Top Tablets for Kids

Fire HD 10 Kids Pro

Suggested age: 6-12 years

The Fire HD 10 Kids Pro is available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

Description

Fire HD Kids Pro is a popular tablet for kids, and this year you can get a 1 year subscription to Amazon Kids+ included (with access to thousands of books, movies, TV shows, educational apps, and games), a 2 year worry-free replacement guarantee, and a durable kid-friendly case.

In addition to Kids+ content, Kids Pro tablets include access to a digital store. Children can request apps, while parents approve purchases and downloads.

The web browser comes with built-in controls designed to help filter out inappropriate sites and let parents add or block specific websites at any time.

Children can also make voice and video calls and send announcements over WiFi to approved contacts with an Alexa-enabled device or the Alexa app.

Main Features on Fire HD 10 Kids Pro

• 10.1″ HD display screen
• 2 Year worry-free guarantee (“If it breaks, return it and we’ll replace it for free”)
• Slim, kid-friendly case
• Screen made with strengthened aluminium silicate glass
• 1 year free subscription of Amazon Kids + included
• 32GB storage (expandable by up to 1 TB)
• Up to 12 hour battery life
• 2MP front-facing camera and and 5MP rear-facing camera
• Built in microphone
• Easy to use parental controls

Apps & Games

The Fire HD 10 Kids Pro comes with 1 year free subscription of Amazon Kids+, packed with fun and educational content from Disney, Harry Potter, LEGO, National Geographic and more. Hand-curated and age-appropriate, it includes thousands of popular apps, games, videos, books and Audible audiobooks.

Children can request more content from the digital store, like Netflix, Roblox or Minecraft. Parents can approve the purchases and downloads, as well as give access to more content.

Safety & Parental Controls

Access easy-to-use controls in the Parent Dashboard via the Amazon Kids app or website to set limits and educational goals, view usage history, and enable access to voice and video calling, the digital store and web browser.

LeapFrog Rockit Twist

Suggested age: 4-8 years

The LeapFrog RockItTwist is available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

Description

The LeapPad Rockit Twist is a handheld console, the perfect learning toy to get started with maths, literacy, science and encourage creativity. Loads of fun guaranteed as kids guide characters through puzzles, play music and much more.

Twist, turn, play and learn with the RockIt Twist rotatable, single-player game system! Four sides of colourful, light-up controls include buttons, dials, a spinner, slider, switch and D-pad to provide a totally unique way to play exciting video games.

Twelve preloaded games across five categories have three levels of difficulty that help kids learn skills including literacy, math, problem-solving and creativity all while having fun! Make delicious recipes and stir, weigh, chop and more as you bake in the Cookie’s Sweet Treats game pack. Dig into the prehistoric world and search for fossils and more in the Dinosaur Discoveries game pack.

The game packs also include two virtual RockIt Pets, a doughnut named Sprinkles and a dinosaur named Sprout. Since there’s no need for WiFi, kids can play anywhere. Listen to your own music with the built-in MP3 player with volume controls and headphone jack. Expand the fun and learning with additional games for download from the LeapFrog App Center (sold separately).

Main Features

• 12 preloaded games across five game play categories have three levels of difficulty that help kids learn skills including literacy, maths, problem solving, science and creativity.
• There’s no need for WiFi, kids can play anywhere.
• Listen to your own music with the built-in MP3 player
• 2 game packs included, more games available to buy from LeapFrog App Centre.
• Rechargeable batteries included.

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Don’t Miss…

From crafts and science kits to the latest books and magazines, these subscription gifts for kids and teens will keep them engaged and interested long after the gift has been received. Plus, who doesn’t love to get something fun in the post?!

Top Tablets for Older Kids and Families

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 10.4″ 4G Tablet

Available from Currys

Description

An idea can strike anywhere. Don’t let it get away and capture it with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 10.4” 4G Tablet. Edit photos, jot down notes and browse the web on the 10.4” touchscreen.

Whether you’re sketching out a new design or scribbling down notes in a lecture, unleash your creativity with the Bluetooth-connected S-Pen. Feel like you’re writing on paper with precise, accurate movement and pressure sensitivity.

A new, improved user experience allows for wider customisation. And sharing all your stuff with the rest of the family has never been easier. Syncing with other Samsung devices takes just seconds.

Main Features of the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite

• 10.4″ display
• 128GB storage (expandable up to 1 TB with a microSD card)
• 5MP front-facing camera and 8MP rear-facing camera
• Up to 13 hours battery life
• S Pen included

Apple iPad Pro 11″

Available from Currys and other retailers nationwide.

Description

If you are looking for a general family use tablet, then iPads are ideal for both parents and children. The 10.2″ iPad is one of the most popular tablets currently on the market.

Powered by a A13 Bionic chip, iPad makes multitasking easier than ever. Sketch out your latest masterpiece with your 1st generation Apple Pencil (sold separately), switch between apps and stream shows. All without being slowed down.

Main Features of the iPad

• 10.2″ display for razor sharp text and images
• Light sensors to adjust colour of the display depending on where you are
• Up to 10 hours battery life
• Built-in 8MP Wide camera and 12 MP Ultra Wide FaceTime HD camera
• 256GB storage

• YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY: 16 Risky Apps Parents Should Be Aware Of (and Why!)

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Gadget and Tech Gifts for Kids

LEAPFROG LeapGlobe Touch

Was €69.99 NOW €59.99 Suitable for ages 3+

You don’t need to sail the seven seas to discover interesting things about the world. The LeapFrog LeapGlobe Touch is a fun way for kids to learn about different countries and cultures around the world.

