Apps to keep children busy during holidays

With schools on vacation, parents can use apps to keep children busy. In this article, JUSTICE OKAMGBA explores the options

With all nursery and primary schools in Nigeria on vacation for at least a month, parents find themselves navigating a mixed bag of emotions.

On one hand, it is a wonderful opportunity to spend quality time with their children, create cherished memories, and watch them relax and recharge after a long period of school work.

On the other hand, it can be challenging for parents to manage their work and personal responsibilities while ensuring their children are engaged and entertained during the holidays.

Finding a balance between these responsibilities and keeping children productively busy can be daunting. Fortunately, technology offers a range of apps designed to keep children entertained and stimulated, providing parents with a much-needed helping hand.

The Chief Executive Officer of Edten, an online educational platform, Hritvik Gaur, understands the struggle.

“That is why you typically reach for tablets, phones, or other electronic devices for your kids to play with when they’re bored,” Gaur explained.

“But it can be difficult to figure out which apps are worth downloading and even buying, let alone deciding which ones are safe and kid-friendly.”

So, how can parents keep their kids productively busy during the holidays? Here are some apps that can help.

Read Along by Google

One such app is Read Along by Google, a free reading app for Android that makes learning to read fun for children. The app features an in-app reading buddy that listens to children read aloud, offers help when they struggle, and rewards them with stars for their achievements.

One Google user in a review praised the app, saying, “Loved this app. It is helping my younger sister, who unfortunately missed her kindergarten classes and is poor at reading English.

“There are a few bugs, like the app incorrectly taking input when there is noise around and not allowing us to re-read lines, but overall, it’s an excellent app from Google. I hope developers fix these issues soon.”

Another user, Aakash Gupta, commented, “The overall view and content of the app are very good, but it would be better if it classified the content into three levels: Easy, Medium, and Hard.”

He said this would help children know their level of development and improve their reading skills.

Additionally, adding games for vocabulary building, sentence making, short write-ups, and jumbled words would further enhance children’s reading skills, he wrote.

Moose Math

Moose Math, suitable for ages 3-7, takes kids on a mathematical adventure through engaging, multi-level activities that teach counting, addition, subtraction, sorting, geometry, and more.

In the Moose Juice Store, Puck’s Pet Shop, and Lost & Found, kids play five different activities to earn rewards, build their own city, and decorate buildings. The developers introduced the whimsical Dust Funnies characters to help children master essential math skills.

Aligned with Common Core State Standards for Kindergarten and 1st Grade, Moose Math includes a Report Card section for parents and teachers to monitor progress and access additional skill-building activities.

The Oregon Trail

The Oregon Trail is a game that blends adventure, simulation, and survival in a settlement setting. Players can build, grow, craft, and harvest to transform the small frontier village of Independence, Missouri, into a bustling boomtown.

Originally designed to educate school children about the life of a 19th-century pioneer, the game lets you take on the role of a wagon leader.

You guide your group of chosen settlers from Independence, Missouri, to the Willamette Valley in Oregon, following the historic Oregon Trail in 1848. Over the years, the game has been released multiple times on various platforms by different game makers and publishers who acquired the rights.

SplashLearn

SplashLearn’s games provide both extra practice and fun challenges, delivering real learning outcomes.

The developers of this learning app said that as children explore new worlds and befriend magical creatures, they discover multiple ways to solve problems.

“With no timed challenges or strict skill progression, our games offer a safe space for exploration and learning from mistakes.”

Children who play SplashLearn more than four times a week show a learning improvement of over 77 per cent within the first two months, they said.

GCompris Educational Game

GCompris is a high-quality educational software suite that offers a wide range of activities for children aged 2 to 10.

While some of the activities have a game-like orientation, they remain educational, ensuring that children learn while having fun.

Quick Math Jr.

Quick Math Jr. is a math learning app designed to help children build a strong number sense through interactive experiences with numbers. Featuring 12 different games, the app covers fundamental math skills and concepts. With unique graphics and customizable characters, Quick Math Jr. keeps kids engaged. Children can practice handwriting by drawing or writing their answers directly on the screen.

According to Gaur, “If kids are going to be glued to the iPad anyway, it’s beneficial to have them learn something useful.” Gaur recommends utilizing educational apps like Quick Math Jr. to keep children engaged and learning across various age ranges, providing parents with some much-needed free time.