Top 3 Interactive Christmas Stories for iPad

Adults love being able to read books directly on the iPad while kids can often appreciate the interactivity and gameplay that comes with owning an iPad. So this holiday season, try combining both by checking out some of the Christmas stories that are available in the App Store.

They absolutely come to life on a tablet.

I’ve owned an iPad for four years now and every year the interactive Christmas stories have been a big hit among the kids in my family. So whether they like the story of Charlie Brown or, of course, the mean-spirited Grinch, explore the top three picks for interactive Christmas stories to download on your iPad. Get festive with your tech this year.

Pro Tip: You can make reading on the go fun and entertaining by following our expert tips, not just for kids but for a wider audience.

A Charlie Brown Christmas

A Charlie Brown Christmas is a holiday classic and on the iPad, it gets even better. Every page has a different scene and each scene comes with multiple cards of text and dialog. A narrator reads the story aloud while the real voices of the characters read the dialog.

There are a few different interactive parts of the story as well that the kids can get involved in. At one point, Linus attempts to knock down three tin cans on a fence with snowballs and it’s your job to dictate how powerful he throws. At another point, you can play the first few bars of “Linus and Lucy” on a virtual piano before the gang kicks in and takes over.

You can even poke the characters on screen to change their facial expressions or tap the snow falling to turn it into snowflakes.

A Charlie Brown Christmas is a fantastic storybook the whole family will enjoy and it never gets old. It’s available for iPad for $5.99.

Christmas Tale HD

With over 1.3 million downloads, Christmas Tale is the most popular interactive storybook on the iPad. It’s actually more than just a storybook, though. The app features other mini games that include painting Christmas decorations, a Christmas-themed jigsaw puzzle, and a wintry maze among other things.

The storybook tells a fun and relatable story about kids eagerly awaiting the arrival of Christmas. The graphics are pretty unfortunate, but they’re not a deal breaker especially for a just kids story. Plus, a perk of Christmas Tale: it’s free to download.

However, not far into the storybook you’ll realize you actually have to pay $1.99 to unlock more than the first few pages. The narrator will read through all of them, but the interactive part is left out of most until you pay up. The interactivity is fun while it lasts, though — you can record your own dialog between Mr. and Mrs. Claus, for instance.

Furthermore, if you want to unlock the full version of Christmas Tale HD including all paintings and games, it’s $5.99. However, for that price you’re actually getting far more in one app than you get with A Charlie Brown Christmas.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Another timeline classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas is an interactive app for iPhone and iPad with loads of different activities scattered throughout the pages of the story.

The app immediately encourages to tap around each page when the narration is complete to find a hidden surprise. A star will appear when you tap the right object and a mini-game opportunity will pop up. They’re really fun mini-games; I even got sucked into them. From jigsaw puzzles to word searches, they’re fun to tackle in between reading.

Whether you’re reading or playing games, you can spend hours in this app. At $3.99, How the Grinch Stole Christmas a terrific value.

Tip: A Charlie Brown Christmas, Christmas Tale HD and How the Grinch Stole Christmas are all available universally for iPhone too, but the best experience is provided on the larger display of the iPad.