And this isn’t just any old globe – it lights up as it spins and includes 48 touch-sensitive landmarks and graphics. With 4 different category buttons, kids can hear fun educational songs about greetings, animals, countries and continents.

Vtech Switch & Go Dinos Overseer the T-Rex

Was €79.99 NOW €64.99 Suitable for ages 3+

The Vtech Switch & Go Dinos Overseer the T-Rex can easily switch between a T-Rex and a robot. Controlled by a remote, it can walk both in robot and dino modes.

Thanks to the sound effects, breathing light effects and the backlit screen, your kids will love playing with both the robot and the dinosaur. They can even learn some interesting dinosaur facts and phrases by simply pressing the Talk button.

Pebble Gear Frozen 2 7″ 16GB Kids Tablet

NOW €119.99 Suitable for ages 0-7 years

Learn and play with Elsa, Anna and other Frozen 2 characters on the Pebble Gear Frozen 2 7″ 16GB Kids Tablet. It comes with Frozen games, apps and e-books pre-installed, and your little explorer can document anything he or she does with cameras and a mic.

With the Pebble Gear OS you get a full parental control. Create up to 4 child accounts, each with their own customisable security level.

Then there’s the Game Store Junior. There, your kids can choose from over 500 more fun games and apps, no charge, no in-game purchases, zero ads. Just a ton of fun with Disney characters!

With a tough Frozen bumper case, this one can easily take a bump or two. And there’s two years of warranty to take care of any accidents.

Vtech KidiZoom Studio Compact Camera

Was €69.99 NOW €59.99 Suitable for ages 5+

Inspire little ones to get creative with the Vtech KidiZoom Studio Compact Camera. This video and stills camera comes with a green screen, tripod, and 20 animated backgrounds, so they have fun creating their own universe.

Whether they want to make an educational show for their project or film their very own unboxing video, they can capture it in HD and get creative with the kid-friendly video editing function. With a flip-up lens for selfies, fun special effects such as an invisibility cloak, and 6 fun games built-in, they’ll have hours of fun.

ZINC E4 Kids Folding Electric Scooter

Was €129.99 NOW €109.99 Suitable for ages 5+

Inspire little ones to get creative with the Vtech KidiZoom Studio Compact Camera. This video and stills camera comes with a green screen, tripod, and 20 animated backgrounds, so they have fun creating their own universe.

Whether they want to make an educational show for their project or film their very own unboxing video, they can capture it in HD and get creative with the kid-friendly video editing function. With a flip-up lens for selfies, fun special effects such as an invisibility cloak, and 6 fun games built-in, they’ll have hours of fun.

Christmas Gifting

With hundreds of gift options to choose from in store and online at Currys.ie, you’ll be sure to find the perfect present for the special people in your life this Christmas!

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Gadget and Tech Gifts for Tweens and Teens

Nintendo Switch

Was €329.99 NOW €299.99 Suitable for ages 6+

The Nintendo Switch is designed to go wherever you do. With the ability to transform between a home console and a portable system, the Switch lets you play your favourite games for longer.

Connect the HDMI cable to your TV to enjoy a traditional console gaming experience, or prop up the stand attached to the back of the device to play games on its built-in screen. When the time comes to leave the house, you can carry on gaming by attaching the twin Joy-Con controllers to the console and using the 6.2″ screen.

The Nintendo Switch comes with 32 GB of internal memory for all of your gaming needs. This can easily be expanded, using microSDHC or microSDXC cards to add storage space to suit your needs.

This new version of the Nintendo Switch has all the same great features of the original Switch, just with a much longer battery life. Depending on your game, you’ll get from 4.5 to 9 hours of battery. Now when you’re stuck on long journeys, you’ll have even more gaming time.

META Quest 2 128GB VR Gaming Headset

Was €479.99 NOW €449.00 Suitable for ages 13+

VR gaming just got an upgrade. The Meta Quest 2 features a super-powerful processor and graphics, so you can explore virtual worlds and play games in great quality without the need for a PC or console.

The new display is a single-panel LCD screen that gives you up to 50% more pixels than the original Quest. And thanks to 3D cinematic audio, you’ll hear exactly where the enemy is approaching from.

The Meta Quest 2 lets you share more than ever – with live casting you can show your friends your VR experiences, or meet up with friends in virtual worlds for multiplayer battles.

And if you want, you can even connect your VR headset to a gaming PC with a Link cable to access hundreds of PC VR games and experiences.

Ready to play? Just open the box, set up the app on your phone, and jump into VR. Set up is as easy as that.

So time to get checking your list and head over to www.currys.ie to see the full range of kids tech available or pop into one of their 16 stores nationwide and get all the gifts you need this Christmas.

• YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY: How to Set Up Parental Controls on Your Child’s Phone

The post Top Tech Gifts for Kids and Teens this Christmas appeared first on MyKidsTime.

With more and more shopping being done online, it’s a timely reminder for how to keep yourself safe online.

Don’t Miss 5 Tips for Parents on Tablet and Smartphone Online Safety

Internet Safety Tips While Shopping Online

#1. Keep Your Laptop Clean

No, we don’t mean dusting… We recommend having the latest Internet security software and an up to date web browser. These are the best defences against viruses, malware and other online threats.

#2. Make Passwords Long and Strong

Always combine upper and lowercase letters along with numbers and / or symbols to create a secure password. You may be tempted to keep using the same simple password but the more effort you put in to choosing a secure password the more you protect yourself online. The longer the better as it takes criminal hackers much longer to crack longer passwords.

Don’t Miss: Top Tips for Buying and Selling Online

#3. Unique Account, Unique Password

Yes it seems hard work but having a separate password for every account will help to protect you from cybercriminals. If you keep using the same password and they crack it, then they’ve potentially got access to all your accounts if you have used the same password!

