Apps, device time and screen time.
This topic can seem a little like a bad thing depending on your audience …. but I am one of those moms who loves technology when it used responsibly. Here are a couple reasons I love devices for kids.
- I really hate papers and clutter around the house. I am the mom who opens my kids backpack next to the trash can and 90% of the papers they bring home go straight in. I love that apps can minimize all the tracing papers, practice sheets and booklets and make all that fun digital. Apps are mess free, all contained on a device. Especially when practicing numbers or letters and writing over and over.
- Apps are interactive! Kids love that interaction and it makes learning fun for them. When I start a learning session with workbooks or practice sheets and after one or two my kiddos get a little bored. We then turn to apps and they are excited all over again.
- Devices are portable. When we have a long car ride, plane trip or a day outside its easier to bring along a device and some educational apps vs a bunch of writing utensils, work books and school stuff.
- Exposure to devices and computer time prepares our little learners for working with technology in the future. I know my kids can pick up tips and tricks faster than I can sometimes. They are learning quickly and I love watching them.
Favorite Apps
Apps rock!! We love them for games and learning.. I will share the mostly educational one with you here.
- My kids love all the PBS shows and I love the message they are sending out. There are a ton of PBS apps but I recommend the Video app and Game app for your kiddos.
- LetterSchool is a great app for Preschool and Kindergarten kids learning the letters. My son Anderson loves this app and seeing what option his finger will draw on each new screen. That interaction is key to making him excited to learn.
- Epic! is a great app for reading. This app was provided to us through school and both of my readers enjoyed reading and listening to stories on it. If you know your child’s lexicon or reading level you can search specifically for them.
- I bet you have heard of ABC Mouse, have you tried it out? My daughter loves this app and especially loves earning credits to buy things for her room! I love that she gets to do a variety of activities on her learning path.
- Probably our most used app is YouTube Kids. My son prefers YouTube Kids because he can find the videos he wants easily. He has a harder time on regular YouTube because there are so many videos. I like that if there are ad’s they are geared towards kids… you never know what normal YouTube ads will be. I still recommend monitoring what they are watching but you can be a little more relaxed.
Our Favorite Sites
Not all of our favorite educational sites are in apps. I like to make them look like an app by creating a shortcut to a site on the Home Screen. Then my kids can find and use these sites easily.
- For letters and reading basics we love Starfall. You can pick Pre-K and Kindergarten or Grades 1,2,3 and do activities geared toward your students age group. My kids love the songs and seasonal activities the most.
- We got access to Happy Numbers through our school and my daughter loves this site. I like that it teaches her number bonds and other math approaches the same way she learns in school. If you don’t have access to this site through school check out this article on how to get it at home.
- My daughter started using Typing.com this year and really likes the way the site teaches her the keyboard. I love seeing her get excited when she passes another level. Students learn to type small words then for review larger paragraphs.
- ABCYA.com is a great place for kids to learn and play games. There are games broken down by grade so they will be playing games they can handle. My daughter has an account through school and has access to everything. My son plays without one and still has access to some fun activities.