As a new mom I had decided no TV, Phones/No malls for my newborn. But over time all this couldn't last. As a working mom one of the first things I did was buy an iPad. The time my daughter spends working is the time I get to do my work. At first, I used it for my school work, but with time, it slowly became a space for my daughter to explore and discover new things.
So as she got older I allowed her a little app time. She seemed to be very respectful and the guided access code (it locks you into one app until you unlock it with your exclusive code) kept her on one app at a time. I have found that unlike the phone, the iPad mini wasn't so draining. So these apps are primarily used on the iPad. But when we go out, they are on my husband's phone and my phone for her to use.
My Top School/Homeschool Friendly Apps for a 5-8 year olds:
1- Khan Academy
2- Moose Maths
6- Wordplay/EndlessNumbers/123 (bundle)
But I have a schedule I follow every week to ensure that I have some working mom time to myself. Each day has live examples of music (like playing instruments and learning a little theory), to painting, drawing and play dough, Maths day and Science day have a few worksheets, but those days are primarily for apps and TV. Reading day has book books as well as Dr Seuss books on the iPad so she has access to the whole collection.
Apps and Schedule for my 5 year old 1:30pm-4:30pm
Tuesday: Art Day (No App for this most of the time she's drawing or colouring)
Wednesday: Maths Day Khan Academy , Moose Maths , Endless Numbers
Thursday: Science Day Human Body
Friday: Reading Day Dr Seuss Treasury , Endless Wordplay , Endless Alphabet
Saturday: Outing Day (on a rainy day Hindi flash cards)
Sunday: Toy Day/ Block Day
We didn't realise that these apps were supporting her learning in school until she picked up reading super fast and was able to understand numbers at a speed we didn't calculate. In India we often have tuitions to support the school education since there are many students in the class and each child isn't able to get individual attention but I will tell you my child's independence in studying and understanding concepts is all that to these new apps (which I credit my sister in law and brother who found for my niece). Check it out and don't forget to tell me if you enjoyed using them. If you have app suggestions I would love to check them out and apply them into our schedule.
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