#4. Check Out Sellers

Conduct independent research before you buy from an online seller you have never purchased from before. Cybercriminals are very clever to replicate websites and trick us into buying.

Search merchant reviews, and we recommend trustpilot.com where you can look up a website and check what other users are saying about it.

#5. When in Doubt STOP

Links in email, Tweets and online advertising are the simplest way for cybercriminals to compromise your PC.

If it looks suspicious, even if you know the source STOP THINK DELETE.

I was once sucked into buying something on an iffy website because I saw a sale ad on Facebook, clicked and didn’t check the website thoroughly before I bought.

#6. Protect Your Cash

When banking and shopping online check to be sure the sites are security enabled. Look for the web addresses with https:// or shttp:// which means the sites take extra measures to help secure your information.

http:// is not secure and you should always look for the padlock in the browser bar.

#7. Never Give Too Much

No online store needs your date of birth or mother’s maiden name to complete the purchase, chances are this is a phishing scam and if you combine this information along with credit card details they are 3 steps closer to stealing your identity.

Always check the website’s privacy policy if you have any doubt. Genuine websites have real privacy policies with contact details.

#8. Use Safer Payment Options

Credit cards are generally the safest option as they allow buyers to seek a credit or chargeback from the issuer if no product is delivered or incorrect.

Also unlike debit cards, credit cards normally have a limit on the monetary amount you will be responsible for paying if your information is stolen and used by someone else. Review return policies and NEVER SEND CASH.

If you have a PayPal account then using it to pay means you are not entering credit card details directly onto the website. PayPal also offers a reclaim option where you can claim back the cost of return postage if you have to return an item.

#9. Help Authorities Fight Cybercrime

Always report stolen finances or identities and cybercrime to police. You can report to:

UK: Action Fraud

Ireland: Garda National Economic Crime Bureau

Australia: ReportCyber

USA: FBI Cybercrime

Canada: Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre

or to your local police station.

Stay safe when shopping online!

Have your say! Any other tips for safe internet shopping? Any experiences to share? Tell us in the comments below.

The post Don’t Miss These Internet Safety Tips While Shopping Online appeared first on MyKidsTime.

Our Kids Are the First Fully Digital Generation

Our children are experiencing life online as the first fully digital generation – they don’t remember a time without access to the internet at the tip of their fingers. And new research from Qustodio shows that 19% of 8-year-olds have their own smartphone, jumping to 69% of 12-year-olds and 91% of 18-year-olds.

This time online can open our kids and teens to a wealth of wonderful knowledge and experience, but unfortunately also to more risk and health side effects. Headline figures from Qustodio’s research include:

• 50% of online exploitation victims are between 12 and 15 years of age
• 50% of kids admit to being addicted to their smartphones
• 42% of kids have seen porn online
• 33% of kids have experienced cyberbullying
• 73% of high school students don’t get enough sleep
• 63% of children who have more than 2 hours of daily screen time show lower academic performance than those who spend less time online

For parents, these figures are terrifying and it can feel as if you are facing an uphill battle to retain any kind of control in the situation. But tools and resources, like Qustodio, offer a whole host of parental controls that are easy to navigate and monitor from a real-time dashboard. Qustodio’s features allow you to set consistent time limits on your child’s devices, track calls and SMS, see your child’s location, block apps that are not appropriate, filter browser results and block adult websites, monitor YouTube viewing and social posts, and set downtimes before bed.

In addition, a series of advice articles help you talk to your children about how to spot and avoid data thieves, groomers, sexual predators, and stalkers.

Parental Controls Made Easy

Over 4 million parents trust Qustodio’s parental control tools to keep their kids’ screen time safe and balanced on every device — all from a single dashboard.

Available for Apple iPhone and iPad, Android, Mac, Kindle, Chromebook and Windows.

Tell Me More!

Parental Controls on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch

Apple Family Sharing

With Family Sharing, up to six family members can share an iCloud+ subscription, apps, books, music and more, all while having different Apple IDs. You can set up an Apple ID for kids, set permissions remotely with Screen Time, and approve spending and downloads from a parent’s device with Ask to Buy.

When you share iCloud+, family members can’t see each others’ photos, files or documents. And when you share other subscriptions, such as Apple Music or Apple TV+, each person will see their own preferences and recommendations – not the whole family’s.

Ask to Buy

If you want to see and approve what your child downloads, set up Ask to Buy. Then, when they ask to buy apps, films or other content, an alert is sent to you to approve or decline it directly from your own device.

This feature is useful for many reasons – you can be ‘in the know’ as to the apps your child is looking to get, you can start a conversation about why some or all of those apps are being requested, you can decline apps you feel are not appropriate, and you can have a better idea of which apps need a time limit set.

Screen Time

Is your child spending too much time on social media, or on a game? Is their mood affected or their homework suffering? With Screen Time, you can keep an eye on how much time your kids are spending on apps, visiting websites and on their devices overall. Review your children’s activity reports and set time limits for specific apps.

One of the many additional benefits of the Content & Privacy Restrictions in Screen Time is that you can limit your child’s ability to install or delete apps and disable in-app purchases.

You can also:

• Disable built-in features (e.g. Mail, Siri or AirDrop)
• Automatically filter website content to limit access to adult content in Safari and other apps
• Prevent explicit content and set content ratings. This will limit music with explicit content and movies, TV shows or apps with specific ratings.
• Restrict Siri functions to prevent Siri from searching the web when you ask a question or to prevent Siri from displaying explicit language
• Restrict Game Centre features such as multiplayer games, adding friends, or private messaging
• Allow changes to privacy settings (e.g. allowing an app access to your camera or microphone)

Download

Are you looking for advice on how to deal with your tween or teen? Download our FREE e-Book which is full of essential tips to help you survive the teen years!

