Toddler Education via iPhone

It occurred to me not too long ago that the world of education has really changed dramatically for younger children since the advent of the iPhone and other smartphones. Personally, my only experience is with the iPhone and how it has captivated my 2½ year-old daughter’s attention and illustrated a fundamental change in how we learn. Watching her play with and easily navigate through a variety of toddler-focused apps on my iPhone is not only impressive but an eye-opener. Fish School, an app from award-winning developer Duck Duck Moose, has allowed me to get a glimpse into how the mind of a child works, and how visual and audio components coupled together can be a much stronger, more effective learning tool than simply singing the alphabet song.

Intro to Math screen shot, from Montessorium

Apparently I’m not alone in my opinion of the iPhone as a good thing for kids (not to mention the benefits to parents when on a car trip, in the supermarket, or other places that aren’t always thrilling for a small child). Apple has clearly picked up on the growing education market and now regularly features apps for kids on the iTunes App Store. As Graham Carter of the Boise, ID based company Toddler Teasers® said in an interview, “As both parents and iPhone developers, we have found toddlers are always excited to use their parents’ iPhone. It is easy to direct a toddler’s attention to learning activities when they are already excited to use the iPhone.” A truer statement could not have been spoken.

Even parenting magazines and websites have jumped on board, regularly giving reviews and lists of the top 25 apps for kids. As many parents who are smartphone owners will attest, these phones become an integral part of your life — from work to scheduling to food shopping. Sharing this opportunity with your children, albeit through educational apps rather than help-organize-me apps, makes your iPhone something you can enjoy together instead of labeling it an off-limits device. I’ll admit, the first time I downloaded an app for my daughter and handed my phone over to her I felt remiss as a parent. Shouldn’t I be teaching her the way I was taught by my mother? But now, I think I’d feel more remiss not giving her an opportunity to learn through an additional mechanism that will prepare her for the techno-savvy world she’s growing up in.