Leruo is now 4 years old, going on 5. Wow! That just hit me, I have an almost 5 year old. Surreal. I am so excited to be writing again after what feels like a very long time. And I am even more excited about what I am sharing with you today. As a parent in this time and age, our kids are a lot more tech savvy than we were at their age. They have access to more and more technology, be it from school or at home. And I don’t know if it’s just me, but it feels like as parents we are losing the fight against screentime. If you have no idea what I am talking about, you can check out my previous post here.
Since that first post in 2020 when I bought Leruo his first tablet (and yes I said first because there have been others after that, kids), I have searched for the right apps to help me control what Leruo watches. And I have finally found it! Last year I was able to buy an Amazon Kids Fire Tablet 7 which has been a life saver. My favourite part being its very hard cover that has proven to be bang proof against my overactive toddler. But most importantly, it came with this amazing app Amazon Kids!
The Amazon Kids app, which is also available for iOS and Android, curates educational and fun content for kids. It is suitable for kids aged 3-12 and features exclusive original content and brands like Disney, Nickelodeon, PBS Kids, Marvel, Lego and more. Youtube video content is also filtered to show and recommend only clean, kid-friendly content. Which is a great bonus given that Youtube Kids is not available in Botswana. And you can monitor your child’s activity and content on the parent dashboard which is accessible from any device, all you need to do is sign in.
Another cool feature is the ability to set screen time limit. Although I am not sure how effective this feature is if using other non-amzon devices as the child can easily leave the app to access other part of the device. But with the amazon kids fire tablet, the app acts as its operating system. So when Leruo reaches his 4 hour screen time limit for example, the tablet locks him out until the next day. And even better, you can set a minimum requirement of educational content to consume before your child can access the entertainment content.
In summary, I give both the tablet and app a full 10/10. They have made my life so easy! I no longer have to worry about the content my son is consuming or fight with him to put away the tablet. And something that I didn’t anticipate, when Leruo reaches his screen time he now wants us to read his story books, something that has never happened before. If you are a parent and have been struggling like me, this is a sign to buy that tablet and download the app!
LeruoLarona 