The internet and access to online entertainment have become very prevalent in day to day life, especially for children. Children can often spend more time online interacting with friends than they do in real life. This can be a blessing and a curse to parents trying to create a balance between letting there kids be kids and keeping them safe. Here are 5 things parents can do to keep their kids safe online.
Continue reading “5 Ways to help keep your kids safe online”
Every kid wants to enjoy the fun of going house-to-house with friends in the dark trick-or-treating on Halloween night. Many of us parents remember the sheer joy of running through the neighborhood in the dark with friends collecting ungodly amounts of candy. Back then, our parents sent us out the door and let us go. Sure, they worried about urban-legend-inspired razor blades in apples, but didn’t worry as much about stranger danger as we do today or reputation damaging photos on social media.
Related: Protecting Kids from Stranger Danger
Today, things are a bit different. Sending our kids off into the the dark isn’t something we are all comfortable with. And while many neighborhoods around the country have designated trick-or-treating events to keep children and families safe, sometimes that is not enough to reassure parents worried about sending kids off to trick or treat with friends or to attend a Halloween party.
See Also: Halloween and Safety Tips from the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Thankfully, parents have resources today to keep their families safe during the free-for-all that Halloween night can be. Reminding your kids of these safety measures and monitoring their location and social activity provides peace of mind while allowing your children to enjoy all the candy, haunted houses and other Halloween fun we loved when we were kids.
For more child safety tips visit the MamaBear blog or follow us on Facebook.
Image Credit: Kids Activity Blog
iPads and smart phones have become the ultimate saviour in modern parenting. Used in moderation, iPads are a fantastic tool for children to play, learn, and develop their skills. More importantly, it is the only toy or educational vice which captures children’s undivided attention for more than five minutes.
Apps are constantly developing and there is plenty of choice on the market directly aimed at children.
This addictive puzzle game is suitable for children of all ages, and has even become a firm favourite among adults. The simplistic challenge to match as many of the 3 animated characters as possible within the 60 second time span, keeps you on the edge of your seat. While it is not necessarily the best app on the market for learning, it is certainly fun, and will maintain interest. It has become so popular it has attracted over 20 million users.
This app is aimed at children between the ages of 8-13. It teaches children about the world and beyond. The user can zoom in and out to reveal fun facts and insightful information about our planet and solar system.
As a starting point, we are introduced to Tickbait, the lovable mascot dog lying in his back garden. From here, if user zooms in they will reveal informative pages about DNA and atoms, and if they choose to zoom out, they will learn about the planets and atmosphere. This app provides a multitude of information in easily digestible snippets, making science fun for the user. This app is a great tool to help children learn about the basic science which surrounds them in a fun, light and exciting way.
Children love Peppa Pig, the brand has dominated the market for years whether in television, book, toy or app format; it is a firm favourite and is here to stay. Peppa Pig- Happy Mrs. Chicken provides the user with 6 interactive games.
It’s a true classic which provides variety, familiarity and fun for children. It is targeted towards younger children, and is a great tool for helping children learn hand eye co-ordination and problem solving, while maintaining a high level of fun.
This is a great educational app for younger children. The user is guided by three fun characters who provide clear instructions. The aim of the app is to help children develop their counting skills with the encouragement of the lead characters, who are well known as they also feature on a television show, just like Peppa Pig, which aids its popularity.
The app is simple and fun and has become a firm favourite. The reviews and parental feedback for this app have been extremely positive, most commenting on its ability make learning fun. They also state that the app has really helped their children develop their counting skills which translates into everyday life when they are not using the app.
Apps are a great way to help children learn. While iPads and smart phones are often criticized when used to entertain and teach children, in supervised moderation, they are a fantastic method to encourage children to develop their maths, co-ordination, concentration and reading skills. Not only that, they provide a welcome distraction, providing parents with some solace.
About the author: Kirsten works for top toy and games specialist Letterbox. In her line of work she constantly researches the market to see what is available, and what new apps or toys are proving most popular.
The article above was from a MamaBear guest blogger. The MamaBear blog is now accepting guest post from reputable bloggers on a variety of subjects. If you are interested in guest blogging for MamaBear simply contact us here.
A family locator app may sound pretty simple. It should be an easy to use app that uses global positioning satellites (GPS) and a smartphone to give parents up-to-date information about their child’s location. In actuality, the idea of instantaneous tracking of a child’s whereabouts is fairly complex; as is the wide range of options it can offer parents. Monitoring a child’s location can be an invaluable parenting tool, and can go far beyond simple tracking. A family locator app gives parents a means to ensure children have been and are where they are supposed to be.
Family tracking apps can be used with a few intentions – safety, accountability and parental peace of mind. It offers families a life-saving technological innovation in the case of an emergency. In addition, a family locator app like MamaBear can let kids explore geographical boundaries allowing a parent to gauge where an intervention is necessary.
On the most basic level, a family locator app serves the basic function of tracking a child. With social location sharing and the utility of so many apps today, acceptance of the MamaBear app from our children shouldn’t be so uncommon. In addition, they may come to understand we’ll feel more comfortable allowing our kids to do a wider range of activities we may have otherwise found ‘too far’ or ‘too scary’ with the use of a family locator app. Knowing where our kids are when they’re camping, at an amusement park or on a day trip with friends can free up both sides of a parent and child’s relationship.
Upon the parent’s discretion, it can be a two-way street. The parent has the option of sharing their location with their children when they choose. This allows an easy way for kids to find their way to meet up with mom or dad. In addition, a quick press of the check-in or come get me button from the the child communicates immediately with the parent.
The times a family locator app like MamaBear can be the most invaluable are often the hardest ones for us as parents to consider, let alone discuss. In an emergency, a family tracking app can give parents and authorities an answer to a child’s current and recent location.
A family locator app like MamaBear gives parents options and reassures our trust. MamaBear can give us the reassurance we need to let our kids live a little, and can protect their lives in the worst case scenario. With availability on Android and iOS enabled smartphones, MamaBear represents a flexible alternative to family monitoring.
To learn more about the MamaBear family locator app watch the video below: