When it comes to Christmas, nothing gets kids more excited than the idea of festive decorations, jolly carols and, of course, Santa visits!
This year, rather than just popping on the old, reliable Mariah Carey Christmas album to fill the house with festive cheer, why not check out the numerous Santa apps that are now available? From creative greetings to live Santa sleigh trackers and fun games, below are some of our favourite Santa apps to share with the kids!
As with any technology based entertainment we recommend close adult supervision. Take a moment to research the chosen app to see if it is suitable for you and your family before downloading.
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Santa Apps To Track Santa
If your family is keen to see where Santa is headed, how fast he is going and when he might reach Australia, then some of these tracking apps might help. But don’t just use them to track Santa, many of them have cool games, festive quizzes and other fun things to keep kids (and parents) amused in the lead up to Christmas.
Google Santa Tracker
While the Google Santa Tracker is only available for Android devices it does have a website and Chrome extension for those who are using an iOS device.
Sweet, colourful and fun, it’s the home of ‘Santa’s Village,’ where there are interactive games to play, stories to read, coding games, Where’s Wally-like Santa searches and much, much more!
There is information on the countries Santa visits, their different Christmas traditions and even a language translator! Kids can call Santa and tune in daily to the North Pole Newscast to find out what Santa and his elves are up to.
On December 24th, Santaโs Village transforms into a tracking experience where you can follow Santa and his reindeer as they deliver presents to families around the world.
Availability: Android
Price: Free
NORAD Tracks Santa Claus
The North American Aerospace Defense Command or NORAD, has been tracking Santa for over 60 years. They offer an app and also a website, which becomes active with Santa Village and tracking fun every year from December 1st.
An all-in-one place to visit when it comes to Santa-related activities, the NORAD app has a countdown clock, theatre, game arcade, library and even information about NORAD HQ.
You can find out about the specs for Santa’s sleigh and get the answers to a whole range of questions about Santa. From December 1st each year, a new game is unlocked daily for the kids to play and on Christmas Eve you can track Santa as he delivers his presents around the world.
Available for: iOS and Android
Price: Free
Santa Tracker
Some of the most popular Santa apps for kids to use in the lead up to Christmas are the ones which tracks his movements. Nothing is more exciting than watching as Santa heads off on his Christmas Eve journey, moving around the world as he delivers presents to all the good boys and girls.
With this Santa Tracker app, kids will be able to track Santa’s movements all year round by clicking on the tracker. A handy countdown clock tells you exactly how many days and hours to go until he arrives at your house!
The app also includes other fun features which can be unlocked by paying for the premium package. This includes selfies with Santa and additional games.
Availability: iOS and Android
Price: Free (additional in-app purchases)
Santa Apps To Chat with Santa
Message from Santa
Message from Santa is one of our favourite Santa apps for kids to use. Not just your usual pre-recorded call set up, this app allows kids (with parents supervising) to send text messages back and forth with Santa.
Kids are able to call and leave a voicemail for Santa, as well hit a number on the keypad to either find out what Santa is doing, report someone for the naughty or nice list or check what the current weather is like in the North Pole.
Parents can also personalise pre-recorded videos for birthdays, to let Santa know he received their letter, and also to let them know if they were ‘naughty’ or ‘nice.’
There are quite a few ads in between each feature, so if you want to remove these you can pay for the premium upgrade (which unlocks a few more personalised features too).
Availability: iOS and Android
Price: Free (costs for additional features)
Portable North Pole (PNP)
With the Portable North Pole, you can create personalised pre-Christmas and Christmas Eve videos and phone calls from a very realistic-looking Santa Claus for all the children in your family, as well as birthday messages and more!
The app includes fun activities available all year round, such as bedtime stories and dance challenges, along with encouragement and accomplishment messages throughout the year.
The base (free) version of this app is great if you only have one child, but we really like the ‘Magic Pass’ paid upgrade if you have a few kids or use this for multiple years, as it offers more options for the types of video (ideal if you have cluey kids who will recognise that their siblings have an identical video to them!).
Availability: iOS and Android
Price: Free (costs for additional features)
Speak to Santa
Speak to Santa is an extremely popular Santa app for kids and it is easy to see why. The key here is personalisation and variety.
By paying and unlocking the premium package, you will be able to get very detailed and personalised video calls (that even come with some technical interference due to how far away he lives) as well as a variety of different messages depending on what you would like your kids to hear.
There is a Christmas countdown clock, a Santa tracker, and the kids can even run test flights with Santa’s sleigh in the lead-up to the big day. Text message with Santa, access the social networking site for Elves and Reindeer, and even follow Santa’s blog. The options here for interacting with Santa and his crew all year round are endless.
Availability: iOS and Android
Price: Free (costs for additional features)
Video Call Santa
Video Call Santa is a free app to download that allows your child to either call (or receive a call) from Santa. The free version of the app is actually perfect for younger kids as it will give them the opportunity to have a (pre-recorded) video call with the big man himself. You can even set up a time for the call to come in so that it seems more authentic when he rings while you are not standing with your phone.
Depending on how much you are prepared to spend on the call, you can also personalise the experience in the ‘Parents Only’ passcode-protected section of the app. Here, you can add in your child’s name, pick whether your Santa is American or British, download different messages, and even get him to give ‘dad’ a call too. Although it may end up adding up a little bit, the personalised call will be money well spent when you see your child’s reaction at the end.
Availability: iOS and Android
Price: Free (costs for additional features)
Other Fun Santa Apps
Catch Santa In My House
Catch Santa In My House is the perfect app to help keep the spirit of Christmas alive on Christmas morning.
Simply take a photo of a space in your house (preferably near the Christmas tree) and upload it into the app to catch Santa. Pay an additional cost and you can then choose from hundreds of posed Santas (or just go with the free pose that comes with the initial download) to import into the image.
The app allows you to edit the Santa’s lighting, shading and colours to make him fit more realistically into the image. You can even blur him slightly to make it seem like you actually took the picture while he was on the move.
Show this to the kids the next day to prove you “caught Santa in the house on Christmas Eve!.” There are also versions where you can see the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy!
Availability: iOS and Android
Price: Free (additional in app purchases)
Elf Yourself
Elf Yourself is an oldie but a goodie. While it may not actually feature Santa, we think dancing elves are pretty cute. After downloading the app, simply upload photos of your family and friends faces, and watch them come alive as a super cute and funny elf dancing video is created. There is nothing funnier than your 90 year old great grandmother doing the worm in an elf costume!
While there are a few free videos, most do require purchasing for an additional fee.
Availability: iOS and Android
Price: Free (additional in app purchases)
Call Santa from Telstra Phone Boxes Throughout Australia
We were excited to learn kids can now give Santa a call directly from any Telstra payphone (street phone box) for FREE!! Simply head to any of Telstra’s 14,500 pay phones throughout Australia and dial #HOHOHO (#464646) to be connected with the Jolly man in red himself! Find your nearest Telstra pay phone and learn more here.
For more fun and exciting ways to celebrate the festive season, be sure to check out our Kids Guide to Christmas!
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