Review: Kidloland App.

As a mum I feel guilty about many, many things but screen time isn’t one of them.

When I look at our days together, they are filled with playing, reading, crafting and lots of outdoor adventures but I also think it’s good for Freya to have some down time – and that includes watching a bit of television or spending an hour on my iPad, if she wants.

When the nice folks at Kidloland got in touch and asked if we’d like to try their app for toddler and preschoolers I didn’t hesitate in saying: “Yes please.”

The multi-award winning app features more than a thousand nursery rhymes, songs, stories, activities and games on themes including ABCs, shapes, phonics (which she is just about to start at nursery), fruit and veggies, animals and numbers.

New content is added regularly and there are no annoying adverts to contend with.

Freya was delighted to have something new to try and loved scrolling through the bright, colourful choices, all accompanied by cheerful music.

The first thing she selected was a game where you have to clean a monster’s teeth, which she liked so much I eventually had to convince her to try something else (she loves the dentist).

While she needed some help at first, she soon got the hang of it. As I know all the content is safe for her, I feel reassured about giving her the freedom to pick and choose what to do.

While she really likes the games and stories, she is also quite the little entertainer and loves singing along to the nursery rhymes and lullabies.

Over the last week, we have sampled a fair selection (she asks for Kidloland straight away now) and they have all been fun, varied, interactive and educational but there are loads still to try.

You can even download some of the content and play offline (fab if you’re travelling).

The website also offers free worksheets to print, which I think is a great resource.

When I was young we obviously didn’t have iPads and apps but I remember when my brother, who is five years older than me, got his first computer when he was 11 – a Sinclair Spectrum 48k, which he very occasionally let me play with (under close supervision).

It was love at first sight for him and he worked his way up the computer chain, eventually turning his self-taught skills into a very successful career he relishes.

There is no doubt in my mind that technology will play an important role in Freya’s future, no matter which route she chooses, and, as long as there is a balance, it’s age appropriate and she’s properly supervised, I see nothing wrong in letting her start now – especially when there are great apps such as Kidloland around.

* The app is available to download for free via the App Store (iOS) and Google Play and the Amazon Appstore (for Android). To access all of the content you need to purchase a subscription. One month costs £3.99, six months is £18.99
and one year is £29.99.

With thanks to Kidloland for providing us with a year-long subscription in return for an honest review.