Since kids spending more time on tablets, I have the concern that they are going the lose handwriting practice time, which I still think is necessary and important, even with all the tablets and computers. I started by searching for the right stylus for kids so kids can practice handwriting old fashion way on iPad. Now I found some really good handwriting practice tools that kids can practice penmanship on tablets. As handwriting is not just on tablets, and in… Read more

Do your kids like imaginative role play? Do they like stories of kings, queens, knights, and princess? If you answer yes, you will like this app, King’s Castle. It is a fun app that provides a stage for kids age 3 to 7 to create their own stories and let their endless imagination go wild. Upon opening the app, kids will see 3 castles. At this time, only one is fully available for kids to play in, but just this… Read more

One big advantage of mobile devices in education is the convenience it brings. Children’s dictionary apps are great proof of how technology can help kids’ learning. With these apps, kids don’t have to carry those big heavy dictionaries with them, and they can not only check for spelling and meaning of the words, but also hear the pronunciations of the words. Since we first introduced dictionary apps, I have found some more good dictionary apps for kids, some are even… Read more

Summer is a time to teach and reinforce children’s water safety. Stewie the Duck Learns to Swim is a book app that teaches kids water safety rules. It is designed for kids aged 2 to 6. Through the story of Stewie the duck learning to swim, the app delivers three rules to ensure that young children stay safe around the water. The rules are repeated several times either as the story context, or as a song set to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”. There… Read more

Do your children have sleep problem? Do they go to sleep easily? Is it hard for them to go back to sleep after waking up in the middle of the night? For young children, a common reason for sleep problem is being afraid of monsters. It feels irrational for adults, but it is real for kids. If you just tell them there are no monsters, it usually won’t work. As they are sure they’ve seen monsters. A gentle way to… Read more

Reading books is the best gift a parent can give to their kids. Where do you find books for kids? With our busy schedule it is not easy to find time to visit the book stores and libraries. That is why I like the eBooks and book apps for kids. They save the travel time to stores and libraries, and many times, they save money too. Today we put together 10 FREE online reading programs that you can access from… Read more

Problem solving skills are so important for kids, more important than academic scores. But how do you teach problem solving skills? One way is to present age appropriate problems to kids, asking them to solve the problems. Amos the Astronauts is a story app for toddler and preschool kids not only tells a story but also teaching kids about problem solving. Amos is an astronaut who accidentally landed on a planet he’s never been before. Although he is safe and… Read more

Rounds: Franklin Frog is a great interactive nonfiction app for toddlers and preschoolers. It explores the life cycle of a frog — including feeding, hibernation, mating, birth, growing from tadpoles, and maturation — in a way that young children can understand and are intrigued to explore more. When kids start the app, they will see the frog Franklin sitting on a lily pad greeting them. On each page of the app, there are some interactive elements waiting for the kids… Read more

Do you like to take kids camping? What do you do when camping with kids? Today we have an app for kids about camping, Camping with Grandpa. It not only teaches kids wildness survival skills, but also gives us fun ideas of camping activities for kids. Check it out. There are 7 games throughout the app. First kids are asked what to take to the camping trip. They will have several options, such as water, hat, lighter. There are also… Read more

After addition, kids start learning multiplication. Kids start with the early concepts of double, triple, and then further on to bigger single digit multiplications. For some kids this transition comes easy, for some it may not that easy, and can even be frustrating some time. How do you make the learning fun and engaging? I found this app Multiply Pizza Pie. It embeds multiplication into the pizza making process. Kids will make pizza then using multiplication to figure out the… Read more

Are you doing anything special for Earth Day? To celebrate Earth Day, I put together a list of apps that are great to share with your kids on Earth Day. Hope they will be part of your Earth Day learning. Several apps are actually FREE, check them out! 8 Kids Apps for Earth Day Lorax: The story recounts how the Lorax tries to save the Truffula Forest and its inhabitants from disaster at the hands of an insatiable factory owner. The Lorax’s pleas are ignored and… Read more

Do you like wild animals? Do you know you can learn about wild animals from your pet at home? My Wild Cat is a digital book teaching kids about the big cats in the wild through watching the cat at home. It is a unique way of teaching kids about wild animals through things they are familiar with already. In the book, kids will learn about 10 big cats through observing the cat at home. Some of the big cats… Read more

How do you talk about food nutrition and healthy food with your child? How easy is it to take the tasty fries or the sweet donuts away from their plates? Do you know how much sugar in the donuts? You can get help on all these questions from a fun app Smash Your Food. Smash Your Food lets the kids pick the food, and watch the food be smashed between two metal plates, and sugar, salt and oil be filtered… Read more

Have you children struggled with sounding out words during reading? They see a word, but they don’t know how to read it out loud. When a teacher or a parent is with the child, the adult can help. But it is impossible to have someone sit with the child all the time during reading. Isn’t it nice if there is a program that can help the kids sound out the words when no one else can help? Sounding out machine… Read more