< PreviousKid’s apps, websites and videos 10 Spring-Summer 2020 Time Out UAE Kids App-solutely awesome digital learn 10-17_TOKU_1304_Feature_Apps_11248440.indd 1029/03/2020 10:47:21Kid’s apps, websites and videos Time Out UAE Kids Spring-Summer 2020 11 ning i Pads and tablets get such a bad rap, parents are so worried about the knock-on effects of their children over-using digital devices, and rightly so. On the whole, kids need to be discouraged from being in front of a screen for long periods of time. That said, as with most things in life, there is a time and a place and using devices in moderation for the right reasons can actually be beneficial. *Disclaimer: we aren’t talking about watching Dan TDM play Minecraft or the Disney Collectorbr unwrapping surprise toys though! There are literally thousands of fun, educational apps, websites and YouTube channels that will help rather than hinder your child’s learning. To help you weed out the good from the bad, we’ve rounded up 40 of our favourites. 17 APPS Chatter Pix Kids and Chatter Pix Kids can take a picture of anything, draw a line on it to give it a tiny mouth and then record messages that the photo will repeat in a silly voice. Teachers like to use this in the classroom in many ways one of which is to use a picture of a famous historical figure and get children to record biographies for them. There is a version for kids four and over and one for kids 12 and over. O Free. Four and above (Chatter Pix Kids), twelve and above (Chatter Pix). ClassDojo This app provides a free communication platform for teachers, students and parents. At school teachers also use it as a way of rewarding children for good work and behaviour, something that parents can emulate at home, too. O Free. Ages four and above. Duolingo The gamified learning system of this app helps kids to learn a variety of languages including English, Spanish, French and German, by using games that help to develop reading, writing, speaking, listening (we can, but hope) and conversation skills. O Free. Ages four and above. From educational YouTube channels to apps that teach kids a foreign language, here are 40 ways a device can be used for the greater good 10-17_TOKU_1304_Feature_Apps_11248440.indd 1129/03/2020 10:47:33Kid’s apps, websites and videos 12 Spring-Summer 2020 Time Out UAE Kids Kahoot Kids love Kahoot, they can create quizzes and surveys using their own multiple-choice questions to play back with their friends and parents. A whole load of fun and gives mums and dads a real insight into the thought processes of their precious kiddos. O Free. Ages five to 18. KenKen Classic Not heard of KenKen? It’s basically like Suduko, but with numbers instead of letters. Kids can challenge themselves with the maths puzzles schools in the UAE hold inter- school KenKen competitions for those who get really good. O Free. Ages four and above. Keynote Kids can have loads of fun pulling together pretty, informative presentations using easy-to-use tools and cool effects. Set them a task to present a particular topic… Could be anything from ‘Where I come from,’ to ‘What makes me happy’. O Free. Ages four and above. Letter School Perfect for the youngest family members in FS1 and FS2, this app gets them to trace letters of the alphabet and words using their finger. O Free. Ages four and above. Maths Shed This is a fun way for little ones to get their heads around the basics of maths such as simple addition and subtraction using number bonds. O One off payment. Ages four and above. Mathmateer Little ones build a rocket and fly it into space on a mission to solve maths problems using a variety of objects including numbers, shapes and coins. O One off payment. Ages four and above. MentalUP Educational Games Tailor the games to the age of your child and let them solve various problems and challenges using different ways of thinking. O Free. Ages four to 13. Monkey Preschool Lunchbox Ideal for toddlers and pre- schoolers this is a fun game with cute monkey who has to solve 10-17_TOKU_1304_Feature_Apps_11248440.indd 1229/03/2020 10:47:44Kid’s apps, websites and videos Time Out UAE Kids Spring-Summer 2020 13 puzzles using colour recognition, counting and memory. O One off payment. Ages two to five. Popplet While the age range starts from four, this is really an educational app for older kids from around nine. It lets children create graphic organisers with images and text in order to help them map out their thoughts and thinking. O One off payment. Ages four and above. Reading Eggs This bright and colourful app helps tiny tots learn to read and older kids hone their skills using interactive reading games, guided reading lessons, fun activities and over 2,000 digital story books – that’ll keep them busy. O Free. Ages two to 13. Redstone Crossword app There’s nothing more fun and challenging than a crossword puzzle. Kids may moan, but there are plenty of cool features on this to keep them engaged. It may