Mibblio, an awesomely interactive music app for kids, would be pretty terrific even if it only played generic nursery rhymes. But given that it also features music from some of our favorite names in kindie music, like Dan Zanes, Recess Monkey, The Pop Ups, Lucky Diaz, Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke, and many others, it’s even more engaging and fun for kids–and also for their parents who may be listening nearby.
What Mibblio does so well is engages kids in the music, turning them into mini composers who can toggle different instruments on and off as the song plays. Each tune is beautifully and interestingly illustrated, turning it into an interactive storybook with colorful pages that pass by as the song is sung. Along with songs from the artists mentioned above, you’ll find holiday tunes like Happy Hanukkah available during the season.
Mibblio reminds me of one of our favorite toddler toys, The Symphony in B. Orchestra, in that it lets kids add instruments, then take them out, as the lyrics are sung. It helps them learn how the sound of a harp differs from that of a ukelele, or how an accordion can change a song when it’s added.
I also appreciate that you can put this app on quiet mode for times the kids just want to scroll through the story and read the words themselves, without any sound at all. Or maybe they’ll want to try singing the words on their own.
The free Mibblio app for iPad gets you the Mibblio template and one free Mibblet, or what we call “song.” Others can be added for the same price as any MP3 download. However choose your first one carefully carefully since you’ll likely hear it playing a few dozen times as your kids explore all the things this app can do.
Download the free Mibblio music app for kids for iPad, from iTunes. The first Mibblet is free, with additional ones $.99 each.
