Friday 18 August 2017

Tried and tested: Toddler Fun Learning app

At the mid-way point of summer holidays, I am sure that many parents are running out of things to do and children may start being more difficult to entertain. I'm not an iPad parent as such but I don't think there's any harm in giving children some screen time, as long as you know what they're using and it's one of many things that they might do in the day.


Ethan often asks to watch or play something in the mornings or when we get back from preschool. Not always, as more often than not he manages to sleep in until I wake him, but he has favourite shows on Netflix or films on DisneyLife like most kids and we also have a few apps too that he likes to play on.

We've just been introduced to the Toddler Fun Learning app, which was created by education experts and features not just a fun range of videos and games offering something to learn, but also has parenting features so you can limit the time your little one has to play.



Take the other morning. Ethan didn't know about my new app but asked, as I was using the iPad, if he could 'play something on the phone'. I'd already been looking at the Toddler Fun Learning app myself so it was all set up and, in next to no time, he was tapping away, laughing at the clips, pointing out the animals he saw in the videos and wanting to play another game. 

It kept him amused whilst I was finishing getting ready for work, and it was lovely to hear him counting along with the number games.



Toddler Fun Learning is a parent-run business founded by mum and dad Amalie and Christian Hughes who wanted to create educational-led content for their kids (Josh 6, Poppy 5 and Molly nearly 1) that they all would want to watch.

The brand new Toddler Fun Learning app allows parents to access engaging video content at home or on the go.  The really clever thing about this app is the very clever Parental Timer function, which allows you to set it for as long as you want your child to watch and when that time’s up, the Goodbye Song plays and the characters tell your child to go and play, helping to minimise meltdowns. 

Pure genius, no?!



Here's all the details you need to know:

  • Parental Timer function to set the amount of screen time children have
  • Goodbye Song plays to children when time is up to tell them to go and play
  • All content has an educational theme, created for children aged 2 - 6
  • Download videos to watch on the go
  • Created by parents for parents and children
  • 100% ad-free and safe
  • New content published every week
  • Trusted by millions of parents worldwide
  • 5* rated on the Educational App Store – ‘thoroughly excellent learning content’
  • The Toddler Fun Learning app is available on the App Store for iPhone, iPad and Apple TV
  • Free to download and includes samples of the Toddler Fun Learning content and Parental Timer. For £1.99 per month, subscribers get access to the full library of content as well as including new weekly content, the Adventure Mode which allows them to download videos to watch anytime, anywhere.

Creating a safe environment for children to watch their educational-led content, the Toddler Fun Learning App allows parents to set a timer for five minutes up to one hour and when that time is up the Goodbye Song plays, with the characters from the channel singing goodbye and telling the child it’s time to go and play.

It's easy to see why Toddler Fun Learning’s video content has over 140 million views on YouTube and 170,000 subscribers.  With a library of videos teaching children everything from numbers, to telling the time and explaining gravity, Toddler Fun Learning is just such a great source of support for parents, I think. Ethan starts school in a few weeks' time and it's going to be a whole new world for him, and for us too. Apps like this give us a way to help him with his learning and the best bit is, HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW THAT HE'S LEARNING SOMETHING! It's education by stealth!

It's easy to get Ethan interested in the app and I think it'll be handy too when we travel in the car or go on holiday, as a way to keep him entertained. Of course, he's not always willing to give up the iPad or my phone when it's time to do something else, which is why I love the timer feature.


Children’s Behaviour Expert and Parent Coach Livvy Gormally of Let’s Ask Livvy explains why this parental control can help to avoid tantrums: 

“There are many differing views on screen time and each family must decide what feels right for their children.  I’ve helped many parents to set realistic and age appropriate screen time rules that reflect the needs of their family.   Setting rules with clear boundaries which we can stick to, and keeping to a consistent message from parents and carers can help to avoid screen time related tantrums in our little ones.  The parental control function in the Toddler Fun Learning app is a great tool for setting screen time limits and the Goodbye Song gives kids a clear message that the screen time is over, reducing the “just one more minute/my programme hasn’t finished/I was watching that” discussions that can be the cause of upset or issues.”

So far, it's worked. Phew!

Because animals feature regularly in the videos, both in cartoon and real life form, it's a big hit in our house and listening in to what is being said, there's some great information and Ethan does seem to be picking up on things really quickly.

Entertaining toddlers and preschoolers can be tricky sometimes and Ethan really does get involved in whatever he's doing or watching. I like the Toddler Fun Learning app and I'm keen to see what else is added in the regular updates, as the counting videos are going down well and Ethan's been saying 'more Mummy, more games!' as each one ends.

A great app to look at this summer holiday...


* I was given access to the app for purposes of review but all opinions are always our own


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