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Parental Controls for Android Phones and Devices

Google Family Link

Google Family Link is about guiding your child or teen to good content and make better decision about how they spend their online time – whether that is helping them manage their apps by approving or blocking app requests from their device or using the activity reports to see how much time they’re spending on different apps and websites.

Screen time limits allow you to set the amount you feel is right for your child, as well as a ‘bedtime’ setting. Whether it’s time to go and play outside, have dinner, or have screen-free time, you can also remotely lock your child’s device.

Being able to check in on your child when they’re on the go is reassuring for parents, so the location feature is useful. There is also the option to manage in-app purchases and get teacher-recommended apps your child might like.

• YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY: Online Safety for Kids: 5 Simple Lessons to Teach Your Kids Today

The post How to Set Up Parental Controls on Your Child’s Phone appeared first on MyKidsTime.

Stop Motion Animation Apps

Stop motion animation is great fun, both to watch and to create. This is an interesting (and secretly educational!) way for your kids to start using tech, use their imaginations and boost their own creativity.

Here are some recommended apps to use on phone or tablet.

Stop Motion Animation Apps for Android

Stop Motion Maker

A useful app, Stop Motion Maker has functions such as:

• Shooting mode with manual / automatic shooting
• onion skin
• preview
• export into avi or motion-jpeg format.

You can also frame edit and import image files in jpeg, png format.

Cost: Free

PicPac Stop Motion+TimeLapse

PicPac offers stop motion animation and time lapse together in the one app.

Features:

• Add audio and music easily
• No upload to server or PC required.
• Use your gallery photos, gallery videos (broken down to pictures), Instagram photos, or capture time-lapse photos to create stop motion/timelapse videos and animations. You can also do Hyperlapse.
• Hands-free sound-controlled in Timelapse Manual mode. Simply make a loud sound and a photo will be taken!
• Add voice or music

If you upgrade to the Pro version you can also:

1. remove watermark
2. generate 480p,720p,1080p videos/animations
3. duplicate and merge projects
4. use your own ending logo

Cost: Free (€4.99 for Pro)

• YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY: How to Make a Stop Motion Movie – The Beginner’s Guide

Stop Motion Studio

With Stop Motion Studio you can create stop motion animated movies anywhere instantly on your device. Everything you need is right at your fingertips. No computer needed. It’s simple to use, deceptively powerful and insanely fun to play with. Cool themes, titles and sound effects are easy to add, too.

Stop Motion Studio has these features:

• Overlay mode to show you the differences between frames for precise control
• Grid mode to position animated objects more easily
• Ability to use the volume button on your device to capture images
• Integrated movie editor with frame-by-frame preview at different speeds
• Cut, copy, paste, delete and insert frames at any position
• Automatically capture frames with an adjustable time interval feature
• Zoom in and out on the timeline view so you never get lost, even if you have hundreds of frames
• Fade your movie in or out for a professional look

Cost: Free (There’s also a Pro version €6.99)

Download

This fun 30-Day LEGO Play Challenge is free and easy, and offers lots of brilliant building inspiration for brick-mad kids!

Download!

Stop Motion Animation Apps for iPhone and iPad

iMotion

iMotion is an intuitive and powerful time-lapse and stop-motion app for iOS. Take pictures, edit your movie and export 1080p & 720p HD videos to your device or directly to Youtube.

Features:

• HD capture & exports
• 4 capture modes (time-lapse, manual, wifi remote, microphone)
• Ultra speed shooting up to 10fps (*)
• Variable frame rate playback
• Portrait and landscape orientations supported
• Useful capture tools (Manual Focus, Exposure Lock, Onion skin, …)
• Export your videos and photos to your Photo Library, iTunes Sharing Folder or YouTube, Facebook and Mail (Full Version In-App required)
• Autosave and direct preview
• Unlimited movie length
• Retina Display

Cost: Free with in-app purchases to access some of the extra features

“This is probably better suited to older kids – not as kid-friendly, and less available on free version” – Jennifer

Stop Motion Studio

Also available for iOS, Stop Motion Studio lets you create stop motion animated movies anywhere instantly on your device. Everything you need is right at your fingertips. No computer needed. It’s simple to use, deceptively powerful and insanely fun to play with. Cool themes, titles and sound effects are easy to add, too.

Stop Motion Studio has these features:

• Overlay mode to show you the differences between frames for precise control
• Grid mode to position animated objects more easily
• Ability to use the volume button on your device to capture images
• Integrated movie editor with frame-by-frame preview at different speeds
• Cut, copy, paste, delete and insert frames at any position
• Automatically capture frames with an adjustable time interval feature
• Zoom in and out on the timeline view so you never get lost, even if you have hundreds of frames
• Fade your movie in or out for a professional look

Cost: Free and purchase all the features forever once for €6.99

Stop Motion Factory

Stop Motion Factory allows you to easily take pictures and make stop motion animations. It comes with some special features:

• Add text and images: You can easily add text and images to the video to make the video content richer.
• Add Sound. There are many ways to add sound, you can even convert text to speech.
• Various filters to make your video more exciting.
• Voice-activated shooting – use sound to trigger the camera to avoid shaking caused by touching the phone.
• Frame capture. Every frame taken can be shared or downloaded to the album.

Cost: Free (some in-app purchases)

• YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY: 12 Things You Must Do To Help Keep Your Child Safe on YouTube

The post These Are the Handiest Apps for Stop Motion Animation appeared first on MyKidsTime.

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If your child is learning to read and needs a little extra support or wants to progress then reading apps can be a good way to get them engaged and practising their reading.

