As a parent, it is hard to find educational apps as there are tens of thousands apps.
For example, learning areas such as social-emotional skills and coding, have become important in the field of education and apps more recently.
Are these areas that you want your child to work on through apps?
Also, you can find hundred of lists with various -as they call them- educational apps.
However, which apps are the best for YOUR child?
This post is all about important app features according to researchers and learning areas and skills that children can practice and develop through apps based on their agegroup.
You know better your kids’ individual interests, learning and developmental needs.
This post will enable you to choose the best educational apps for your kids through gaining knowledge about educational apps!
How we can make an app educational for kids
Every parent, every app designer, every article author and even teachers can have a different perspective on what educational is.
Therefore, it’s critical for parents to gain general knowledge around educational apps. In this way, they can choose on their own what is best for their children as they know them better.
We can all let that “parent guilt” go in terms of screen time, when we ensure that our kids can access educational apps based on their age, their interests and their needs safely.
There are three main areas to focus on, when you look for educational apps. You should emphasize on fun, ease to use and skills development.
For example, the best educational app for my 3 year old at the moment is Google Maps! He has shown a great interest in maps recently and there is so much learning happening through maps. He learns about symbols (visual literacy), spatial awareness, geography and other map skills through our discussions and the use of maps. Regardless of how educational an app might be, the right balance of screen and screen-free activities should be our goal for our kids’ best interest. Specifically, I’ve been extending this interest printing out maps, having a look at maps in our outings, reading relevant books, making our own treasure maps and much more!
An app is just an app. The role of the parent and the discussions with their kids can make a great difference in their learning though!
Learning areas to focus on based on kids’ age
-
12-18 months :
It is not recommended for young kids of this age to spend long periods on apps. However, if you are keen to allow screen time for your little one, apps with songs, books and visuals are a good start. Parents should engage with media alongside their toddlers in order to make the most of screentime at this age.
-
18-24 months :
The development of children at this age is dramatic in many areas. Children develop their hand and eye coordination, cognitive, language and physical skills rapidly as well as the understanding of the world around them. Parents can look for apps that support the development of these skills. For example, children can start learning early prepositions and location words such as in, out, on, off, up, down, here and there. Games with matching, sorting, popping baloons and flashcards can be fun and educational for this age.
-
2-3 year olds :
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), screentime is recommended for toddlers older than 2 years old but it should be limited up to one hour of high-quality screen time. At this age children like their independence and they might be ready to swipe, drag and drop. Parents should give emphasis on the development of motor and communication skills as well as cognitive and language development. If you’d like to read our top apps for 2 year olds, have a look at our suggestions and let us know what you and your little one think. Puzzles, sorting shapes, matching objects and colours are great for this age.
-
3-4 years old:
For children older than 3 years old, recognition of letters and numbers can be encouraged gradually as well as the development of kids’ creativity. Children start to explore imaginative play and various topics based on their interests. Some of these topics might be the human body, volcanoes, space, dinosaurs, maps etc. Also, kids with typical development seem to have a concept of opposite by 4 years of age, so it would be a good idea to start practising with games with opposites. Here you can, also, read tips and ideas to make YouTube Kids educational and beneficial for your kid.
-
4-6 years old :
During these years, parents can support children’s learning and development before they go to school. Social emotional development is critical for these ages and some apps offer games related to this developmental area. Also, development of concentration, memory and other skills can support early literacy and numeracy. Simple games such as memory cards and chess can be great for children of this age. After the first 5 years, parents can support children’s learning of phonics, basic numeracy, creativity and imaginative play.
-
6-8 years old :
Now we talk about primary school age children. There is a wide range of apps that offer activities related to writing, spelling and numeracy skills that most of the parents prefer. Also, many apps include activities related to subjects from the school curriculum such as science, geography and history. However, music and art activities, such as drawing, or apps that encourage the development of motor skills and dancing should not be neglected. Creativity is important at this age and children enjoy making their own stories, drawing recognisable pictures and so much more. Let’s not limit children’s creativity!
-
8-10 years old :
At this age children already know the apps they want to play as their friends recommend their own favourite apps. However, parents can still suggest educational apps for their kids to have fun ensuring that they can make the best out of screen time. Parents can look for apps for their kids to practice spelling, improve their knowledge of science through experiments and so much more. However, let’s not forget kids’ social emotional skills and other soft skills! There are apps that encourage the development of teamwork, problem-solving, time- management and organisational skills, which are all important for the future leaders.
-
10-12 years old :
Here we talk about educational apps for the oldest agegroup of primary school age children. Kids at this age prefer social media apps, but I’sure they would love to play strategy and adventure games on apps that would challenge them. Also, coding can be something that your kid could be interested in learning. Parents can still search apps based on their kids’ interests and their favourite school subject. On the other hand, they can find fun apps on the subjects that their kids are not good at in order to develop certain skills and abilities.
3 important features of the best educational apps according to researchers
#1 Giving children options regarding the following activity is important in the apps according to researchers. Auto-play features such as Netflix or YouTube for adults, give fewer opportunities to kids to decide on their own to put down the device. Children stay put to watch what is played next and these features frustrate parents. The content should be presented in a way that allows children to make decisions on their own about whether to continue to play with the digital device or put the iPad down.
#2 The best educational apps have features that allow children to be actively engaged and connect the app content to their existing knowledge. Open-ended apps are, also, child-led and they are more likely to be educational and individualised than linear ones.
#3 The researchers highlight the importance of incorporating a role for parents in kids apps and involve parents in their kids’ learning. In certain apps, parents are able to permit multiple users and receive updates on kids’ learning. They can also set timers and include other specific roles for parents in the apps.
The big dilemma: free or paid apps?
Do you remember the old saying “you get what you pay for“? It certainly holds true for children’s apps nowadays, according to Warren Buckleitner, who is a former preschool teacher and current software reviewer. A free app might waste your little one’s energy as an app might lead a child to a dead end. Also, many app designers try to tease children into making in-app purchases. I know very well that a free app might look good at first, but it’s not always the best option. The good news is that you can get good apps for one or two dollars in the app store, if you know what you’re looking for. Keep looking until you find an app that you quite like. There is a wide variety of apps these days and it is possible that you can find a better app at the same price.
You want to know more about the best educational apps for kids?
Head to two nonprofit organizations’ websites. Common Sense Media share recommendations and app reviews. On the National Association for the Education of Young Children website you can read many articles about apps and digital media.
The best educational apps for kids not only will keep them occupied, but they will also support their learning and development.
This post was all about the most important app features that parents should look for, when they are searching the best educational apps for their kids.
Parents should not ignore the importance of developing motor skills and creativity through apps. Also, a variety of soft skills that are critical for our little leaders.
You’ll decide the skills you want your child to practice and develop.
However, one thing I can assure you is that apps with educational interactivity are better than ones for pure entertainment for your child’s learning and development.
