How To Choose Correct Apps For Young Children – Guide
Parents rarely feel guilty if their kids spend 20 minutes having fun on the playground, and they shouldn’t feel guilty about 20 minutes of fun on an app either, Piotrowski said. Some apps target deep learning; others aim at the game. “When an app is well designed, with a clear goal of supporting a skill and a clear target audience, and really relies on these principles of being active, engaged, meaningful and socially interactive, they work, they absolutely work,” Dr. Piotrowski said. . “But some of these apps are fun experiences that allow for creativity and problem solving, and they can be just as valuable.”
The app does something only an app can do
Kids don’t need an app with flashcards or worksheets. Good apps should “bring to life an experience impossible to create off-screen,” said Elgersma. “This is the kind of app that can be really exciting for kids and provide really unique learning opportunities.” Examples include Tinybop apps such as The Earth, Robot Factory, Space, Skyscrapers, and The Human Body. “Children can explore these topics in a way that a book can’t,” she said. “They can enter the human body and explore how body parts work.” Another reading and literacy app, Homer, includes a secure social component that allows children to submit their creations and progress to approved family members and educators. “It gives them a way to interact and have some ownership and agency around what they’re learning,” said Elgersma.
Balance, balance, balance: everything in moderation
how long in mobile devices is too much? There are no hard and fast rules, said Dr. Wartella. “It’s a matter of balance throughout the day,” she said. She recommends having technology-free zones, such as mealtimes and bedtimes, and notes that parents’ use of technology should shape what is appropriate for children. The American Academy of Pediatrics offers a personalized family media use planning tool on Healthychildren.org, Hill said, but the principle is pretty simple: “Media use needs to fit in with all the other things that are important for good. -being childish”. he said, including eating, sleeping, physical activity, homework, reading and social interactions.
You can’t beat ’em, so join ’em
Some early evidence suggests that two people using a tablet together may provide more benefits than using one tablet alone, Wartella said, but there isn’t much research yet on using it together. Still, using it together means parents can make sure they’re comfortable with the app and can discuss it with their kids as they would a book. “A parent can really be a bridge to transfer whatever learning an app has into the real world, so it’s not isolated on a screen when the tablet lid is closed,” said Elgersma. “Co-use and co-play – this is one of the most powerful ways apps can be educational.”
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