The Best Reading Apps For Kids

Montessori Crosswords

Based on the proven Montessori learning method, Montessori Crosswords helps kids develop their reading, writing, and spelling skills by building words from a set of 320 word-image-audio-phonics combinations using a phonics-enabled movable alphabet.

Available on iTunes & Android. Paid app.

The Sight Word Adventure

The Sight Word Adventure app is a thorough and comprehensive practice system for some of the most important early-reading words that every child must master to gain fluency. Children can learn to recognise, read and write up to 320 words.

Available on iTunes. Paid app.

You Might Also Enjoy 10 of the Best Educational Apps for Kids Reviewed by Families

The Land of Me – Story Time

The BAFTA nominated Land of Me Storytime app is a beautiful picture book world, where the characters are alive and where every choice you make has dramatic results. What’s the story? You decide! Join Eric the raccoon, Buddy Boo the bear and Willow the owl on an epic journey through your child’s imagination.

Available on iTunes. Free app..

Starfall Learn to Read

Learn to read with Zac the Rat. Each numbered section features a vowel sound and its related spelling. Your child will hear, touch, read and eventually master this sound-spelling through a variety of engaging activities, movies, and songs. Encourage your child to play and explore! Perfect app  for emerging readers and English language learners.

Available on iTunes & Android. Free app.

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MeeGenius

Captivate your child’s imagination by giving them access to hundreds of read-along books with MeeGenius, turning your mobile device into an expansive library of digital books for children up to 8 years old. All MeeGenius books are available with read-along word highlighting, rich illustrations, and engaging story narration.

Available on Android. Free with in app purchases.

Dr. Seuss’s ABC

Learn your ABCs with Dr. Seuss in this interactive book app for young readers! Explore pictures, learn new vocabulary, and personalise the story with your own narration. From Aunt Annie riding an Alligator to the Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz, learning to read is an unforgettable adventure with Dr. Seuss!

Available on iTunes & Android. Paid app.

You Might Also Enjoy 10 of the Best Learning Games for Toddlers & Preschoolers

Kids Learn to Read (Lite)

Featured at the Google I/O conference, Kids Learn to Read app is a delightful game that invites preschoolers to blend sounds into words, read and form simple words, identify spoken words and learn word families.

Available on Android in Lite (Free) & Full Version (Paid)

Reading Eggs

Reading Eggs is a multi-award winning reading programme designed specifically for ages 2–13. It turns learning to read into a fun and motivating experience, with one-on-one lessons that match your child’s ability and rewards them at every step of the way.

Reading Eggs has a proven track record helping children with autism, reluctant and resistant readers, children who are struggling in school, and toddlers who have zero reading skills.

Available on iTunes and Android. In app purchases.

You Might Also Enjoy 20 Free Educational Apps for Kids Reviewed by Families

Phonics Genius

One of the best ways to rapidly learn how to speak, read, and recognise words is through phonic awareness. The Phonics Genius app is specifically designed to help kids recognise and distinguish words by sounds, using fun interactive games. There are over 6000 unique words so kids should never tire of it!

Ideal for kids aged 1-6 yrs.

Available on iTunes. Paid app.

Monkey Word School Adventure

Join Monkey and his jungle friends as they explore a fun-filled world of letters, sight words, phonics and spelling. Seamless game flow allows your child to jump right in and begin playing and learning in a captivating way. Lessons range from letter recognition and writing, to spelling and phonics, introducing word components and much more!

Best for ages 3 to 7.

Available on iTunes & Android. Paid app.

You Might Also Enjoy 11 Free Educational Games Online the Kids Will Love

Elmo Loves ABCs

This is an app full of games, activities, and videos, which will help teach your child about letters, sounds, and words. It has songs and videos about letters. It has colouring pages and games about letters. It has all the letters from A to Z! Elmo even made a new alphabet song for it. All kids love Elmo so they’ll love learning with Elmo loves ABCs.

Available on iTunes. Paid app.

Learn With Homer

The Learn with Homer app combines the best research on how children learn to read with innovative game design in an immersive learning experience. It develops confident readers by progressively building over 50+ skills, including phonics, blending, comprehension etc.

Best for 3-6 yrs.

Available on iTunes and Android. Free with in-app purchases.

Online Reading Resources

• Reading Rockets help you find the very best educational apps that provide practice with essential literacy skills. Help kids build skills in print awareness, phonics, spelling, vocabulary, and writing.
• Reading Eggs is also available online and makes learning to read interesting and engaging for kids, with great online reading games and activities.

Have your say! Have you any learning to read apps for kids that you can recommend? Leave a comment below and let us know – we’d love to hear from you!

The post These Reading Apps for Kids Can Help Develop Literacy Skills appeared first on MyKidsTime.

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10 Super Fun Apps For Tweens

#1. Loopimal

The best way for kids to learn about making music! LOOPIMAL is a building kit of handcrafted animations and sounds. The possibilities of creations and compositions are endless.

Your tween can create sequences for different animals and the content is on melodic, rhythmic or movement bases. There is no goal, there is no wrong or right, it’s a completely creative and safe fun app.

Available for iOS (€4.49)

#2. Monster Physics™

Monster Physics™ is a unique building app that lets you play with physics. Build and operate your own car, crane, rocket ship, plane, helicopter, tank and more. Build intricate, working contraptions with over 68 different parts including wheels, rockets, propellers, cannons, magnets, claws, wings and more.

Choose from different materials, connect parts together by welding them, drawing a rope or chain between them with your finger or using special dynamic joints to bring them to life. Once your invention is complete, Monster Physics™ will render it with its built-in physics engine and let you actually operate your creation in real time.

