it over and over.  Maybe adults too.

From a home screen kids choose from among 26 colorful letters (that look a lot like refrigerator magnets).  Each page has an age appropriate original illustration (like “D is for Dinosaur”), background music, and an animation for your child to discover.

It’s very simple, but the best things in life often are.

What’s Hot:
We don’t really have space to list all the things we love about this app, but a few stand out.  The hamster hiding under the hat for the letter H?  Cute!  The Northern Lights above the igloo on the letter I?  Authentic.  The sun that you can make rise and set on the beach for the letter B?  Cool!  Watch out though, if you make the sun go all the way down, you’ll think the app has crashed.  It hasn’t—it’s just night.

What’s Not:
O is for Olive?  Really?  (We’re kidding.  We legitimately couldn’t find anything not to like about this app.)

The Bottom Line:
A top pick for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers.

We tested version 1.0, which is compatible with the iPad and Phone (OS 3.2 or later). Developer Pi’ikea St. LLC. Read our disclosure policy.

Grade: B | Age rating: 3+ | Price: $0.99

Let’s Bead Friends allows crafty kids of almost any age to design simple or elaborate friendship bracelets and send them to their loved ones via Facebook or email.

What’s Hot:
Real crafting is messy!  With this app you can have all the creativity without the chaos.  Sometimes that’s exactly what you need as a parent.  Choose from five bead shapes, nine colors, and ten designs every time you add a bead, then finish your opus off with a personalized charm or two.

What’s Not:
This app is fun, but it probably has limited replay value for kids over 8.  It definitely provides creative enjoyment, just probably not hours of creative enjoyment.

The Bottom Line:
A nice, simple outlet for your kids’ creativity.

Like this?   Get our monthly newsletter.

We tested version 1.0, which is compatible with the iPhone (OS 3.0 or later) and the 2nd generation iPhone touch. Developer i-itch Inc. Read our disclosure policy.

Grade: B+ | Age rating: 1+ | Price: $1.99

Sound Touch is the most addictive app my one and a half year old daughter has played since Itsy Bitsy Spider. There are six different themed menu screens, each holding clip art pictures of animals, household items, means of transportation, etc.

Touch an object and then the screen flashes over to a real life picture of the object as it plays the real life sound the item would make. From cows to a knock on the door, children can develop sight and sound recognition.

What’s Hot: I think it’s great that there are four different real life pictures and sounds for each object. So as the child keeps touching the elephant they get a different sound and different looking elephant each time.

What’s Not: I would’ve given them a higher grade if there was also an additional screen that voiced the name of the object, thus teaching the child what it is by name and not just by sight and sound. For example, four screens of a cow mooing, but then a fifth screen where a voice said “cow”.

The Bottom Line: It doesn’t look that fancy or fun at first glance, but it’s a great app for parents to get to know their son or daughter by paying attention to which animals/ojects they like the most. I thought my daughter would love the kittens, but it’s the cows, xylophone and helicopters that make her the happiest.

Like this?   Get our monthly newsletter.

We tested version 1.5.1, which is compatible with the iPhone (OS 3.0 or later) and the 2nd generation iPhone touch. Developer Sound Touch Interactive. Read our disclosure policy.

Grade: B | Age rating: 2+ | Price: $0.99

ABC by Paul McDougall is an alphabet storybook app with adorable, not-so-scary monster characters and witty prose.  If you’ve got to learn the alphabet (and you do), this is a good way to do it.

You can feel good about buying this app too, because profits are being partially used to donate print copies of the book to libraries and hospitals in need. This is what we in the iPhone and iPad app reviewing business call a win-win situation.

What’s Hot:
The quirky monsters and color palette are very appealing, as is the writing (“C is for Chelsea, the charming young carrot” for example, and “D is for Dana, the dog who loves donuts”).

What’s Not:
This app would really benefit from simple sound effects and a musical background.  That said, it works well in situations where you really need your toddlers to be quiet.

The Bottom Line:
Not the most fully featured storybook in the app store, but the eye candy illustrations make up for it.  Plus, you’ll be supporting a nice cause.

Like this?   Get our monthly newsletter.

We tested version 1.1, which is compatible with the iPhone (OS 3.0 or later) and the 2nd generation iPhone touch. Developer Paul McDougall. Read our disclosure policy.

Grade: B+ | Age rating: 5+ | Price: $1.99

MathGirl Number Garden is a sneaky educational app masquerading as a fun game tailor made for girls.  They might think they’re earning points to redeem for rainbows, flowers, and bunnies, but really they’re practicing arrays (a visual, right brain math exercise).

What’s Hot:
The garden theme and pastel colors are so darn cute.  Girls will be falling all over themselves to play for points and then redeem them in order to decorate their gardens.  We especially liked “unlocking” the various high ticket items like soccer balls, tire swings, and ponds. 

What’s Not:
You can only buy one of each item.  It’s a minor thing, but I kind of wanted to decorate my garden with 15 pink rabbits.  Maybe that’s just me though.

The Bottom Line:
This sweet app really stands out in a sea of boring, unimaginative math practice apps.

Like this?   Get our monthly newsletter.

We tested version 1.0, which is compatible with the iPhone (OS 3.0 or later) and the 2nd generation iPhone touch. Developer Icanology. Read our disclosure policy.

Age rating: 4+ | Price: $1.99

Space Crayons for the iPad allows pint-sized robot lovers to create their own robots with digitally charged crayons and then bring them to life with simple animation.  And you know what’s even better?  Two kids can collaborate on a single design for twice the fun and none of the fighting.

From time to time developers give us free promo codes to share with our readers.  We do this on a first come first served basis.  If these U.S. only codes don’t work, somebody beat you to it. Better luck next time!

If you score a code, please do the developers a favor and leave a review on the iTunes App Store. Not sure how to redeem a promo code? There’s a link for that.