Mum Diary: The Best Festive Apps To Charm Your Kids

I don't know what it's like in your house, but in our home a lot of the rules go out of the window during the festive season.

For a start, my boys eat chocolate before breakfast every single day in the run up to Christmas, courtesy of their advent calendars.

And while I normally strictly ration screen time, there are just too many fantastic festive apps available to take advantage of.

Last year I invested in a 'naughty or nice' scanner that allowed me to control whether my boys were going to get a pile of presents or a lump of coal for Christmas.

This was frighteningly effective at persuading Harry, then two, to behave.

So this year, I decided to get all tech-savvy again and invest in a few more apps to help make Christmas magical... rather than solely terrify my sons into being good.

Tried And Tested Festive Apps For Toddlers

1. Santa's Naughty or Nice List
OK, so I have to confess that despite planning not to download another naughty or nice scanner, I did just that. But for good cause.

It stops tantrums like magic and, since I have to drag my boys past the toy displays all month, it's only fair I get to arm myself with it.

However the version I downloaded this year is a little different. I found an upgrade that appears to scan your child's photograph, giving it a bit more of a personalised touch.

And did I mention it's free?

2. Portable North Pole
I love this app. It’s charming, it’s magical and it’s very believable.

Santa sends your child a personalised message using his name and the photo you’ve uploaded. The visuals are amazing (Santa looks just as you imagine he should and the North Pole scenes are stunning) and Disney couldn’t have done better.

But be warned of the add-ons. This app claims to be free, but there are lots of ways it tries to make you upgrade and pay.

The free version doesn’t tell your kids whether they’ve been naughty or nice, which has the potential to be upsetting for most toddlers. But if you have a few quid to spare then this is app is well worth downloading.

3. Santa Spy Cam
Do you remember being a kid and desperately trying to catch Santa in the act?

This app uses augmented reality to allow your child to watch elves (and eventually Santa) scoping out his home.

Use your smart phone or tablet to record areas of your home, like your fireplace or the toy box. The app then adds elves doing things like measuring up for Santa’s visit, or shows the man himself eating a mince pie and having a look around.

Watching Santa’s elves standing by his own toy box was almost too much for my son Harry - it makes the magic of Christmas incredibly real for a child.

If you want extra scenes then you do have to shell out £2.49, but I reckon it’s worth it for the look on your child's face.

4. Fake Call From Santa
There are plenty of apps and websites that personalise phone calls from Santa. And although I don’t normally use them (we get Grandpa to ring and put on a voice), this app stands out.

It doesn’t talk, but it does show that Santa is ‘ringing’ your iPhone, allowing you to have a one-sided conversation with him about whether your child has been naughty or nice.

We’ve used it to send some crucial Christmas messages to Santa. We've reminded Santa what Harry and Olly want for Christmas, asked him what drink he’d like us to leave out on Christmas Eve and checked that he’ll be able to fit down the chimney.

Have you downloaded any festive apps? Would you recommend them? Share your tips using the comments below.