Samsung KidsTime – Aiden’s New Delight!

Wow – time sure flies. It has been two weeks since Aiden started using Samsung KidsTime but it has integrated quite seamlessly into our family routine that it feels like it has been around since forever!

Yes, routines are important to help kids thrive. And Aiden knows he needs to stick with the routine with Samsung KidsTime - three sessions to be precise. After school, Aiden gets his first session with Samsung KidsTime. With the duration limit feature (my favourite feature!) I no longer have to worry about Aiden spending his entire afternoon staring at the tablet. He now knows that once his time is up, he cannot continue using the tablet and he would dutifully return the tablet to the kitchen table (away from Ian’s curious fingers!) and then he would ask to play outside with his friends. I like the idea of him on his bicycle or kicking ball in the afternoons – but sometimes when weather isn’t on our side, I usually allow Aiden to watch some television.  At night, if he is done with his homework, Aiden is allowed his second session on Samsung KidsTime to give hubby and me some peace and quiet over dinner. And finally, before I tuck him to bed, Aiden gets to choose an eBook on Samsung KidsTime and we would read it together before he dozes off.

Aiden posing with his new found delight.

Aiden squeezing in one last game during his night tablet session.

I also have my own routine with Samsung KidsTime. I make it a point to view Aiden’s progress using the Child Progress Dashboard at least twice a week, and periodically check the games and eBooks that Aiden has been interacting with.  And guess what I discovered? Despite my earlier belief that Aiden had a thing for numbers, I found out (from stalking his favourite apps) that he loves science too. Oooo… looks like Hubby and I have both passed on the engineering gene to him! This is really quite amusing though, because if you were to ask Aiden what he would like to be when he grows up, he would answer confidently; “I want to be a guard!” *smacks own head*

The dashboard reported Aiden's love for Science themed games, surpassing his previous interest in Math.

Future engineer in the making?

Let’s move on to app content. Previously, I used to have a love/hate relationship with the tablet. I loved how the tablet kept Aiden (and sometimes Ian) occupied and entertained, but despised the kind of games that he was playing with. His preferred games would usually involve violence - fighting, shooting, or hitting… you get the gist. Although this would probably help his future dream career as a guard *chuckle*, games like these aren’t really something I want my 5-year old son to be exposed to.

With Samsung KidsTime, the games he plays are not only age appropriate; they stimulate his mind and encourage him to think too. As I mentioned in my previous blogpost HERE, with Battle Station, Aiden now understands basic fractions, especially because he needs to get the answers correct to defend his ship from enemy submarines and move on to the next level. (My son is competitive that way!) With Gro Garden, Aiden now understands that crops need good soil, sun and water to grow, and composting food scraps produces nutritious soil for sustainable farming. Aiden also knows all 19 characters from Bugs on the Run; I was watching him play the other day and I tried to help him out by shouting, “Watch out for the grasshopper, Aiden!” in which he replied “Mummy, that’s not a grasshopper. It’s a cicada.” Erk… *google Wikipedia cicada*

Yes, that's a cicada chasing after the ladybug (on the rocket)!

The activity feed showed how long Aiden played Bugs on the Run that day.

Another favourite of mine is the Samsung KidsTime eBooks. Although adults are known to enjoy curling up on the couch with a good book, kids are exactly the opposite. They need vibrant colors, animated images and dynamic sounds to entice them. All of the books within the Samsung KidsTime eBooks collection are exactly that – they are colourful, interactive and amazing; a great combination of things literary and digital. By routinely reading the eBooks before bed, I have successfully cultivated a healthy reading habit for Aiden. Sometimes by afternoon, he has even picked out which eBook he wants to read for that night!

Vibrant colours, animated images and dynamic sounds.

Samsung will be introducing localized Malaysian content soon, but in the meantime there are some pretty interesting localized Korean games that Aiden has seemed to take a liking to. His current favourite, Gus on the Go: Korean for Kids. Recently, I supervised him playing the game and discovered that not only can he pronounce the Korean word (with proper diction, mind you!) but he can also correctly identify what the word means. He taught me something new that day too - “baji” means pants in Korean! Bet you didn’t know that, right?

Aiden correctly identified baji, erm I mean pants!

Aiden's progress for Creativity and Language Arts increased significantly with his new found love for the Samsung KidsTime localized content.

Oh, remember the first impression review that Aiden and I did a couple of weeks ago? Well, Samsung filmed the whole thing and made it into a video. So go ahead, grab some popcorn and click on the YouTube link below to watch us in action. And go easy on the critics please – I am a blogger who flourishes in writing, but unfortunately not really made to be on TV. *smile* Nevertheless, at the very least, you can truly see for yourself how amazed and impressed I was with this nifty technology. (And how Aiden absolutely enjoyed the experience – he literally couldn’t put the device down!)

