Welcome to 2013 where many children own iPhones, iPads, or some variation of a touch screen tablet. Whether it’s an apple product, a Samsung product or even a leap frog our children are learning in ways that we would’ve never imagined. For Christmas my mom got me an iPad and I was beyond excited until I sat down with it and wondered ‘what do I do with an iPad.’ I mean, I already have a laptop and I have an iPhone and they pretty much do what I need them to do. That is until my 8GB iPhone began to tell me I was running out of space and that’s when I had my ah-ha moment of moving non-essential apps to my iPad such as games and social network apps. Little did I know the time I thought I was going to spend playing candy crush on my iPad was about to end immediately.
My son was introduced to the iPad by; you guessed it, my mother.
My son was introduced to the iPad by; you guessed it, my mother.
 |
| In the delivery room |
 |
| First week home... see what I mean |
I have listed some of the apps I have on his my iPad that he enjoys:
PBS Kids is his go to app. This app requires internet connection which I didn’t know the first time we traveled with the iPad and he had a complete come apart because PBS wasn’t working. I had to explain to him (how do you explain Wi-Fi to a toddler) that PBS wasn’t working but he could find something else to play with until it begins to work again. Somehow that worked out and now when it’s “not working” he will say ‘E-B-S en workin’ and move on the next thing. This app consists of videos of all of the kid’s shows on PBS including my favorite Daniel the Tiger. Through this app he has fallen in love with Curious George and at times thinks he can climb and swing on things like little George. So mommies beware :)
Initially when I added PBS Parent Play and Learn I was expecting something for parents to play and learn themselves. But this is an app of games that parents play with their children. Whenever I add an app I always play the game or check it out before I allow him to use it. When I went through this app I thought some parts would be challenging for him because some of the games are designed for preschool aged children with an easy or hard option. However my son plays all of the games and chooses the level hard and does a pretty good job matching colors, sizes, numbering, and tracing. Some of the games would frustrate him at first but he is not the type of kid who gives up easily. He was dedicated in learning how to play each game on both levels and enjoys the clapping and confetti the game gives when you complete a level. What I really love about this app is that it does not require Wi-Fi.
I added these puzzles because I started to notice that the 3 piece puzzles he has at home he was completing so fast that he stopped playing with them as much once he mastered them. I wanted to see if he would be able to tackle these types of puzzles and at the end of the game they spell out whatever animal or person has been completed. This game is another preschool aged game (2-6 years old) and initially he would get frustrated and scream. I’ve been teaching him about patience so he kept trying. (Side Note: Daniel the Tiger has a song that he sings that goes, “keep trying you’ll get be-tter.” So I will sing that song to him whenever he gets frustrated which causes him to sing the song and he keeps trying). You can see in the video how well he has mastered these puzzles so much so that I think I need to delete these and add some new ones. This game has really helped with his letter recognition in addition to the time he gets at school and with me going over letters. This game does not require Wi-Fi.
100 words for babies and toddlers, 100 animals for babies and toddlers, 100 people words for babies and toddlers
In my favorite books and CD’s post I talk about a book 100 First Words that my son loves to read at bedtime. These apps are the digital versions of that book. I love it because it is something familiar in regards to the format of the app but I love that it covers so many topics. One day we were watching football and he yelled out momma footballer! In the 100 people words app they show a football player and the call him an American Footballer. So I was really proud at his ability to apply that picture to an actual person. These apps are great word/picture recognition and a great reference when you are out with your child identifying objects, animals, or people. This app does not require Wi-fi. You know I couldn’t have kid apps without putting Jesus in the mix! These two apps are great learning tools for children to build upon what they should be learning in their children’s ministry in church and at bible study. There are bible stories read aloud, children can color biblical pictures, solve biblical puzzles or sing along to children’s worship songs such as Jesus Loves Me. My son calls these apps Baby “shesus” which I just think is adorable but I love to see his excitement while engaging in these games. This app does not require Wi-fi.
Buzz Me is an app with different games such as color matching, weather reporter, identification, memory, coloring, a calculator, a telephone, and my favorite a digital fish bowl where children can add fish to the fish tank and feed them. Usually when my son plays this game he goes straight to the fish and says, “momma fish hungry.” He also uses the coloring section of this game to draw and I’m encouraging him to draw letters from his name such as O and T to assess his hand eye capabilities. This app does not require Wi-fi.
