Pok Pok is a free-play feast for little ones: There are switches to flip, gears to grind, and blobs to plop together, all drawn and designed by hand to make the app feel like a tactile, handcrafted toy.

What we love: How the app’s activities are endlessly inventive but never overwhelming. For example, the bustling town is quiet and still—until kids bring it to life. Tap the cars to hear them honk or move people from shop to shop. Kids are in complete control of how stimulating their play will be.

Quick tip: While Pok Pok was designed for little ones to explore on their own, grown-ups can enhance their kid’s experience. Visit the app’s Grown-Up Area for questions, written by educators, to facilitate your child’s playtime.

Meet the creator: Cofounders Mathijs Demaeght and Esther Huybreghts made a vow soon after they began creating Pok Pok: Parents shouldn’t need to mute the app in a restaurant. “We didn’t want media and jingles and jangles that get stuck in your head,” Huybreghts says. “We wanted a quieter experience.”