Screentime. We often talk about screentime and how we would like our kids to have less of it. My Gator Watch helps kids swap their screens for outdoor fun and independence. But we know that with this awful weather we can’t eliminate screentime all together. We also know that productive screentime can be really beneficial for kids. With this in mind, we want to talk about all the positive ways your kids can use their devices at home.

EDUCATIONAL APPS

Reading Eggs – Reading Eggs makes learning to read interesting and engaging for kids, with great online reading games and activities. And it works! Children love the games, songs, golden eggs and other rewards which, along with feeling proud of their reading, really motivate children to keep exploring and learning. For more information, click here. 

Dualingo – Dualingo is a brilliant website that allows the user to learn a new language in a fun and engaging way. Even better, it’s totally free! Earn points for correct answers, race against the clock, and level up. For more information, click here.

Dragon Box – DragonBox is an award-winning series of educational math apps that are designed to engage and excite children about learning. For more information, click here.

Tocaboca builder – If you can imagine it you can build it with the six Toca builders! This creative building game for kids allows you to make a whole new world in one fun app! For more information, click here.

WELLBEING

Worrinots – The primary aim of The Worrinots is to provide children with a platform that they can use to communicate their worries, fears and anxieties. The Worrinots application and characters have been developed with the help of some of the UK’s leading child psychologists to encourage children to share their concerns and deal with them appropriately. When Worrinots is combined with the monitoring app WotNot, parents & carers can feel assured they are informed of their children’s worries, can respond to them in real-time and feel empowered with the knowledge they can help their child. For more information, click here.

Headspace – Guided Meditations and Mindfulness takes a calm, relaxed approach to bring peaceful relaxation into the lives of adults and kids. Headspace app, aims to keep children “calm and focused” through short meditation exercises. For more information, click here.

Breathe, Think, and do with Sesame – This app helps kids to learn to deal with frustrating situations using the “breathe, think, do” method. They’ll learn to take long, deep belly breaths to calm down, think of a few strategies to handle the problem, and then do those things. This helps them build on resilience skills as they overcome challenges and worries by themselves. For more information, click here.

CREATIVITY 

Clay Frames – Create smooth stop-motion animation and time-lapse in minutes, on the move – anywhere. Kids will love making their own stop-motion movies with this brilliant app! For more information, click here.

Diary Zapp – DiaryZapp is an interactive diary app that encourages young people to document their adventures and their lives interactively while improving their communication and literacy skills in the process. For more information, click here.

 STAY ACTIVE

Persil and the wild network – This app is packed with over 100 outdoor activities that take from just 20 minutes to a whole day. Persil Wild Explorers is the perfect companion to outdoor play. For more information, click here.

Rebecca plants curiosity cards – Inspired by Rebecca P. Cohen’s books “15 minute outside: 365 Ways to get out of the house and connect with your kids”. This app is a great tool to make the most of family time as the app features 50 open-ended questions that help you find out more about each other and can take the boredom out of a car journey. For more information, click here.

SLEEP

Calm – Calm is the number one app for meditation and sleep. The app offers a range of sleep Stories and bedtime tales that include a soothing mix of words, music and gentle sounds to help your little one drift off into dreamland. For more information,click here.

Moshi Sleep app – The Moshi twilight sleep app is packed with over 40 sleep stories that help kids to sleep better through guided meditation. For more information, click here.

We hope you enjoy exploring these positive screentime apps. As a team of mums ourselves, we are always on the lookout for new ways to help the kids stay engaged, especially in this weather. Do you have any apps you can share with us? Join the conversation in the comments below or via our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages.

My Gator Watch is a wearable mobile phone designed especially for 5-12-year-olds. It uses GPS, two-way calling, works across multiple networks and has an SOS feature for peace of mind. It does not have a messaging feature, and you, the parent; determine all numbers that are pre-set within the phone.

For more information and prices, please click here.