Healthy Parenting in the Digital Age – Part I: 6 Places to Find Educational Apps for Kids
The other day, I told my 4-year-old daughter that we were going to visit friends who lived near the beach. “Are we going to see bottlenose dolphins?” she asked.
“Where did you learn about bottlenose dolphins?” I asked her.
“From the iPad,” she replied. “From the apps you gave me.” She then proceeded to open the “Educational Apps” folder I had created on the iPad for her and walk me through the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse app Mickey’s Wildlife Count Along. In this app, Mickey and his friends are headed to the beach so Mickey can snag a picture of a bottlenose dolphin, and on the way they stop at various places, take pictures, and practice counting.
I had completely forgotten about this app! I had loaded it onto the iPad over a year ago.
This event, and conversations I’ve had with other influencers in the industry, inspired me to write this article about how you can find quality educational apps for your kids.
Peekaboo! Where are the good apps hiding?
1. Common Sense Media is a non-profit “dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology.” Their site rates media for kids by age and subject and rates by engagement and learning approach. Discover their list of the best apps and games for your child. Learn more about how they rate.
2. App Friday hosts a weekly #AppFriday Party on the App Friday Facebook Page every Friday all day long for free and discounted educational apps. The apps promoted are free or discounted throughout the day. I loooove App Friday – I try to tune in for the App Friday party weekly. Maybe I’ll see you there one of these Fridays!
Made by parents for parents, the App Friday program is a weekly promotion highlighting family-friendly content. Many apps are made within the Moms With Apps community, where wholesome and respectful media is a priority. There is an Open House on the App Friday Facebook page, where app makers and consumers ask questions and connect. For teachers, the App Friday Mobile App is a tool for previewing videos of apps before downloading them. All together, App Friday is a robust resource for helping families access age-appropriate digital content for kids.” – Lorraine Akemann, Co-Founder, Moms With Apps and App Friday
3. Reliable Recommendations: I asked The Daily Mom (the first news app JUST for moms!) what she recommends for go-to educational sites and apps:
I’m a big fan of Montessorium apps for the younger kids, and I really like Bluster! for the older set. Sakura Quick Math has been a nice tool for grade schoolers learning math facts.” – The Daily Mom
4. Bloggers
Bloggers are a wonderful resource. Many tech bloggers post regular children’s app reviews and giveaways. These #techbloggers are conscientious in providing great reviews. Some also feature reviews of awesome tech for parents. Be sure to follow them on twitter too! Here are some of my faves: Cool Mom Tech, The iPhone Mom, The iMums, Digital Storytime and Four Little Testers.
5. Award-Winning App Companies
You can go directly to the sites of award-winning app companies, who make both educational and “edutainment” apps (combination of educational and entertainment):
Night & Day Studios, Ruckus Media Group, Storypanda, Toca Boca, Fingerprint Digital, Cupcake Digital, Oceanhouse Media, and many more!
6. Special Needs App Resources
There are excellent blogs / sites which highlight apps that help children with disabilities.
OTs with Apps by By Carol Leynse Harpold, MS AdEd, OTR/L, ATP, is extremely comprehensive in its informational and up-to-date approach. Ms. Harpold is an educator, a blogger and maintains an ongoing OT Tool Kit that is second to none in terms of its ability to cover all the latest resources and disabilities.
Tech in Special Ed – Their site is easy to search and each post has a clearly delineated title such as Top 10 Best Apps for Handwriting Suggested by Occupational Therapists and Teachers.
The Appy Ladies – I like the thorough breakdown of app categories and plethora of resources on their site.
I also highlight some apps and additional Special Ed app resources in these articles:
- 5 Ways the iPad Helps Children With Disabilities
- How iPad App Therapy is Changing Lives of Children With Disabilities
Where do you find educational apps for your kids?
Please tune in next week for Part II – How to Balance Your Kids’ Media Diet at Home
Happy Tech Parenting!
Shoshana Stopek (aka Mommy Tech Bytes)
Connect with me on Google+ and Twitter
