 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
4KidCal
- iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
- Price: $1.99
- Category: Education
Common Sense Media says
Calendar has stickers and voice recording but is limited.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that 4KidCal is a simple calendar app that helps young kids learn to read and understand calendars and to record events. Parents and kids list an event on the calendar by choosing one of 28 colorful icons (sports gear, party, school, and playtime images; nothing religious, holiday, or chore-related) and then recording a message to go along with the icon. There's no writing or detail here, so it can't be used as a formal planner; but young kids can begin to associate calendars, dates, and events in an easy, personal way.
What kids can learn
Kids can learn how calendars help people remember special dates. As they record a message and choose an icon for the calendar and then return to the app to check the calendar, kids build important early planning skills. In a very simple way, young kids can also begin learning to use technology for time management. 4KidCal also supports an understanding of part-to-whole relationships as kids discover how days relate to weeks and weeks relate to an entire month. 4KidCal is a useful introduction to time management for young kids but requires parent support for best learning.
Skills
- Thinking & Reasoningpart-whole relationships
- Creativity
- Self-Directiontime management
- Emotional Development
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Responsibility & Ethics
- Tech Skillsusing and applying technology
- Health & Fitness
What's it about?
Create a user account by entering a name and photo of your kid (just on the app, it's not stored elsewhere). Next, you'll see the current month's calendar with 28 icons encircling it. Tap a date and select an icon. A microphone will appear, and you can record a message to go along with the icon ("Susie's birthday party!"). Tap "Play" to hear the recording or "Done" to finish that entry. Tap any entry on the calendar to hear the message played back. You can enter only one event per calendar day.
Is it any good?
4KIDCAL is a fine app to help little kids start using calendars to mark special dates. For older kids who want to create more detailed calendar entries, a few more features would be nice such as text entries, a wider variety of icons, or the option to create custom icons using a drawing pad or an image from the camera roll. Also, the ability to have multiple user accounts on the same app would be helpful for families with more than one kid. Overall, though, 4KidCal is a decent entry into calendars for kids.
What kids can learn
Kids can learn how calendars help people remember special dates. As they record a message and choose an icon for the calendar and then return to the app to check the calendar, kids build important early planning skills. In a very simple way, young kids can also begin learning to use technology for time management. 4KidCal also supports an understanding of part-to-whole relationships as kids discover how days relate to weeks and weeks relate to an entire month. 4KidCal is a useful introduction to time management for young kids but requires parent support for best learning.
Skills
- Thinking & Reasoning: part-whole relationships
- Creativity:
- Self-Direction: time management
- Emotional Development:
- Communication:
- Collaboration:
- Responsibility & Ethics:
- Tech Skills: using and applying technology
- Health & Fitness:
How kids will learn
Kids learn through direct experience with using a calendar to mark dates in time and to remember upcoming special events. Kids are engaged in learning as they with choose the icons and record a message to describe the upcoming event. Kids also learn by coming back to the calendar and counting the dates until their special days, building the concepts of time, planning, and learning how to wait, too. The app, itself, has no feedback built in, so parents need to be an active part of this collaborative learning experience.
How parents can help
- Help your kid record all of the birthdays in your family on 4KidCal.
- As your kids await a special date, encourage them to count down the remaining days, building counting backward skills and patience.
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Educator and Parent
December 27, 2012
AGE
Give the gift of organization
Great to teach child time management and organizational skills using the
calendar. Hands on interactive and fun hearing child's voice. A good educational investment
Was this review useful?
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| Category: | Education |
| Platforms: | iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad |
| Price: | $1.99 |
| Size: | 8.50 MB |
| Publisher: | 4KidCal LLC |
| Version: | 1.1 |
| Release date: | July 5, 2012 |
| Minimum software requirements: | iOS 4.3 or later |
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