By Tanni Haas, Ph.D.
As families are hunkering down at home, parents are looking for ways to keep their kids meaningfully engaged. How about encouraging your kids to download some apps that can help them stay mentally and physically fit? Here are some of the very best ones available, and the best part is that they’re all completely free.
Eat & Move-O-Matic
(Available: Apple Appstore; Age range 9-18)
Nature Melody
If there’s one thing kids need to in order to lead healthy lives it’s a good night’s sleep, and the app Nature Melody can help them get that. It functions like an alarm clock and has more than 30 soothing, nature-inspired sounds to wake your kids up slowly and gently in the morning. The app can be used in the afternoon and evening, too, using the nap and a sleep timer function, for a stress-free end to their day.
NFL Play 60
(Available at: Apple Appstore, Google Play; Age range: 5-18)
Space Chef
If you want your kids to learn to eat well, encourage them to download Space Chef. Created by the Lawrence Hall of Science, maker of the Monster Heart Medic app, Space Chef teaches kids important facts about healthy foods. And it goes one important step further: it has more than 60 easy-to-make and kid-friendly recipes that encourage kids to eat healthily and to take responsibility for their own diets.
Super Stretch Yoga
(Available at: Apple Appstore; Age range: 9-18)
Three Good Things: A Happiness Journal
It’s a well-known fact that mental health is impacted by a sense of well-being. If your kids need a little boost and happen to enjoy writing, encourage them to download Three Good Things: A Happiness Journal. The app helps kids think more positively by writing daily about three good experiences they’ve had. The app has a feature that lets kids upload and share their writings on social media.
Editor’s Note: Tanni Haas, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Communication Arts, Sciences, and Disorders at the City University of New York – Brooklyn College.