It’s day two of the official lockdown in Nigeria – schools are closed, kids are home and on top of that, parents are working remotely.
I’m not a parent but I do have a kid at home (my housemate’s kid) and every ten minutes, I get a knock or burst into my room and this follows:
“Aunty Dolapo, can you help me with my homework?”
“Why do I have two eyes if I can only see one thing?”
“My tummy is paining me…am I pregnant?”
“Why does my mummy have a beard in her armpit?”
And this happens while I’m trying to get some work done. Door locks don’t help either cos I end up with, “Nobody wants to help me, I’m going to fail it and my teacher will not be happy with me”.
She starts crying, I feel guilty, I let her in.
I probably got 100 interruptions while writing this article.
But I’m not her mum, why doesn’t she go to her mum instead? It turns out her mum is also working remotely and whenever she feels she’s had enough of her daughter’s disturbance, she sends her over to me.
While this may not be the exact scenario in your home right now, you get the drift. With kids at home, you may not always have the peace and quiet you need to be productive at work. How about something to keep them busy and entertained?
When you’re giving your child a game to play, you want to be confident that it’s safe and age-appropriate – which is where this list comes in. Here’s a list of apps specially designed to engage and entertain your kids:
Psst… This list was written with age 0 – 10 in mind.
YouTube Kids: YouTube Kids is just like YouTube but with children-friendly content – and because the mobile app is designed for use on a phone or tablet, kids can tap their way across a digital ecosystem populated with countless videos conceived with them in mind.
Khan Academy Kids: This is a learning app specifically for kids. It covers reading, language, writing, math, problem solving skills and other social development activities. There are cute and colourful animals that deliver each lesson and games that make the learning fun.
Netflix: Who says kids can’t Netflix and chill? From educational cartoons to classic comedies for kids, there are many options for you to choose. Just remember to turn on the Kids mode for them while on the app and set restrictions where necessary.
Dr. Panda Restaurant 3: This is a gaming app where kids can cook and serve dishes to customers in their restaurant and become a master chef. You get to gain status through good service and earn coins to buy things for your restaurant. This game is highly recommended to improve your child’s ‘business mind’.
Video-Calls Kids Love by Caribu: While social distancing, children can enjoy playing games with grandparents and other extended family members using this app. So if you get a lot of, “I want to play with grandma” this app will come in handy.
Play and Learn Science: This app is by PBS Kids and it’s filled with educational games and activities that teach science through play. They can ‘control’ the weather, choose the best materials for an umbrella and learn about life science while playing.
Scribd: Scribd is one of the best apps for books, with a large selection of both adult and kids content. From comic books, to children stories and audiobooks, your kid will surely find something interesting. With a Scribd account, you get some perks and benefits like free Farfaria subscription. Farfaria is an app for children’s storybooks & bedtime stories for kids ages 1-9.
CodeMonkey Jr: Will this list even be complete without an app that teaches how to code? With this app, your kids will join a monkey to collect bananas and unlock treasures – all while learning programming basics. CodeMonkey is fun, easy to use and is best for children from age 4 – 6.
Used carefully, these apps can entertain and engage your children, as well as connect them with the outside world while they stay in.
Happy playing!
