This week a friend requested a list of “free drawing apps that don’t have tons of windows that I have to disable before my 3 year old makes in-app purchases.”
If you want to use free apps, turn off your in-app purchasing in your settings before handing your device to your child. Free apps tend to have in-app purchasing options built in to direct you towards purchasing the developer’s other products, which is how the developer eventually makes money. The child will get a window that states that in-app purchases have been disabled, but you can train her to close that dialog to get on with play.
My drawing app suggestions:
Draw With Stars is a great app for children of all ages, even the very young. Just as the name states, touching the screen will result in stars appearing. This is highly satisfying to babies, princess-obsessed three year olds, and tired mommies, at least in our house.
Squiggles is an app that combines your child’s drawing with animations, so when she is finished drawing she can watch her drawing come to life. There is a blank page for those children who don’t like to be hemmed in by a preprogrammed theme. And even though this app is free, there are no ads and the in-app purchasing is limited to the opening screen, making it unlikely your child’s play will be derailed by it.
Doodle Buddy features a blank sheet of paper or a coloring book page, so it is more of a true drawing app. The tool, width of mark, color, and texture are all easy to manipulate, making the app appropriate for children of all ages. The downsides: There is a small ad in the tool window which you will be charged 99¢ to disable. There is also an Extras tool which will bring up options for in-app purchasing. I can understand how this might be too much of a turnoff.
If the in-app purchasing and advertising is really getting in the way of your child’s creativity, go ahead and pay the $1.99 for Drawing Pad. It is well worth it for a very intuitive, straightforward app that allows use of multiple tools and stencils. It also includes undo and redo buttons, helping your little perfectionist to create his or her perfect picture.
– Christine Dehne is a Brooklyn-based multimedia artist and educator and a mother of two girls. She strives to teach her children and her students to be happy but conscious consumers of media. You can reach her at christinedehne (at) gmail (dot) com.