Kids are fascinated with all things shiny and technological, and if you've given them access to a smartphone or tablet you might be somewhat dismayed by the hours they insist on clocking up on Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja.
However, there's no need to despair - there are plenty of fantastic educational apps that can both keep them entertained and give their brain a workout in the process.
Ultimate Dinopedia
Kids love dinosaurs, so why not use this fun iPad app to sneak in some history and science education? It comes with fantastic illustrations and clear information on over seven hundred dinosaurs, all presented in a way that kids enjoy.
Ultimate Dinopedia the digital equivalent of the fantastic books on dinosaurs that some of us read as children.
The Elements
This wonderful app might be your best shot at getting a reluctant teenager to enjoy learning chemistry. It's an interactive periodic table, with three-dimensional rotating images of chunks of the different elements.
It comes with exciting videos of their uses, and detailed information for the kids who are tempted to dive deeper. Stephen Fry described The Elements as "Alone worth the price of an iPad!"
Splash Math
A great app for teaching basic numeracy to one to five year olds. Maths skills are gamified, and kids enjoy adding fish to the Splash Math aquarium when they get the right answers.
Splash Math offers separate worksheets for different age groups, and although it's an American curriculum, the basic maths and fun setup of the app means it has universal appeal.
Count TV
It's only right that Count and all the other Sesame street characters have made an appearance in the digital world of apps. Count TV is a simple educational app that helps kids learn to count.
There's even a little something for the parents, too, with several vintage Sesame street clips to bring back the memories.
Doodle Buddy
There are many fun, simple art apps for kids to get creative with. Doodle Buddy offers basic finger painting, with the option to put playful stamps on images for some extra character.
Kids can also connect up with friends and doodle away together, via 3G or wireless internet.
Smash Your Food
This ingenious little app allows kids to get an intuitive idea for what's healthy and what isn't, by "smashing" various items of food to see a breakdown of the macronutrients, salt and sugar that they contain.
The videos are fantastic, and kids can't help but be entertained by Smash Your Food when they see real food such as burgers, coke cans and vegetables being mashed into puree.
My A-Z
My A-Z is essentially a flashcard app that kids can use to learn the alphabet - but what stands out about it is the fun customisation that makes learning letters really enjoyable and memorable for children.
Kids can take pictures or record sounds and attach them to any letter, which lets them decide what they want to associate the letter with.
Britannica Kids
The world's leading encyclopedia for decades, Britannica has been transformed into a series of apps for the young ones, and it does an impressive job of both educating and engaging.
Not only are all the entries simplified, clarified and specially targeted to keen young minds, but the apps contains plenty of multimedia to bring the information alive.
There are several apps for different exciting topics - rainforests, Aztecs,Knights & Castles and various animals are all represented.
There's no question that education is changing. Today's children are "net native" - they've grown up with the internet available - and smartphones, tablets and apps are all very familiar to them.
These new devices have massive potential for new and engaging learning methods, and we're only likely to see more growth in this area as technology and education continue to fuse.
Scott Adams is a contributor to Study Now, Australia’ biggest directory of online educational courses, you can view the website here. In additional to writing for Study Now, Scott is a keen amateur photographer.
