I think we’ve all found ourselves in a situation that if we only had someone to watch our children for a few minutes at a time, we would be able to get those few really important things done. I steal minutes in the morning and evening when I am by myself with the kids and usually it is by giving my daughter the ipad or equivalent. Christine Dehne, Brooklyn-based mom, educator and multimedia artist gives us the low-down on some easy to use apps for toddlers that will keep them busy when you have to get something done!
by Christine Dehne
As I mentioned in my first post about apps, I recognize that some families choose to avoid screen-time for their children. I, however, have happily moved into the territory where I allow screen time for my four-year old in order to get a few moments in which I can cook dinner, take a shower, make a phone call, answer a few emails, or simply have a moment where she isn’t asking me “why does________ ________?” A few great apps that are easy enough for her to navigate without needing any assistance are ready on our tablet for these moments.
- Elmo Loves ABCs. I mentioned this app in my post about Alphabet apps. It was one of the first and only apps I’ve ever purchased. DD1 has been playing it since she was about 2, and even then it was incredibly easy for her to navigate. There is a good mix of watching and doing in this app, with old-school clips from Sesame Street, letter tracing, and other games. Over the past two years this app has allowed me a few choice moments of peace.
- Monkey Preschool Lunchbox. Another app we acquired quite early in our tablet use, Monkey Preschool Lunchbox includes matching, counting, and shape identification in a quiz-style app which keeps young preschoolers busy and learning in a can’t-answer-wrong environment. The background music is repetitive and can get annoying, but I’ve found it becomes white noise behind whatever music I’m listening to while prepping dinner.
- Anything by Toca Boca. I’ll go into specifics in another post, but we really enjoy Toca Band, Toca Hair Salon, Toca Doctor…you get the drift. We love Toca Boca. These apps are less educational than the first two I mentioned, but they’re fun and they’re easy to navigate for a young child and don’t require a parent to keep the young user on track. I’ve even used Toca Band to keep our then 3-year-old and her seven-year-old and nine-year-old cousins busy while someone else was making dinner and I just wanted a break. I don’t think it was intended as a group game, but why not?
- The Monster at the End of this Book. This book was already a favorite when we tried out the app. It turns out the voice of Grover is much better than Mommy’s attempt at the same, and DD1 loves being able destroy all of Grover’s feeble attempts at preventing the page from turning. This is one eBook that is just as good as its physical book counterpart, and playing with the app created a resurgence of interest in the book at bedtime.
- Teach Me: Toddler. With a talking mouse as a teacher, your child is quizzed on numbers, letters, colors, and phonics. This app has a much more clunky feel than the other’s I’ve mentioned, but it moves rapidly from question to question, keeping a busy toddler’s attention. The questions are easy enough for a younger toddler to play without explanation buying you just a few moments to ______________.
Enjoy __________!
– Christine Dehne is a Brooklyn-based multimedia artist and educator and a mother of two girls. She strives to teach her children and her students to be happy but conscious consumers of media. You can reach her at christinedehne (at) gmail (dot) com.