This app is an interactive picture book of a town where people are sleeping, cooking breakfast, going to work, flying helicopters, opening windows; there is SO much going on in this one section of the free version of this app it’s actually really cool. However it is not until the child touches each item that they will see these things come to life. Our first time opening this app my first thought was this is stupid nothing is going on but as I began to tap on things I thought this is kind of cute. He enjoys seeing the helicopter fly and there is this one guy in workout gear and if you tap him he begins to do jumping jacks while making this huffing noise which the kid thinks is hilarious. Most of his time on this game is spent tapping the workout guy to hear him huff as he jumps. Aside from the interaction and the entertainment of the sounds within the app it’s a cute game to have. I believe this app does require Wi-fi.
If you follow me on twitter then you will know that I mentioned my son has been using Spanish words he learned at school, at the house. Last week he told me he wanted some aqua which I could readily translate but for about a month he’s been calling me what sounded like “my Niña” mom and I will be honest, don’t laugh, but I took 3 years of French; other than Christopher Columbus’ boat I had no idea what Niña meant. After some research “La Nina” means Godmother which I guess would explain where the mom part came from but it also means girl. Needless to say I added this app way before he came home “bilingual” and I’m starting to think I might need to spend some time checking out this app more than when he uses it. Because kids learn languages faster than adults I will be in the dust before I know it. Anyway, I digress; I do want my son to be fluent in another language and adding this app helps cover the basic words to introduce him to other languages. This app does not require Wi-fi.
Before my son could sit up I fell in love with the Baby First station. I love that they cover developmental areas in their shows while encouraging the interaction and application of the principles covered from parents. Having a Human Development background this was right up my alley. So as soon as I received my iPad I searched Baby First and added two of their apps, from their shows, which my son loves. The titles are self-explanatory but I encourage you to check out Baby First if you haven’t. Their website, their apps, their YouTube channel and their t.v. show via Direct TV are sure to give you something that you and your child can enjoy together. These apps do require Wi-Fi.
Two movies that all children love I thought they would be great for the collection. The Toy Story app is a read along book. It goes through the entire toy story “story” as well as including coloring section and a musical sing along of You’ve Got a Friend in Me. When he’s not coloring Woody or Buzz I will catch him swaying back and forth to the song synonymous to the movie. The Hop on Drums app is something totally different than what I imagined. It is a musical app where children can actually play the drums or play the theme son to the movie. This is an app that I keep the volume turned down and they do not require Wi-Fi.
If you have introduced your child to the digital world I hope that you are able to add some of these to your collection and make sure that whatever form of learning your child has that you are an integral part of the process and execution. Tablets and the t.v. don’t mean we don’t have to parent and because they are not the most intimate forms of learning we must always make sure we are supervising and interacting with our children as they encounter new stages in their development. Drop me a line with some of your favorite apps and let me know why it’s YOUR favorite for your child!
All my love,
Caneeka
 |
| He stuffed his shirt with toilet paper |
 |
| Yesterday he wanted to wear his shades to school |
 |
| At the barber getting his haircut for his birthday |
 |
| Yesterday after his haircut #iLove |
2 comments :
It makes me sad to see how many small children are playing with their parent's phones or playing with an ipad. I see them everywhere. They are in just about any store I go into. Why does it make me sad...because the children are not interacting and learning from their environment. There is no eye contact with people. They are missing out on conversations with their families. Electronics are okay in small doses...very small doses but don't miss out on human contact just because the electronics make it easier to keep your child quiet.
I totally agree! From my background in Human Development and working in childcare I have seen the impact relying on the TV and tablets as a form of entertainment have had on the development of children. That's why I made sure to add that last paragraph in there because children have more access to the digital world than we did. Many parents do use these tools as a form of keeping their child occupied versus using them as a learning tool to build upon what parents should be teaching their children through their story time, puzzles and other developmental toys. As I emphasized the importance of setting a schedule and being a part of your child's TV/tablet time I understand that we can only be the change with our children while being an example for those around us through our application of this concept. My dream would be for parents to learn how to balance and to become more involved in their children's development by being an integral part of their learning environment.
Post a Comment