It is hard to believe it is time to think about holiday gifts already. This year I am putting a list of our favorite tablet toys and accessories for kids. If you already have an iPad or iPhone, or are planning to get one this holiday season, these toys will go well with iPad and iPhone, and all are educational and fun! For more gift ideas for kids, please visit 15 gift guides for kids from real moms. We also… Read more

Teaching kids social skills is never easy. One challenge we face very often is to teach kids how to behave in different social settings. Do you usually explain to kids about a new place they are going to visit? Like a dentist’s office, or a new school? I always found it helpful to tell my child about the places he’s going to visit, be it the first grocery store trip, or the first dentist appointment. It helps the kid understand… Read more

We have been using the app iF Poems for a while and liked how easy it is to use and how rich the content is. iF Poems is an app carries 270 classic poems for kids. It allows users to search poems by categories and kids age. It is a gentle introduction of poetry for kids. On the opening page, you can see there are 12 categories of poems: Growing UP, Nature Seasons and Animals, Humour and Nonsense, Love and… Read more

I like storytelling activities and storytelling learning tools. Storytelling helps kids develop oral language skills, boost thinking skills, creativity, and imagination. While learning to put a story together, kids in fact gain skills in better listening and reading. Also storytelling helps kids express their emotions and feelings that many times are hard to do. Today we share top storytelling learning tools for kids on iPad, many are also available on other devices. This is part of our Best Learning Tools… Read more

We like Disney movies, from those classic movies like Snow White, Dumbo, to recent ones, like Frozen; from action movies like Pirates of the Caribbean, to comedies like Wreck It Ralph. Disney makes good movies for kids with great moral and educational value, and entertaining enough that the whole family can enjoy. If you like Disney movies, you will like the free app Disney Movie Anywhere. It was launched on Apple App Store earlier this year, and recently, it is… Read more

I participated in an Influencer Activation Program on behalf for Virgin Mobile. I received a sample device to facilitate my review and a thank you item for participating. Do your kids have cell phones? No matter when do you feel comfortable to give a cell phone to your child, the first several months when they carry the phone with them will always be a critical time for them to learn how to take care of the device, and how to use… Read more

With the weather getting colder, we start looking for more ideas to stay active inside. I was excited to see the app Go Dance is free today and gave it a little try. I like it! It is a great way to get kids moving in the house when it is too cold to play outside. The app is not perfect, but as long as you are not using it competitively, ie. not trying to get the highest score, it… Read more

Do you have children who like playing games? They will love this app Milk Hunt Kids Math Game. It is a fast paced game app where kids have to solve math problems to move up the levels. The math included in the app are common core aligned. Given the fast pace, all math have to be solved mentally, and all are during the games. It is a good exercise for quick math facts and mental agility. Before kids start the… Read more

MarcoPolo Weather app is the 2nd app in the MarcoPolo Discovery series. The first one is MarcoPolo Ocean, and I liked the first one very much. I am delighted to find out that the 2nd app is even better. MarcoPolo Weather is free with 5 weather conditions come with the free download. Some content such as 4 extreme weather conditions are available via In App Purchase. When kids open the app, they will see 4 animal friends at the bottom of… Read more

Last week we posted a round-up of 20 ways to create monsters as ways to help kids ease monster fears. Today we are sharing monster apps. We have monster apps for kids to read about monsters, create monsters, play with monsters, and learn with monsters. They are fun apps for kids of any ages. 25 Monster Apps for Kids of All Ages If you want to know more about each app, please click on the app title. You will open up… Read more

I recently discovered a great free documentary app that streams documentary films. It is called Docurama, and it is free. I like the wide subject selection and the high quality of the films. The app provides easy on-demand access to over 600 films, a number expected to increase to over 1,000 by the end of 2014. With so many good educational movies for kids, it is a great resource for family, homeschool and classroom learning projects. The Docurama app currently has 16… Read more

Last year we had opportunity to visit Germany. While doing research about the country, I was quite surprised to learn that German is the most widely spoken native language in the European Union. Because not only Germany speak German, it is also an official language of many other countries, like Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein. It is also the native language of many other countries, such as Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, France, Poland, to just name a few. So understanding German can be… Read more

Plants is an interactive diorama about plants in different biomes. Via open ended play, kids learn the eco systems and how plants grow and live in the real world. It is designed by Tinybop, whose first app Human Body was a great success. I love the guided exploratory approach of teaching. There is no lessons to go through and there is no talking in the app. Opening the app is like walking into this amazing world of nature, and it is… Read more

I always believe math is a tool for kids to learn how to think, besides doing number calculations. The skill of thinking includes asking the right questions and exploring possible solutions. That is why I like Singapore math. I especially like the model drawing process that helping kids learn how to think when they are asked a number question. I am extremely happy to find 4 free apps that using Singapore math model method to teach kids math. They are… Read more