Ok, let’s talk about technology! Gone are the days where I could go on my phone, tablet or computer without little sticky fingers! The first year of Charlie’s life went by in a blur of Baby Shark and Super Simple Songs (which are complete lifesavers by the way).
One thing though which I’ve always worried about was how much time he spends on my phone. I try to put educational songs and videos on for him and thankfully it seems to have worked so far. Charlie is already fluent in counting from 1-20, both counting forward and backward, he knows the alphabet and the words for each letter and unfortunately he also knows how to throw his toys in a bowl of water or sometimes even the toilet (I don’t recommend these videos at all lol).
There was something missing though! I wanted to use technology together and let’s face it there’s only so much Baby Shark you can listen to before you go completely insane!
Cue the wonderful creators of Oliiki. An app which promotes learning through play and helps children achieve their full potential. I was kindly gifted the full features of the app to check it out and see how it works.
After you’ve downloaded the app you’ll be prompted to either login or create an account. Once you’ve done that the fun can then start! You’ll be presented each week with a list of activities which cater to your child’s developmental age. Each activity is described in detail, explaining what to do, how to do it and why the activity will help your child’s brain development. All of which are grounded in science.
One of the first activities we had was to practice the art of Please and Thank You.
Each time we gave something to Charlie we gave good eye contact and repeated a few times the word please to him. When he handed something to us we repeated the phrase thank you. From that day he’s had the best manners and I love that he even says you’re welcome as well now. There are so many more fun activities to try, all while teaching them important life skills.
We are now in the 1-1/2 to 2 age category and myself and Andy are absolutely loving how fun each task is and how involved we feel completing them with Charlie. This app is different from any other educational tools, apps and online videos we’ve tried due to the level of input required from the parents and equally from the child. It allows you to have that real 1-2-1 learning experience whilst still having fun, which anchors the meaning of the lesson you're trying to learn and teach.
This app is very adaptable and realistic in the tasks that it represents and doesn’t require you to make any extra effort in terms of providing tools to complete them. Everyday tasks, for example, like hanging out the washing, suddenly become an opportunity to provide learning in a fun, friendly and meaningful way.
We can’t wait to continue Charlie’s development using this app.
The full features of the app are £45 but if you contact Oliiki directly my readers can get 26% off which means you’d only pay £33.
To find out more information about the Oliiki app visit their website at www.oliiki.com or download it from the app store or Google Play.
you can also find them on Instagram @oliiki