Telling time is a math skill, as well as an essential life skill for kids. Today we share Best Learning Tools for Kids to Practice Telling Time. Some are designed for younger kids, that start with telling numbers 1 to 12, some are designed for school age kids to practice different ways of telling time. Since most kids start to learn telling time around kindergarten age, most of the learning tools below are for kids grade K to 3. We will mark those that are… Read more

Solar beads (or UV beads) and LEDs fascinate children and always seem to surprise them. Using both in a DIY art project will help them engage with learning and be creative. When it is easy to get children outside in the sun, UV beads can be added to many different projects. LED is a fun addition to many projects too. Today we welcome my friend Carolyn, a curriculum and gifted education specialist, back for a STEAM project for kids using… Read more

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

What comes to your mind when I say adventure? Travel to a foreign country? or Space? or a dangerous place? If you look up the word Adventure, the first definition on dictionary.com is “an exciting or very unusual experience”. So for kids it could be anything, a trip to a new grocery store, or a park, a vacation to a city they’ve never been; or doing something they’ve never done before… Anything that involves exploring an uncharted territory is an… Read more

Do your kids like music? Do they like to play with music toys? How about music games? If you are interested in taking their interest in music to the next level and start introduce music formally to kids, such as music notes, instruments, today’s app is a good one to start with. It is still fun, and the music introduction is formal, but gentle. Mussila is a fun and creative music game app that gives kids the basic music skills… 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

Are you children interested in science? They are. Because kids are naturally curious, they are born to explore everything around them, and they want to know why. Science is in our every day life, and there are always things to show kids the magic of science. The challenge is parents are usually too busy or too occupied by other stuff to come up ideas to encourage kids’ exploratory nature and curiosity. I found some times good movies and video shows… 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

Do you kids like to play outside? With TVs, tablets, computers, sometime it is hard to get kids outdoor. But I found as long as they are outside, they always have good time. Kids usually are pretty good at coming up play ideas themselves, but it never hurts to have some cool ideas ready to impress kids. Today we share cool backyard activities for kids. Have fun! 10 Fun Backyard Activities for Kids I love these wonderful backyard play ideas… 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