Living in the technology age has its benefits.  Our kids are tech-savvy and easily maneuver through apps and programs to complete tasks.  School is more exciting and child-centered.  Technology makes our lives easier in so many ways.  Unfortunately there are also many visual and audio traps that children can stumble upon without realizing it until the damage is done.  My kids are not allowed on Google or the Internet in general unless I have previewed and approved the site.  It’s just too easy to find something that a child never needs to see.  Making your iPhone kid-friendly is a daunting task.  So how can you protect your children?

In my opinion, sheltering your child from technology is not helpful.  Your child will need to be comfortable navigating the Internet and smartphone to be marketable in the future job scene.  Instead, consider making your devices safe for children to use.  I will write about this topic several times over the next few months.  My first suggestion—stock your iPhone with kid-friendly apps.  This can be achieved at little to no cost, depending on the apps you choose.

My kids have iPod touches that we gave them for their birthdays.  I put apps of all ability ranges on their iPods so that my youngest can play something, too.  We were given a chance to download the Dragon and Wolfe story, and my kids enjoyed it.  The story has a read-to-me function so your child can learn to become an independent reader.  Small movements in the illustrations make the storybook come alive.    The story is heartwarming.  Everything about the book was perfect for a child.  My oldest also liked the story and has pulled it up several times to view it.   If you have some time, you can sit with your child to enjoy the story, too.  These features made this a favorite for us.

You can find Dragon and Wolf on the iTunes store for less than $2.   I think that’s a steal for an animated storybook.

There are lots of free options as well, so be sure to do a search for “free” and “kids” to see what you can find.   The downfall of these apps is that they often prompt your child to upgrade or buy more features.  I understand the money-making reason behind this, but I wish they excluded them from kids’ apps.

Please shae your favorite apps for kids below, especially free/low-cost ones!!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.