Use of high-quality, educational apps can be beneficial for kids if used well. How can you use apps in a way that helps your kids learn?
Play Together
Apps may be filled with interactive features, but the most valuable interaction is between you and your child. Using apps together can spark conversation, which is key to developing language skills. Playing together can also help connect what is happening in the app to your child’s real-world experiences.
Ask Open-Ended Questions
Start conversations by asking children about what they are doing in an app. If you are using an interactive picture book app, ask questions like “What do you think will happen next?” or “If you were the character, what would you do?” If you are using a creative app (for example, to make art or music), ask them to tell you about what they’re making.
Continue Learning Offline
Children learn by exploring the world with all their senses. Follow up app use with an activity that brings what they learned into the real world. Are you using an app about animals? Go outside and see what animals you can spot. After an art app, get creative with paint or crayons.
Be Intentional When Choosing Apps
Look for educational or creative apps with positive messages (for example, apps that promote respect and diversity and avoid stereotypes). Choose apps that are free of advertising, whether that is pop-up ads, product placement or elements that encourage in-app purchases. App reviews from sources like Common Sense Media can help guide your choices.
Set Limits
Children learn best from interaction with adults and the world around them. The Canadian Paediatric Society recommends:
- Limiting total daily screen time for children ages 2 to 5 to one hour per day and not using screens with children under the age of two (with the exception of video-chatting).
- Setting limits on when screens can be used (not during family meals or before bed).
- Turning off background TV and other screens.
One way to set limits is by creating a Family Media Plan. The American Academy of Pediatrics has a tool you can use to make your own.
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