Available for iOS (€2.29)

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#3. 7 Little Words

If your child enjoys word searches, anagram and jumble games, or crosswords, 7 Little Words is a fun little app. Use the clues and letter blocks to find the 7 scrambled words in each bite-size puzzle.

The app contains 25 puzzles that you can play for free, with two new puzzles available for free each day.

Available for iOS and Android (Free with in app purchases)

#4. Stack the States™

Watch the states actually come to life in this colorful and dynamic game! As you learn state capitals, shapes, geographic locations, flags and more, you can actually touch, move and drop the animated states anywhere on the screen.

Carefully build a stack of states that reaches the checkered line to win each level.

Available for iOS (€3.49) and Android (€3.29)

#5. Little Alchemy

Little Alchemy is an app and online game where you start with 4 basic elements and mix them to start creating more things.

It’s all about mixing elements to create interesting, fun and surprising items. Every combination is a little puzzle to solve. Your objective is to reach 510 elements at the end.

As well as being available in app format you can play on desktop at the Little Alchemy official website and if you sign in you can sync across devices too.

Available for iOS and Android. Cost: Free.

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#6. The Wired Bunch: Issue 1

The Wired Bunch is a futuristic interactive storybook about robot cowboys set in the wired west. The story centers around Marshal Ram and his 5 deputies as they protect their town from evil robots.

It is a fun and engaging story with fun animations that allows the user to read it, listen to the story or both.

There are further issues you can download as well.

Available for iOS (Free)

#7. I Can Animate

Create stunning and exciting animation movies quickly and easily. With you can bring the art of creating stop-frame animations to your iOS devices and then share them for all to see.

I Can Animate has some really great features:

• Capture frames using either camera on your iOS device
• Displays onion skinning, so you can easily see the differences between frames you are capturing.
• Preview captured frames in the scrollable timeline.
• Adjust exposure, white balance and focus automatically or manually lock the settings.
• Duplicate & Reorder frames
• Review last five frames and preview whole project
• Undo support
• Capture automatically using the inbuilt time lapse feature
• Standard & Widescreen display
• Change playback speed
• Connect a bluetooth keyboard and capture frames without returning to or tapping the device (iOS7+)
• Share movies.

Available for iOS (€3.49) and Android (€5.99)

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#8. Hopscotch

Hopscotch is programming designed for everyone. Kids can use simple, intuitive building blocks to create games, animations and apps in this colorful, interactive environment.

Program your characters to move, draw, and collide with each other, and use shaking, tilting, or even shouting at the iPad to control them.

Available for iOS (Free)

#9. Funny Jokes

For the joke fan in the house, Funny Jokes contains a large selection of the best hand picked jokes for people of all ages (kids, teen and adults). With jokes and riddles, as well as puns and one liners, there’s plenty of fun in this app and all the answers to the jokes in the app are viewable at the click of the button.

It’s also suitable for all ages (kids, teen and adults) as this game does not contain any dirty jokes.

Available for Android (Free)

#10. Toca Hair Salon ME

Toca Hair Salon Me lets you be the customer and the stylist! Curly, straight or purple? Create a funky hairdo any way you like. Grow it long or cut it short, shave one side or spray paint it every color of the rainbow. The possibilities are endless!

Add accessories such as hats, sunglasses and hair clips to top it off. Don’t forget to take a photo and share with friends. Now you can use your own photos as backdrops to complete your style transformation.

Available for iOS and Android (€4.49) 

Have you downloaded any of these apps for tweens? Any more to recommend? Tell us in the comments below.

The post 10 Super Fun Apps for Tweens (and Some Are Educational!) appeared first on MyKidsTime.

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FIFA 20

FIFA20 is expected to be released late September 2019. EA Sports have added a new volta football street soccer mode this year in addition to the traditional match mode.

The game also features dynamic tactics so you can easily customise your play in advance of the game or during play.

Age: 3+yrs
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, Windows PC & Nintendo Switch.

Why Buy:
The FIFA games are always popular with soccer fans and if your kids haven’t yet gotten their hands on the 2020 version of the game, then this will definitely be a winner on Christmas day.

Just Dance 2020

Just Dance® 2020, the latest instalment of the #1 Music Videogame Franchise Of All Time*, will be released on November 5th 2019.

Age: 3+ yrs
Available on:Nintendo Switch™, Wii™, Xbox One, and PlayStation^®4 computer entertainment system.

Just Dance 2020 is more accessible and customisable than ever. With the unlimited songlist feature, that comes free for one month with each copy, giving you access to over 500 songs, along with 40 chart topping hits. There’s also a pre-made playlist or recommendation for every mood and moment, allowing players to easily customise their Just Dance parties.

Kids Mode is also back and tailored for the youngest players to enjoy 8 new kid-friendly choreographies and various curated songs, and calorie-trackers can stay on top of their progress with the return of Sweat Mode.

Up to six players can play at the same time using a Joy-Con™ controller on Nintendo Switch™ or by using the free Just Dance Controller App (available for iOS and Android) that allows your smartphone to track and score dance moves on Xbox One and PS4 without any additional accessories.

Why Buy:
Players can unleash their inner dancer with the Just Dance 2020 track list, and you can get access to over 500 more with a free one-month trial of Just Dance^® Unlimited, the dance-on-demand streaming service**, included with every copy.

Fortnite Season XI

Fortnite Season X1 (11) is expected to be released in early October 2019. Rumours are there will be a new map and changes to Battle Royale.

Age: 12+ yrs
Available on: Nintendo Switch, PS4, XBox One, Android and iOS devices.

Why Buy:
Adventure awaits around every turn. This multi-player game enables you to build, create and battle with your friends to see who is the last one standing. Battle Royale is the free version of Fortnite where up to 100 players from around the world, are thrown onto an island with no weapons, it is up to each player to search out weapons and battle against others to be the last one standing. There is in game chat, so players can be talking to other players during the game.

Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield

Two new Pokémon games are due to be released on November 15th 2019.

Age: All ages
Available on: Nintendo Switch

Why Buy:
Strive to become the next champion of the Galar Region and enjoy the many faces of the Wild Area. Set out on your adventure  in style with a visit to one of the many boutiques and salons. You can also make changes to your League Cards with the card maker function.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is due to be released on November 15th 2019.

Age: Rating pending
Available on: PS4, Xbox One & Microsoft Windows

Why Buy:
A single player game, this is the story of young Jedi trainee, Cal Kestis, who shows his true courage and abilities after much of the Jedi order has been wiped out by the Empire in the Star Wars universe by order 66. Game play will be fast and furious as you battle the Empire and use your Jedi training to overcome your opponents and solve mysteries along the way.

Concrete Genie

Concrete Genie from Sony is due out on October 8th and tells the story of Ash who finds a paintbrush with magic qualities that enables him to bring his home town Denska out of darkness and back to life.

Age: 10+ yrs
Available on: PS4

Why Buy:
Create your own colourful sketches and vibrant street art designs as you help Ash bring the colours of Denska back to life.

LEGO Movie 2 Videogame

LEGO Movie 2 is the story of Emmet and a host of heroic characters who need to go above and beyond their world to save their friends from the inhabitants of the Systar System who have left Bricksburg in ruins! The video game is based on the popular movie.

Age: 10+ yrs
Available on: PS4, Nintendo Switch, XBox One, Microsoft Windows

Why Buy:
LEGO games are always a popular choice for Christmas and this one is no different. You will get to test your master builder skills and discover new worlds as you play.

Super Mario Maker 2

Super Mario Maker 2 is the latest game in the Super Mario franchise from Nintendo. With new tools, features and course paths, you can let your imagination run wild to create the Super Mario course of your dreams!

Age: Universal age rating
Available on: Nintendo Switch

Why Buy:
Mario is always a winner with kids, and this latest version won’t disappoint on Christmas morning. This game can be played in single player mode or with Nintendo Switch online membership you can share your courses with others and enjoy courses made by others in 2 player mode.

Over to you! Have you any other new video games for kids on Santa lists for Christmas 2019 that we haven’t mentioned? Let us know in the comments below.

The post The Best New Video Games for Kids for Christmas 2019 appeared first on MyKidsTime.

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If your child or teen has access to a smartphone or tablet, how about breaking out their creative side and encouraging them to produce their very own movie using stop motion animation? Here is a guide about stop motion animation for parents.

Stop Motion Animation – A Handy Guide for Parents

What is Stop Motion Animation?

Stop motion animation is the process of photographing objects one frame at time while moving them marginally between each frame. By loading them onto a stop motion app, the frames you capture can be played back in sequence to create the illusion of movement. These apps enable you to speed up or slow down the frames and most offer extra effects to enhance the movie.

Stop motion animation has been around for over a century. It is used to create animation effects on advertisements, television shows, music videos and in films.

Stop motion can be used to animate inanimate objects, drawings and animate objects (if you can get them to stay still for long enough!).

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Apps To Create Stop Motion Animation Movies

#1. I Can Animate

Create stunning and exciting animation movies quickly and easily. With I Can Animate you can bring the art of creating stop-frame animations to your iOS devices and then share them for all to see.

I Can Animate has some really great features:

• Capture frames using either camera on your iOS device
• Displays onion skinning, so you can easily see the differences between frames you are capturing.
• Preview captured frames in the scrollable timeline.
• Adjust exposure, white balance and focus automatically or manually lock the settings.
• Duplicate & Reorder frames
• Review last five frames and preview whole project
• Undo support
• Capture automatically using the inbuilt time lapse feature
• Standard & Widescreen display
• Change playback speed
• Connect a bluetooth keyboard and capture frames without returning to or tapping the device (iOS7+)
• Share movies.

Cost: €3.49

#2. Clayframes

ClayFrames is easy to use and has a good set of professional features for making stop-frame animation (or claymation) and time-lapse movies.

Clayframes Lite is the free trial version, it’s worth trying this out before you buy the full version to confirm it is compatible with your Android device.

Clayframes includes these features:

• Mp4 video exporter for Android 4.3 and higher. Plays with built-in Android player.
• AVI video exporter and player.
• Onion-skinning (transparent overlay) for smooth movement. Align the current shot with the previous one.
• Preview Loop: Review your movie as you shoot it! Make fast progress without stopping to review.
• Trigger camera shutter remotely using a hand clap or the phones proximity sensor. Avoids camera shake.
• Timed shutter release option for time-lapse movies. Any interval from 1 second to 1 hour.
• Add audio using the microphone on your device. Record your own vocals, effects or soundtrack.

Cost: €2.39

#3. StopMotion Studio

Want to create movies like Wallace and Gromit or those groovy Lego shorts on YouTube? Then this is one app you might like to try.

Use Stop Motion Studio to create fun stop action movies with the following features:

• Overlay mode to show you the differences between frames for precise control
• Grid mode to position animated objects more easily
• Ability to use the volume button on your device to capture images
• Integrated movie editor with frame-by-frame preview at different speeds
• Cut, copy, paste, delete and insert frames at any position
• Automatically capture frames with an adjustable time interval feature
• Zoom in and out on the timeline view so you never get lost, even if you have hundreds of frames
• Fade your movie in or out for a professional look

It also has parental controls to manage access which is handy.

Cost: Free

#4. Lapse It

Lapse It is available for both iPhone / iPod / iPad and Android. You can use the free version to test it out before upgrading to the Pro version.

