Smartphone apps provide strategies for parents
Techniques, information to help in child development
The first few years of a child’s life provides an all-important foundation for future learning. For parents seeking to make the most of early childhood can now find help — as close as their phone. Several smartphone apps have emerged recently that hold great promise in providing parents with strategies, techniques and information to help in child development. Here are details on two of them:
Vroom: Brain Building Basics
Suggested Age Range: 6 months – 2 years
Vroom is all about creating brain-building moments for very young children. It doesn’t change what you do with your child, but how you do it. Visit the website to watch the how-to video, then download the free app to your smartphone for daily brain building fun on the go. Here’s one tip offered through the app:
Flip the switch: Before leaving the house today, let your child be the one to turn off the lights. Help her flip all the switches and talk about how her actions turn the lights off for darkness and on for light.
Text4Baby
Suggested age range: pregnancy through first years
The free Text4baby app makes it easy for parents to get critical health and safety information — not when the doctor’s office has time to call them back, but as soon as they need it. The text-based app also offers a wealth of interactive features; it tracks how your baby is growing every week, records progress and medical updates, offers fun quizzes, and even helps you remember upcoming appointments.
