KidzInMind app review.
Keeping kids safe online, it’s something that has crossed my mind but I’ve not really given it too much thought as mine are so young still but actually, I’ve recently heard horror stories about seemingly innocuous internet searches by children that have turned up some incredibly unsuitable content.
If you follow me on twitter, you may have seen my jokey tweet about scanning my new followers and not finding any dodgy accounts;
Just catching up on recent followers and I think you’ll all celebrate with me that there were no dodgy accounts for once! Whoop!
— Pink Pear Bear (@pinkpearbear) September 27, 2016
Obviously, as a grown up, I just see these accounts, block them and move on, but actually, for a child, a lot of the content would be very worrying and actually, could be very damaging. I also had a grapic porn account show up on my instagram the other day, and I definitely think that would have raised some awkward questions. Plus I think it is actually quite a scary thing to see for a child so anything that allows my kids to ha
ve free run of an app with no risk of stumbling into anything more sinister is a win in my book.
So when I was contacted about reviewing the KidzInMind app, I was really keen. The app is billed as a ‘safe playground’ for children, where they have no access to the darker sections of the web, but lots of access to games, shows and songs. With the baby mode activated, (press the home button 3 times), they can’t leave the app. The app is downloadable for free, but really, to access any of the content, you need a subscription, and this is where I can help! KidzInMind are offering 5 lucky winners a subscription to the app and you can enter at the bottom of the post.
Keeping kids safe online is easy with this app.
I love the graphics of the app, it is laid out as a house, and opens with a video which clearly demonstrates how to navigate around. I like the app a lot, the characters are bright and appealing and there are some brilliant activities on there. Some of the cartoons and games are American, but I don’t mind that as I loved a lot of American programs when I was little, the rugrats for example.
The best bit of KidzInMind for me, are the alphabet learning options as one is in Italian! I am trying to learn Italian and so to have so many words read aloud to me has helped me as well as the children.
The Italian alphabet!
There are so many games on there, some particular favourites are the uniform matching game, where the children can flick through different hats, tops, trousers and accessories to create the correct outfits for different jobs, they can then move forward and unlock different towns with new jobs. There are also numerous matching games, drag and drop games, identify the correct animal multiple choice and many more. There is also a Pocoyo area with more games in and the dino lab which has puzzles to unlock facts.
Some of the KidzInMind games and cartoons are definitely tailored towards slightly older children, and I think it makes it an app that you can also sit and do with your children and help them to progress too.
There is a maths equation unlock feature to access the account settings and there you can manage your downloads etc and delete any games or cartoons if you are limited on space.
Do your children play with apps? When do you use them the most? Particular favourites for me are out to dinner when we have exhausted all the sticker books and I also use them when I go to the gym to keep the children occupied while I do the work out class. It’s 45 minutes and they are perfectly happy with some snacks and my phone.
Find it on the Google play store and on Apple itunes
Great idea to keep kids safe while on technology! #bigpinklink
This is such a good idea. This is something of a specialist subject for my Hubby so I’m leaving it all up to him! I’m not sure the girls will ever be able to google ‘cute kittens’ without us being able to check if we wanted to. It’s so important to keep them safe these days, some of the treats are so different to when I was little.
#BigPinkLink
It is so tough to keep kids safe these days! This app is a great idea – it would be perfect for my nephews #bigpinklink
This looks fab! I love that they can’t leave the app! That’s annoying when my kids are playing on a game and then I look and they’ve come off it and are deleting my other apps or ringing 999!! Looks great though, will check it out! #bigpinklink
This sounds like a really versatile app with so many different games. It really is so important to keep kiddies safe on the net, I use ‘baby mode’ often when Willow is playing on her iPad already and I’ll definitely continue too for a while yet. I love that its helping you with your learning of the Italian language too!! Enjoy your week off #bigpinklink xx
Great idea there are so many good and useful apps that really help to educate our kids #bigpinklink
There is so much need for safe internet use. We don’t want to deny our kids the use of it because it is a great tool but needs to be done safely. #bigpinklink
This looks fab, I’ve entered. My daughter is at the right age to be policed now. Great stuff x
#BigPinkLink
This looks awesome. I worry about the day when my daughter will go online – I imagine it will be ages away but in reality she can already operate my phone! Great that it’s helping you with Italian too –
P.S. Sto imparando Italiano troppo perche un giorno, vorrei vivere in Italia con la mia famiglia 🙂 The thing I do is follow loads of Italian newspapers and social media sites and that helps me to pick it up. Buon fortuna! x #bigpinklink
Fab idea! I do worry about online safety and all apps/ screentime has to get my approval first. This also sounds perfect for my little reluctant learner!!! Great prize, have entered! X
#bigpinklink
I love apps like these, it keeps them entertained and teaches them something along the way!
#bigpinklink
My six year old now knows what google is and it’s terrifying! Need to start thinking about internet safety for sure. #bigpinklink
I don’t want to be a total killjoy and I will let my daughter play with apps when she’s older. But I am trying to stick to a ‘no screen time until she is two’ rule. Which is already broken as she FaceTimes the grandparents and is obsessed with grabbing phones and trying to swipe them. So I’ll see how long I make it… #bigpinklink
This is one topic which I am so worried about. When pregnant we said we’ll get a family pc with no passwords to encourage openness and no secrets, but I also do not want to encourage active use of iPads/pcs/phones etc.
My niece is 11 and is glued to her iPad and a friends 2 year old has her own iPad too which I honestly find ridiculous. I wonder if a toy mobile/iPad etc would be better for someone so young?
I guess I am now in the same dilemma that my mum had when at 11 I was asking for a phone (finally got one at 14 that was a Siemens with an old mac Donald ringtone! – not the Nokia 3210 that was the craze)
The app looks pretty awesome and I like the security measures it has though!
#bigpinklink
Great idea, it’s good that there are so many different games and videos on there so they have no need to leave the app anyway
#Bigpinklink
Thanks, I will check this one out. My son has a short attention span so we are always looking for new ideas. #bigpinklink
Keep them safe as long as possible. A great looking app. Alison x #bigpinklink
Such a sensible idea! I don’t tend to let my two go on apps much, just because I find that I’m constantly having to reset the phone and they get frustrated when they press something that takes them into an ad (or into my twitter account haha). This looks like a great app and I’m sure my two would love it! #bigpinklink
It’s good to start early with online safety. Once your kids get’s their own tablet / console it’s down them, they need to know how to stay safe online. Great app. Another app I love for kids is the tocca bocca range – all about creativity not fierce competition #bigpinklink
Great idea and I really need to increase my knowledge on this sort of stuff as mine are older now and starting to use the PC for school etc. We have parental locks but things change so quickly- the kids know more about it than me!! #bigpinklink
Technology is such a tricky subject. This looks both safe and engaging! Lovely review! #BigPinkLink
My two love apps like these – the only trouble is they take up so much space on my phone!! #bigpinklink
I have never heard of anything like this. So to me this is absolutely genius! I love that they can’t leave the app. As so many times I will watch my girls like a hawk because if I don’t they might click on an ad or something else…and who knows where that might lead. Definite peace of mind with this app.
I do not use facebook, twitter or Instagram as I don’t know enough for safety, so I am unable to enter this wonderful opportunity
i think the more that can be done to keep children safe on line the better
and at a glance this is something i would like to look more at