ARTICLE
December 10, 2024 - 3 min read
Welcome to the wide world of educational games. With games for literacy, numeracy, creativity and more, all you need is an iPad or a tablet and headphones to get your kids engaged. Make the most of screen time with games to supplement their classroom learning.
Straight maths lessons might not be the best fun, but sorting and adding apples to feed a pet caterpillar? Enthralling to a little learner!
“Apps may provide reinforcement of some key skills that children learn at school – for example, sounds or letter formation,” says Jocelyn Brewer, psychologist and founder of Digital Nutrition™, which teaches parents what to look for in kid-friendly apps.
“Parents should look for app developers and organisations with a track record in education and pedagogy, not just software design,” says Jocelyn. “Apps also have suggested age ratings to support choices.”
We’ve rounded up the best education apps and educational websites, plus the best kid-friendly tablets, headphones, and accessories to really make learning fun!
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Before you can download games, you need a child-friendly tablet. Set your kids up with a device with enough storage for all their photos and games and DIY movies. Look for monitoring settings that let you set restrictions on screen time, apps and internet filters so your kids can safely search all the Bluey content they want. Larger tablets with screens of up to 12.4 inches will allow for easy reading, digital colouring-in, and letter tracing with a digital pencil.
Complete your at-home learning set-up with a perfectly paired set of headphones. Look for noise cancelling headphones that block out background noise so kids can listen and learn anywhere – even on the sidelines of their sibling’s soccer game. And make sure they’re a comfortable fit.
“Look for headphones with a volume-limit setting to protect young eardrums. This is a feature you’ll often find in child-specific headphones,” says Christos Boukogiannis, The Good Guys Buyer – Sound.
Why not go wireless? Wireless headphones ditch the ever-tangled cord and are compatible with almost any device.
Looking for the best apps for kids? Introduce them to something new, or hone in on their interests with these age-appropriate picks.
This iconic character is no stranger to kids, and is brought to life as a virtual pet your child can care for. Kids engage in sorting, painting, counting and memory activities as the caterpillar grows.
In this app, kids choose from a range of characters, families and cultures, and use their imagination to create their very own virtual doll house.
Combines books, activities, games, videos and resources in one digital toybox, which is updated weekly to keep the content fresh and exciting.
The much-loved language app has a separate app for kids! It teaches the English basics with mini games and daily challenges reworked for little learners who are mastering their ABCs.
Just as it sounds, this app curates YouTube content that’s fit for little viewers. “Well-selected videos on YouTube Kids can add to the content, facts and ideas on different topics to extend children’s knowledge,” says psychologist Jocelyn Brewer.
With free educational games on geography, literacy, trivia and, of course, maths, this website pairs perfectly with classroom learning.
Kids “read” a series of pictures to spell out the word (think “ear” and “ring” to make “earring''), in categories like superheroes and animals.
Plug in and get learning with podcasts, music and audio gems made for little ears. A favourite for road trips, this app lets kids listen to dedicated ad-free radio or download episodes on their tablet.
Forgot the colouring book and pencils? This app offers thousands of pictures and a library of colours to foster your child’s creativity.
Discover the fascinating world of Nat Geo on a kid-compatible website. It’s all about learning through games, puzzles and videos, teaching kids everything from animal facts to geography knowledge.
Let the learning and fun begin! Build on classroom lessons with some clever apps and the best kid-friendly tablets and noise cancelling headphones. You’ll find the best tech in-store and online at The Good Guys.