Entertaining tots with child-friendly apps
There is a lot to be said for co-using technology with your children, especially as this gives you the opportunity to influence how they engage with technology.
There are several apps that can bring out children’s creative side, or enhance skills such as problem solving, collaborating or communicating with others.
A recent UK study looked at some children’s apps that are very popular with the 0-5 age group and examined whether these apps had educational merits. They found that CBeebies, Disney, Peppa’s Paintbox and Toca Boca apps were appropriate for this age group and promoted a range of types of play and creativity.
There are lots of great YouTube videos out there with fun activities, but remember that even YouTube Kids, while a safer and more restricted app to use than the full version of YouTube, is not always successful at filtering out harmful content so there may need to be some supervision.
Children’s healthcare and education affected by pandemic
Healthcare and education of children has suffered considerably during the lockdown meant to curb the Covid-19 spread, a US online survey conducted by children’s organisation Child Rights and You (CRY) has found.
Almost 50% of the children under the age of five years in the surveyed families were deprived of crucial immunisation services – something that could adversely impact their health in the long term, the study has shown.
The online survey was rolled out between April 10-20 on social media platforms Twitter, WhatsApp and LinkedIn and received as many as 1,102 responses.
One in every four of the respondents, the parents or primary caregivers, reported non-accessibility of regular healthcare services for children during the lockdown, while 74% of the respondents reported the lockdown has affected education and learning.
Judo helps kids with autism study says
Practicing the martial art Judo is a viable option for helping children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) be more active and interact with others, according to a study by researchers at the University of Central Florida.
The study found Judo gave the children more opportunities to engage in physical activity, thereby reducing their risk of heart disease, obesity, and more. After the study the children involved expressed interest in continuing to practice Judo.
Parents reported that their children were more comfortable with social interaction and physical activity overall, two areas in which children with autism struggle with.
“While karate, a form of martial arts, has documented benefits for the autism population related to social interaction, we hypothesised that the emphasis on mindfulness and self-defence promoted by Judo would provide additional benefits for ASD youth,” said study leader Jeanette Garcia, UCF assistant professor of Health Professions and Sciences.