Crowded check-out lanes.
The car trip to Grandma’s.
A diversion from helping you in the kitchen.

We’ve found some apps to keep the littles merry and bright over the Holidays.

Faces iMake
The app-eal: Choose from hundreds of items like food, utensils, tools, toys and candy for eyes, nose, mouth and ears.
Bonus: Endless combos make it a time-passer of cross-country proportions.
Cost: $1.99

Mad Libs
The app-eal: Just as goofy and fun as you remember. Create silly stories by filling in the blanks with this addictive story creator.
Bonus: Great for your budding grammar-whiz.
Cost: Free

WeetWoo
The app-eal: Hand-curated selection of the best (and safest) kid-friendly content on YouTube served up through a simple interface that kids can’t stumble out of to discover anything objectionable.
Bonus: Safe, old school Sesame Street videos!
Cost: $3.99

Park Math
The app-eal: Introduce young players to simple math concepts in a silly way that never feels like, you know, math. All the basics are covered — from simple sequencing to addition and subtraction, all of which center on the concept of animals playing in a park.
Bonus: Kids can explore at their own pace and learn tons along the way.
Cost: $1.99

Puzzle Planet
The app-eal: You haven’t solved a puzzle until you’ve done it extraterrestrial style — with points, speed and strategy.
Bonus: It’s like working a real jigsaw, without baby brother messing with the pieces.
Cost: Free