say suitable from four years, but unless you have a baby genius on your hands, it’s more realistically going to be most suitable for kids six and over. O Free. Ages four and above. Spelling Shed Like its maths sibling, Spelling Shed uses fun, colourful ways to help children with their learning. And because it has been designed by a team of teachers, you know they are in good hands. O One off payment. Ages four and above. Tayasui Sketches School Wannabe Monets can channel their love of art and creativity into making beautiful masterpieces using a selection of super cool drawing tools. Best of all mums and dads, it stays on the tablet so you don’t have to find room to display the resulting works of art anywhere in the house! O Free. Ages four and above. Teach your Monster to Read This one pretty much does what it says on the tin… or should that be screen? The app covers the first two years of reading in a fun and simplistic manner from matching letters and sounds to enjoying books. O One off payment. Ages three and above. 10-17_TOKU_1304_Feature_Apps_11248440.indd 1329/03/2020 10:47:55Kid’s apps, websites and videos 14 Spring-Summer 2020 Time Out UAE Kids 10 YOUTUBE CHANNELS Art for Kids Hub This is a cute family run channel where the parents do step-by-step instructions on how to draw for their own children and yours to follow. O Free. Ages four to 13. Cosmic Kids Not so much educational in itself, but by following the on-screen yoga and meditation demos, kids will be focused and calm to embark on any studying they may have to do. O Free. Ages four to 11. Crash Course Kids The channel focuses on science for primary school children and supports their learning with educational videos on biology, geography, engineering and astronomy. O Free. Ages five to 11. Epic Phonics These videos are aimed at bettering student’s engagement and learning in order to improve their reading, writing and spelling skills. There are songs and flash cards keeping things very colourful and engaging. O Free. Ages three to seven. Jack Hartmann Kids Music Loads of songs for kids to sing-a-long to as well as various educational videos focused on learning to count and read. Expect quite the genre mix with everything from pop and hip- hop to Latin, country and rock! O Free. Ages three to eight. Kidz Bop Cool music videos perfect for little dancers and divas. As well as music videos that kids can join in with, there are interviews and behind the scenes footage. O Free. Ages six to 12. Mike and Mia Parents may find these two slightly irritating, but they seem to mesmerise tiny tots with their nursery rhymes and singing – when Mike and Mia’s version of Baby Shark comes on, you might want to mute the iPad mind you. O Free. Ages two to six. National Geographic Kids Curious kids satiate their hunger for knowledge by watching hundreds of weird, wild and wacky videos. The weird, but true elements are definitely worth a watch – for parents as well as kids. O Free. Ages four to 13. Number Jacks Based on the popular British TV show, these numerical super heroes have to save the day using their addition and subtraction skills. They basically set about solving problems with maths… and the kids seem to love them. O Free. Ages four to eight. Spread the Happiness TV This is great for little kids to develop their fine motor skills. By following the exercises on the screen, they will build up strength and control in their hands and fingers. O Free. Ages three to six. Number Jacks Epic Phonics Art for Kids Hub Mike and Mia Kid’s apps, websites and videos 10-17_TOKU_1304_Feature_Apps_11248440.indd 1429/03/2020 10:48:07Kid’s apps, websites and videos Time Out UAE Kids Spring-Summer 2020 15 Cosmic Kids Jack Hartmann Kids Music Spread the Happiness TV National Geographic Kids Kidz Bop Crash Course Kids Kid’s apps, websites and videos 10-17_TOKU_1304_Feature_Apps_11248440.indd 1529/03/2020 10:48:24Kid’s apps, websites and videos 16 Spring-Summer 2020 Time Out UAE Kids 13 WEBSITES Active History Perfect secondary school kids and those sitting exams in history, this website was created and is updated by a history teacher. O Subscription with free sections. Ages 11 to 18. ww.activehistory.co.uk. BBC Learning This is an old website that is no longer updated, but it contains tonnes of information from language learning to BBC Bitesize that is perfect to help kids with their revision. O Free. Ages four to 18. www.bbc.co.uk/learning/ coursesearch. Blockly This is a great one for little coders. Kids can learn computer programming skills and put them to the test in a series of fun games, absolutely free. O Free. Ages six to 12. www.blockly.games. DK Find Out An engaging and easy to navigate site for primary school children with lots of buttons to press and things to click on. They can choose from an extensive drop down list of subjects including animals, coding, history, transport, space and science. O Free. Ages three to 11. www.dkfindout.com. Five Minute