10 essential apps for your kids

Smart devices are permeating every aspect of our lives, here’s how you can make the best of it with your children

Smartphones and tablets are a huge part of our lives and they are only embedding themselves deeper; it is inevitable kids will be drawn to that iPad screen. So it’s is important for parents to have the right apps installled, to engage the young ones and teach them valuable lessons. 

It goes without saying that you will need to exert caution when it comes to kids. Always invest in a device with a good screen; don't skimp on a device with cheap displays that have dead pixels which can harm your kids’ eyes. And make sure you limit their time on the tablet: maybe an hour or so everyday, or perhaps keep it just for those times you need to keep your kid entertained. A lot of these apps are aural too, so you can keep them on and let your child just listen to the music.

Without further ado, here’s how you can have fun with your kids.

YouTube Kids. Free

There is the very real danger of those tiny fingers stumbling onto adult content such as Drake’s Hotline Bling or Quentin Tarantino’s bloody trailers. Which is why Google has come out with YouTube Kids, it’s one of the best apps, with an enormous amount of content for children. Unfortunately, the greedy people at Google have kept it for the US only. But there’s there's a fix, you can sign up for an US Apple app store account; there are instructions on how to do that online. Android folks have it easier: just do a quick Google search for ‘YouTube Kids APK’ and download the app, copy it to your device and install. You may need to enable ‘Unknown Sources’ from your Android settings first. It’s worth the trouble, as the content is fantastic, with tonnes of good clean educational videos. But if you’re after regional stuff, then the regular YouTube app will do the trick. However, beware of the endless void of surprise videos that will suck your kid into their pointless world.

Toca Pet Doctor. Rs 190

We all want to bring up our children right. What better way to do that than instil in them love and compassion for animals? Toca Pet Doctor is a great little app for kids with or without pets. The child is the vet that has to help 15 animals and nurture them back into health by caring and loving for them. The ailments are fun little parodies designed to be cute rather than mimic the danger of the real ones.

Bubl Draw. Rs 300

This delightful app combines drawing with music in a unique experience. Fingerpaint on screen in various art styles and. during the process, tap on the artwork to bring it to life with musical notes inspired by jungle beats and fun Latino music. Toddlers, grown kids and even adults have been mesmerised by the therapeutic results when every new line drawn adds quality to the mix of music. You may not have the artwork of your dreams, but you sure will have a tune that you can dance to with your kid.

Pink Fong Kids Songs and Stories. Free

This is a treasure trove of an app, filled with popular stories and songs, redone in fantastic artwork with colourful characters. But the best part of the app are its singers and narrators; a talented bunch that actually make you want to spend some money on buying their packs. They’re especially great for their phonics songs, where they teach the kids proper pronunciation through song.

WonderBox. Free

Just like its name, WonderBox is a box full of wonders, and all free without in-app purchases. It’s an educational extravaganza where the aim is just exploration of new subjects. There’s science, design, languages, geography, and sports, all enhanced with videos, maps, content and more created by professional educators. You can also create stuff with your kids using fun stickers, drawing tools and more and then put it out there. The amount of fun you and your child can have with this app is endless and all the results are positive.

Talking ABC. Free

Among the hundreds of A-B-C apps out there Talking ABC stood out because of its very cute claymation. The letters transform themselves into adorable animals that teach your little ones phonics. This is the great app for tots who can learn about the animal and also learn the letter, rather the shape of it and get familiar.

Duolingo. Free

This may be an odd app for kids, but Duolingo, that teaches languages is perfect to spend quality time with your child and learn something together. It has a colourful interface with large buttons that aid in the pronunciation of a foreign word or sentence. It's a delight for the children hearing that voice and repeating it. Plus, it’s a delight to hear your child try, and succeed, in learning something new. Win, win.

A Parcel of Courage Rs 190 (Also available free for trial, with limited features)

Instead of the usual way of expose your child to storybooks, try something that will add a high level of passive learning along the way. A parcel of courage is a book recommended by many, following the Montessori and Shichida method. The book tells a really good story with interactive experiences and mini-games designed to improve photographic memory, discovery, cognition and logic.

Goodnight Safari + Nighty Night. Free

Now, dear reader, every story has to come to an end. For every story’s end there’s a story to go to sleep. While there’s no substitute for a mom’s and dad's duet bedtime story song, there are times where a long day of work can put a spanner in the works. Here are not one, but two apps you can use, both are very similar so we lumped ’em together. Two very boring stories of saying goodnight to Safari or Farm animals, with boring activities your kid has to do, like put Monkeys to sleep and more. So boring, guaranteed to put your beautiful toddler to sleep.

Shusher. Different prices

If the above does not work and your kiddo’s eyes refuse to close, fight dirty. The Shusher is a series of apps that act like a parent’s cheat code. Just turn on the app, press that shusher button, put the volume on a loud but pleasant level, and watch the big Zs roll out in no time. While there is no specific app we could mention, there are several apps out there, including goodnight lullabies. You just need to download a few and see which shush works for you.

Source | The Hindu | 31 March 2016

Regards

Pralhad Jadhav

Senior Librarian

Khaitan & Co

Upcoming Event | National Conference on Future Librarianship: Innovation for Excellence (NCFL 2016) during April 22-23, 2016.

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