Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

Where to Find

App Store

Google Play

Screenwise Verdict

Procreate Dreams is the rare app that feels like handing your kid a real tool instead of a toy. It's complex, ad-free, and demands patience—which is exactly why it's great.

The learning curve is real. If your kid opens this expecting instant gratification, they'll quit in five minutes. But for the child (or teen, or adult) who wants to make something—a short film, a music video, an animated comic—this is the best $20 you'll spend. It's the kind of app where a 10-year-old can lose an entire Saturday and emerge with something they're genuinely proud of.

No subscriptions, no social features, no ads. Just a blank stage and 300 brushes. If your kid already loves Procreate (the drawing app), Dreams is the natural next step. If they've never animated before, pair it with a YouTube tutorial and watch them figure it out.

The only downside? It's iPad-only, and it really shines with an Apple Pencil. But if you've got the hardware, this is a no-brainer for creative kids who are ready to build something real.

Age Fit

Best for kids 8 and up who already enjoy drawing and are ready for multi-step projects. Younger kids can dabble with supervision, but the timeline and layering system really clicks for late elementary and middle schoolers. Teens and adults use this professionally, so it grows with them.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

92

Procreate Dreams is a pure creative tool with zero social features, no ads, and no user-generated content from strangers. It's a blank canvas app—what kids make is entirely up to them and their imagination. The interface is clean and focused on creation, not consumption. The one-time purchase model (no subscription trap) and absence of manipulative design patterns make it emotionally healthy. It encourages patience, experimentation, and the satisfaction of making something from scratch.

Imaginative

98

This is basically imagination in app form. Procreate Dreams combines drawing, animation, video editing, and audio composition—kids can create entire animated stories, music videos, or short films. The 300+ hand-crafted brushes, frame-by-frame animation tools, keyframe motion controls, and multi-track timeline offer near-limitless creative possibilities. It's not a template-based app; every project starts blank, demanding original thinking. The ability to import photos, videos, and audio means kids can remix their own lives into art. Won the Apple Design Award 2024 for good reason.

Safe

96

Procreate Dreams is exceptionally safe: no ads, no in-app purchases beyond the initial cost, no social sharing built-in, and no way to stumble onto inappropriate content because there's no content library—just your own creations. Parents control whether exported videos leave the device. No chat, no comments, no strangers. The only 'risk' is kids spending lots of time on a screen, but that's true of any creative tool. Privacy-respecting and manipulation-free.

Enriching

94

Procreate Dreams teaches sequencing, timing, cause-and-effect, visual storytelling, and basic principles of animation and filmmaking. Kids learn to plan projects across multiple tracks and layers, building executive function and patience. The learning curve is real but rewarding—tutorials abound on YouTube. It's a professional-grade tool that scales with skill, meaning a 9-year-old and a 40-year-old can both find depth. Encourages perseverance (animation is tedious!) and the pride of finishing something complex. Builds genuine digital literacy and creative skills that transfer to other media.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Teaches real animation and filmmaking skills with pro-grade tools that scale from beginner doodles to portfolio-worthy projects
One-time purchase with no subscriptions, ads, or manipulative design—just pure creation
Over 300 brushes, frame-by-frame animation, keyframes, multi-track timeline, video editing, and audio composition in one app
Won Apple Design Award 2024; works on older iPads (iPadOS 16.3+) and doesn't require Apple Pencil (but it helps)
No social features means kids create for themselves, not for likes—builds intrinsic motivation and patience

⚠

What to Watch For

iPad-only ecosystem; if you don't have an iPad, this isn't happening
The timeline interface is complex—younger kids (under 8) or those new to drawing apps may feel overwhelmed at first
Animation is slow, tedious work; some kids will love the process, others will bounce off after 10 minutes
At $19.99 it's pricier than most kids' apps, though still a bargain compared to Adobe subscriptions

Conversation Starters

"What story do you want to tell with your animation? Let's storyboard it together before you start drawing."
"Show me how you made that character move—what's a keyframe? Can you teach me?"
"Animation takes forever, right? How do you decide when something is 'done enough' versus perfect?"
"If you could animate any moment from our family life, what would it be?"
"What's harder—drawing one perfect picture, or drawing 24 pictures that flow together?"

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