Here are some of the features the free app offers

• Capture shots using your camera
• Import pre-recorded videos to speed them up or slow them down
• Auto and manual modes for controlling exposure, focus, ISO and white balance
• Use any song from your library as the sound track of your video
• Speed up your time lapse with millisecond precision up to 240x
• Camera zoom includes even a zoom ramping over time
• More than 50 filters, including the amazing Tilt-Shift effect
• Share directly to Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo and many others
• Tons of post-capture options including trimming, adding timestamp, square mode, backwards playback and more
• Stop motion with onion skin and touch-less photo snaps
• Schedule the capture to start and stop automatically

Cost: Free or the Pro version is €3.99

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Making Your Own Stop Motion Animation Movie

A few ideas to get started on your stop motion animation movie career include

• using LEGO to create Brick Flicks
• paper cut outs
• drawings on a chalkboard, whiteboard or simply on paper
• your siblings, parents, pets or friends
• clay or play dough
• dolls and mini figures.

To get going, you should do a few trials with different objects, background settings, lighting and getting the focus just right.

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Has your child (or you) made a stop motion animation movie yet? Leave a comment below and let us know – we’d love to hear from you!

The post Stop Motion Animation – A Handy Guide for Parents appeared first on MyKidsTime.

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Online safety for kids is a tough topic to broach at home, but it is an essential conversation to have. Even if you have parental controls in place at home and help your child set up privacy controls on their accounts, they can access the internet almost anywhere, including through public Wi-Fi and computers at the library or school.

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Online Safety for Kids – the Essentials

#1: Never Post Anything You Wouldn’t Want Everyone to See

Privacy settings these days are a little tricky. They’re not all black and white. For example, you might keep your Facebook privacy settings set to friends only, but once you tag your friends in a post, their friends can see it, too.

Even if you think you’ve posted something private, such as in a private message, it doesn’t mean it will stay private forever. Screen shots are powerful tools, and anything you say or pictures you send can always be preserved in screen shots and shared.

Not only that, but you can never delete anything you post online. Once it’s there, it lives on a server forever.

Continue to enforce this idea with your kids. Encourage them to think before they post. If they wouldn’t want you, their grandma, or a future employer to see it, they shouldn’t be posting it. And check their Privacy settings regularly.

#2: Don’t Talk to Strangers

Kids know all about avoiding strangers in public, but talking to strangers online can give your kids a false sense of security – especially if the stranger is good at chatting and they think they are talking to another kid.

Teach them not to reply to text messages, emails, or social media messages from people they don’t know. They should never click on links or attachments from strangers. There’s a good chance those links are a virus.

Avoiding strangers goes beyond viruses. Engaging with strangers online could put your children at risk of being groomed or becoming victims of predators or cyber bullies. Teach them to only use the internet to connect with people they personally know, and they can greatly mitigate their risk of getting into trouble.

This applies to semi-strangers as well. Just because they met someone through a friend once doesn’t mean that person is trustworthy.

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#3: Be Suspicious of Public Wi-Fi

There are a lot of ways hackers can get ahold of your private information. One of the easier ways to do it is through public Wi-Fi. These hackers could compromise the network or set up a “man-in-the-middle” attack where all your data is routed through them first. They’d be able to see all your online activity, including any passwords you enter.

Even if you’re not accessing sites that contain sensitive data, hackers are smart and know that most people use the same username and password combination for many different sites.

Teach your kids to be wary of public Wi-Fi. If they need to access the internet on the go, their data connection is a better option. If they can’t get service and free Wi-Fi is the only thing available, there are a few ways they can protect themselves.

• First, consider if you have to go online. If it can wait, it’s best to leave your Wi-Fi signal turned off.
• Second, make sure your Wi-Fi isn’t enabled by default. In some cases, your device might connect to the closest thing it can, putting you in danger without even realising it.
• It also helps to use anti-virus software on your phone to prevent getting viruses over public Wi-Fi.
• When your kids are older, they might consider a VPN to protect their information.

#4: Use Secure Passwords

It’s easy to underestimate how important secure passwords are. Using secure passwords is a valuable habit to teach your kids while they’re still young. Teach them to:

• Use a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters
• Use a different password for each account
• Change their passwords periodically, such as every six months
• Never tell their friends their passwords
• Avoid entering passwords over public Wi-Fi or on public computers

If your kids have trouble remembering their passwords, it’s okay to write them down as long as the passwords aren’t kept near their devices. To add an extra layer of security, they might use a “secret code” only they understand, such as by adding extra numbers and symbols so only they know which symbols matter.

They might also write their passwords in “tips” they will remember. For example, the password 1wdcft6 makes a “V” on the keyboard, so their “tip” would be “V.”

Lesson #5: It’s Okay to Ask For Help

It’s important that your kids know they can come to you with anything. When it comes to online safety, they should feel comfortable approaching you with concerns. They might, for instance, ask you about suspicious emails, which gives you a chance to reinforce what’s okay to open and what isn’t.

If they can tell you about messages they receive from strangers, you’ll be able to take action before they get into any trouble.

And if they’re being cyberbullied, they need to know they can ask for your help to deal with it. Communication is key to protecting your kids online.

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These lessons on online safety for kids can take some time to teach – particularly when your children are young – but if you make them part of the everyday conversation, it won’t take long for them to sink in. Lead by example, and be open to answering their questions or helping them out to reinforce the importance of online security.

Have your say! What’s your experience of teaching your child about online safety for kids? Leave a comment below and let us know – we’d love to hear from you!

The post Online Safety for Kids: 5 Simple Lessons to Teach Your Kids Today appeared first on MyKidsTime.