5 Kid Apps For Guilt Free Screen Time

Raise your hand if your kid (or any kid) has come up to you and asked if you have any games or movies on your phone? I feel like my six year old asks everyone he comes in contact with.

The “screen time” debacle is such a confusing parenting topic to me. There’s so much anti-screen time advice out there, and I get the idea, but I disagree that all screen time is bad. First, there are a ton of different ways your kids can use spend time in front of a screen. There is TV time and then of course mobile screen time on their device. I am actually of the opinion that there are a ton of great options for kids. Not only are they not bad for them, they can even be very helpful.

I narrowed the list down to five of my favorite apps for when I need to hand Grayson the phone for an hour so I can make dinner, hide in the bathroom with chocolate, or in the car for a trip! You can hand over the phone for them to use these apps with no guilt!

NASA (Free)

This app is super cool. There are videos and photos of all things space. There are stories and mission information. Grayson thinks its the coolest ever and he learns so much.

Chicktionary (Free)

Grayson recently started reading really well and has consequently become obsessed with word puzzles. This app is full of kid-geared word games. It’s so helpful for word recognition and spelling.

Breathe, Think, Do – Sesame Street (Free)

I think this is such a brilliant development. This app helps your child acknowledge their emotions, process them, and find solutions. It helps with redirection and problem solving.

Minecraft ($6.99)

Before you roll your eyes, YES, I do think that Minecraft is productive! I will admit, at first I was like- what is this pixelated garbage? Then, I realized that he is actually having to be creative and resourceful. He basically builds different environments and scenarios out of blocks, essentially. I maintain that it is cognitively stimulating.

ABC Mouse (Free)

Grayson is obsessed with this. They learned about it at school. He was taking over my computer to play this all the time, so thank goodness I realized there was an app. It’s an app recommended by his teacher and it is full of educational games, coloring, and things to read.

What apps do YOU love for your kids? How do you feel about “screen time” rules?