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Smartphones and tablets have become invaluable modern parenting tools, letting us quickly educate, inform, connect, and amuse entertain. And thanks to Google’s cheap Chromecast dongle, now you can cast that entertainment onto your TV with ease. Allowing for experiences that aren’t confined to a handheld display.
While the Chromecast app selection is maybe relatively thin. You’ll find a few apps and games perfect for keeping your kids’ anxiety and boredom at bay. At least a little while. Whether it’s mimicking moves with Just Dance Now, flinging living projectiles in Angry Birds Friends, or tapping into the streaming offerings of YouTube Kids and other services. These TV-enabled apps can help you in a pinch.
Angry Birds Friends is Rovio’s socially-connected, free-to-play spin on the mobile hit. The one entry in the pull and fling series is playable on your TV via Chromecast. Just tap the icon the familiar cartoonish stage is blown up on your big screen. At the same time, your phone becomes a vessel for dragging launching birds at the soon-to-topple structures.
What’s unique about Angry Birds Friends is that it’s not a massive adventure with hundreds of levels. Instead, you’re given six new stages each week to topple, so your kids can consider it appointment gaming. You could provide them with the phone, so they can spend time here and there maxing out their scores. Just don’t let them near the paid power-ups.
Angry Birds Friends (Free)
The PBS KIDS Video app is an absolute godsend for parents with young tykes. It is loaded with full episodes from a wide array of familiar and less familiar kids’ TV series. But since it’s PBS, everything is free, too. Load up a video of interest and hit the Chromecast logo. It’ll run on your TV without annoying toy commercials or subscription prompts.
PBS KIDS Video is the home of enduring franchises like Curious George, Thomas & Friends, and Sesame Street, but also more recent offerings like Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Odd Squad, and Nature Cat. Each show has four complete episodes, along with a bevy of clips. The selection is refreshed weekly.
PBS KIDS Video (Free)
Just Dance Now
Ubisoft’s ultra-accessible dance sensation is now available on Chromecast thanks to Just Dance Now. Which uses your Android phone as a controller. As you match moves to hundreds of high-energy tracks. Now matches you up with worldwide players as you view to have the most precise routine. Your phone’s motion controls are used to judge your accuracy.
It’s bright and energetic but can quickly turn repetitive unless you’re willing to spend time. You get free access to a couple of songs/routines. You can buy individual songs or a large pack of tracks. Even pay for a timed entrance to the entire library. Dropping $5 for 30 days of unlimited play isn’t bad if your kids play a ton. Just make sure they grip your phone tight!
Just Dance Now (Free)
Ok, you probably don’t want to hand over a phone with full YouTube access to your kinder garden child. There are things that they’re just not ready to see. But YouTube Kids is a different story. The app is refined and confined in a way that makes sense for even young kids to navigate themselves.
They can browse through shows like Peppa Pig, Thomas & Friends, Teletubbies, and much more, along with educational music channels. While YouTube Kids has ads, they’re kept kid-friendly. You also have control over how much kids can watch and whether or not they can use search. So you can box them in as much as you please. And casting to a Chromecast is as simple as tapping the button, of course.
YouTube Kids (Free)
Traditionalists might grumble at the idea of remixing a board game classic, but Monopoly Here & Now: Big Screen Edition delivers a streamlined, TV-based take on the original. Rather than spend hours slowly working your way around the board amassing wealth, Here & Now zips you from space to space as you cover your passport with property stamps.
It still has the familiar tokens varying locales. Still, now you can use unique cards to hamper your opponents’ moves. Plus there are other little twists that keep things lively and fun. Up to four local devices can connect to play via Chromecast, and you can add A.I. foes. The free download limits the amount you can play, but it’s just $2 to fully unlock the game.
Monopoly Here & Now: Big Screen Edition (Free)
Ubisoft’s Driver Speedboat Paradise has little to do with the Driver console series, which spotlighted getaway chases, not boats. Still, your kids won’t care: they’ll see a flashy racing game and want to snatch your phone away. No doubt, Speedboat Paradise is the most technically ambitious game on Chromecast. While the performance can be choppy, the racing makes for a solid diversion.
You’ll tap the on-screen buttons to steer, slow, or boost your TV boat. The game offers a broad campaign of events to clear. It’s free-to-play, however, so an energy meter can limit the action; there are prompts to spend money. Also, the between-race storyline has mild language, vague drug references, and bikini-clad women. So maybe save it for older kids or flip through the menu stuff for them on your phone.
Driver Speedboat Paradise (Free)
Until recently, Sesame Street was a premium service. You paid a few bucks a month for access to a load of back episodes. But now, with Sesame Street going to HBO, the app is free, albeit at the expense of losing full episodes. That’s a bummer, but now it means anyone can grab the app. Fire it up, and let their kids dig into all the free content.
You’ll still find clips from compilation shows, just not good episodes. All of the video content can be easily cast onto your TV with the tap of a button. Sesame Street also has simple learning games, which sadly can’t be cast. But at least the bulk of the content is TV-compatible. And you won’t find any ads amidst the fun.
Sesame Street (Free)
Have you ever played tennis in one of the many knock-offs that followed? If so, you know what to expect from Motion Tennis Cast. It’s an easy-to-play game where you swing your Android phone to swat a virtual racquet on the court. How you move the phone determines the kind of shot taken, although they’re not hugely different.
Even with the simplicity of the approach, Motion Tennis Cast is fun because it gets you moving. It also offers a burnt calories estimate once your session is through. You can even tweak the court-type take-on-time attack challenges. As with Just Dance Now, this game is ripe for accidentally tossing a phone into your TV. So consider using a wrist strap or some other homemade contraption.
Motion Tennis Cast (Free)
Memory was a low-key classic of a game. The Memory Cast brings it to life on your TV with ease. It’s the same game you’ll remember from being a tyke. Tap two upside-down photo cards from a grid and try to make a pair. You can scale the experience from as few as six cards to as many as 56 totals.
The free Memory Cast comes with a handful of free categories. Designed to help kids learn ideas and concepts, such as animal numbers. Premium sets sold for anyone seeking variety. Up to six local devices can connect, too. You can set up a pass-and-play game if you only have one phone or tablet.
Memory Cast (Free)
It’s so obvious, yet so easy to overlook; of course, Netflix is a tremendous asset for kids. You can cast anything on the streaming service to your TV with a tap. Netflix has overwhelming kids’ TV content, including Handy Manny, Curious George, Octonauts, Sofia the First, and much more. It also has a lot of kid-friendly films, with Disney flicks like Fantasia Tarzan leading the pack.
More recently, Netflix has funded its own original series, including Dinotrux Turbo FAST, with much more on the horizon. Unlike other video apps, Netflix’s monthly fee is $20 a month for new subscribers. But if you use it regularly, let’s not forget the voluminous content for older viewers, which can be a steal.
