How to Find Apps That Will Interest Your Kids
Childhood technology has trapped parents in a constant state of uncertainty: new things appear faster than we can determine their impact on young brains. Hundreds of thousands of apps are advertised as educational, but what does that even mean? Reviews in the App Store or Google Play Store won’t give you a definite answer. Often the products with the most approval are simply the ones that keep little Amaya or Hugo’s glorious silence for an extended period of time.
Anya Kamenets, author of The Art of Screen Time , writes in AdAge that good technology can arouse curiosity and help kids learn, and if that’s what you are looking for, it is important to assess the position they are placing your child in. does the app entertain your child with dopamine shots with external rewards like blinking stars or applause sound effects? Or does it allow your child to take the driver’s seat, exploring new worlds at their own pace?
Kamenets writes that it is useful to think of this in terms of “slot machines and sandboxes.” She describes educational apps, similar to slot machines, as “shallow mechanical reading or math exercises combined with encouraging coins and emoticons.” In technical education circles, she writes, such programs are known as chocolate-covered broccoli. Sure, kids can learn something new, but they probably won’t remember it or be able to use it in other contexts.
According to experts, the complete opposite of slot machines and a much better option are applications built like sandboxes. Kamenets describes them as open programs for children, in which “concepts organically arise as a result of their research.” These are not so much games as digital platforms. There are no rules to follow, levels to complete, or ways to win. Children become directors, not passive participants.
Examples of companies making these types of apps include Tinybop (The Creature Garden, pictured above, allows kids to breed different creatures to create different breeds) and Toca Boca . My 5-year-old loves playing Toca Boca’s cooking and hairdressing games, and I love that we don’t have to rip the iPad out of her tiny hands when screen time runs out. There is no voice that screams, “Great job!” or “You did it!” every three seconds to keep her hungry for more. Common Sense Media also has a great list of apps to help kids create media, not just use it. Diary Zapp is a writing and visual magazine app, GoldieBlox and the Movie Machine lets kids create their own time-lapse videos, and Duckie Deck Homemade Orchestra invites players to tinker with “tools” made from household items.
Of course, even if the app is sandboxed, you still need to track it. Play with your toddler while exploring the game together. Ask questions about it and see a cool pyramid, a culinary creation, or a new breed of mammal your child has created. And then, when everything is ready, you can find a real sandbox.
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