Mum There are heaps of fun games and activities for parents to do with their little ones at home. From educational numbers games to writing activities and letter recognition, the mum-of- two shares her ideas for keeping kids busy for five minute periods. O Free. Ages two to five. www.fiveminutemum.com. 10-17_TOKU_1304_Feature_Apps_11248440.indd 1629/03/2020 10:48:41Kid’s apps, websites and videos Time Out UAE Kids Spring-Summer 2020 17 Geography Games Tonnes of fun, interactive online games that support kids from primary all the way up to sixth form secondary students with georgraphy. O Free. Ages five to 18. www.world-geography-games. com. Khan Academy Khan Academy is good for maths and computing for all ages, but all other subjects at more aimed at secondary students. While it does use a US grade system, but it is material used across all curriculum. O Free. Ages four to 18. w Mystery Science From plants and animals to weather, lights and sounds, this is a website that little scientists will have so much fun doing working on they won’t even realise that they are learning. O Free. Ages four to 11. www.mysteryscience.com. Oxford Owl This is a lovely, colourful site with free e-books for kids, plus spelling games and even a phincs guide to help parents support their kid’s reading. O Free. Ages three to 11. www.oxfordowl.co.uk Star Fall Starfall is a children’s website that teaches basic English reading and writing skills. The main demographic is pre-schoolers, and kindergarteners. It teaches children how to read by using games and phonics. O Subscription. Ages three to nine. www.starfall.com. TedEd Discover loads of educational videos for older kids that not only teach, but are interesting and fun to watch. And they are free, too. O Free. Ages 12 and above. www.ed.ted.com. Toy Theater The graphics are quite dated, but kids won’t notice because there are endless fun games they can play that will keep the quiet and happy for hours on end. O Free. Ages three to eight. www.toytheater.com Twinkl There are loads of print outs aimed at little ones from FS1 up to 18-year-old kids doing their A-Levels, plus a section for SEND children. There are printable worksheets for a whole range of subjects including maths, English, science, languages, history and geography. O Subscription. Ages three to 18. www.twinkl.ae. 10-17_TOKU_1304_Feature_Apps_11248440.indd 1729/03/2020 10:48:51Kid’s audiobooks 18 Spring-Summer 2020 Time Out UAE Kids literature Listen to Some of the top kids audiobooks bringing stories to life 18 - 21_TOKU_1304_Feature_Audiobooks_11233490.indd 1825/03/2020 13:00:58Time Out UAE Kids Spring-Summer 2020 19 Harry Potter By: J.K. Rowling. Narrated by: Jim Dale. Length: Eight hours and 18 minutes. Best for: Ages nine and above. There are so many ways to enjoy this series of books about wizard, Harry Potter and his friends at Hogwarts and the audiobook is just as good as any. A great one for long car journeys, it has a mixture of humour, suspense and mystery. Plus parents love it as much as the kids. Matilda By: Roald Dahl. Narrated by: Kate Winslet. Length: Four hours and 18 minutes. Best for: Ages six and above. British actress Kate Winslet does some hilarious voices that the little ones will love, and being one of Roald Dahl’s most loved children’s books, the whole family will want to listen to it over and over again. Inkheart By: Cornelia Funke. Narrated by: Lynn Redgrave. Length: 15 hours and 34 minutes. Best for: Ages nine and above. Read by award-winning actress Lynn Redgrave, who makes the characters come alive just as they do in the story, this is a story that will entertain the whole family. It follows a father and daughter as one of their books suddenly springs to life in their home, bringing with it an evil ruler they must defeat. It’s long though, so you’ll have to eek it out over a few days, or even weeks. Charlotte’s Webb By: E.B. White. Narrated by: E.B. White, George Plimpton. Length: Three hours and 34 minutes. Best for: Ages ten and above. This is a children’s classic that has withstood the test of time having first been released in 1953. It has been made into cartoons and films and is a story about a spider called Charlotte who befriends a piglet called Wilbur, who she subsequently helps avoid slaughter. It’s a trip down memory lane for mums and dads while being a gorgeous story that the kids will love too. The farm in the book is real and Charlotte is based on a real spider. The first Harry Potter book was published in 1998, the same year the final battle of Hogwarts was fought. Rowling said: “I open at the close.” T here’s nothing quite like seeing your kids read, it creates a lovely warm feeling and gives you an inner glow… but not all children are keen to pick up a book and instead choose digital over paper. So if you’re looking for ways to get them into literature, then give these audiobooks a go. 18 - 21_TOKU_1304_Feature_Audiobooks_11233490.indd 1925/03/2020 13:01:09Next >