I am glad that I introduced Aiden to Samsung KidsTime. After two weeks, it seems that the positive first impression I had of Samsung KidsTime is now validated. The next time Aiden asks for his tablet, you won’t see me hesitate, for sure! I am now personally convinced that Samsung KidsTime is more than play because I know that Aiden is subconsciously learning through play and he is exposed to quality screentime that keeps him busy and engaged.

Thank you Samsung KidsTime for addressing every parent’s nightmare – navigating through the digital age for children. If you are a parent who is looking for a good night’s sleep (who isn’t???), take my advice and download the Samsung KidsTime app HERE via the Google Play Store or visit the Samsung KidsTime official website HERE for more information.

Samsung KidsTime is providing a trial of one month which includes all 80 games and ebooks, for FREE (yes, FREE)! After that, you can extend your good night’s sleep for a subscription cost of only RM15.90 per month. (Safe and quality screentime, plus my peace of mind, for only RM15.90? Really, where do I sign up??!!)

If you are already embracing technology and currently using Samsung KidsTime apps for kids, let’s swap reviews. I am sure you have your own share of stories too!

A thumbs up and a huge grin from Aiden for Samsung KidsTime.

Samsung KidsTime: Parents Agree with Lizzieasamummy!

Sticky post, scroll down for newer entries!

Raise your hand if you allowed your child to use your mobile device yesterday. *Liz gingerly raises her hand*

You’re having dinner out with your family and for some reason, you’re at your 5th mouthful but your child is done with his. He wants to get out of his seat and run around as he is bored. Raise your hand if you insist that he sit down and reward him with a game or two on your phone. *Liz raises both hands*

You’re on your way to balik kampung and your child keeps asking you “Are we there yet?” a gazillion times. He’s getting cranky and you sense an emotional outburst coming up. Raise your hand if you turn on a YouTube video on the tablet for him to watch to pass the time. *Liz raises both hands AND feet!*

Tablets can provide a healthy media diet when dining at a restaurant.

*sigh* Yup, it is true. We depend a lot on mobile gadgets and devices to keep our children occupied in the occasional situations when we can’t. Sometimes I wonder whether this unproductive use of time is turning my child’s brain into mush!

If you did not raise your hand to any of the questions above, and you can confidently proclaim that you do not let your child use your mobile device; then congratulations, your kids are part of the 2%!

2% of what, you ask? Well, according to a recent study by theAsianParent.com Insights, 98% of parents in South East Asia allow their children to use mobile devices, be it their parents’ device, shared family device or their own. I personally do not know anyone in the 2% range – so holler if you child is in it!

For the rest of the parents, heh - 98% doesn’t make you feel so bad eh? Think of this statistic the next time your child asks for your phone. *grin* More fun facts in the infographic below:

Fine - so the tablet has become a necessity in your household and is practically another family member. Let’s just embrace it; the tablet is probably the second thing I would pack (after passports) when travelling with Aiden and Ian. But deep down, you and I know that in order for a child to form a healthy relationship with any technology, it is crucial that parents set boundaries. So how do we do that? How do we turn our child’s screen time into a positive experience? *scratches head*

Aiden engrossed with the tablet.

Well, if you read the infographic until the end, you would have noticed that WE are not alone. Majority of parents believe that it is important to monitor their child’s device usage. Not only that, the survey also observed that parents would like devices to include control mechanisms to help them monitor their child’s device usage. Features such as setting a time limit, preventing in-app purchases and monitoring usage progress are the most desired features in a device by parents.

Samsung took all that into account when they developed Samsung KidsTime. As I have explained in my previous blogpost HERE, Samsung KidsTime provides edu-tainment apps, educational substance and age-appropriate media for kids. Parents can now hand the tablet to their kids without that twinge of guilt, as they know that their kids are learning while playing. Samsung KidsTime also provides parents reassurance that their kids are engaging with educational screen activities within a safe environment, and provides parents the avenue to monitor the duration and the type of apps that their kids have been interacting with.

If that is not enough, Samsung KidsTime educational content can also be used to supplement your child’s current school curriculum. With Battle Station, Aiden is now starting to take an interest in fractions. This is way ahead than what he is doing in kindergarten, where he and his classmates are still working on numbers 10-20. Samsung KidsTime also aspires to provide localized content to nurture your child’s language skills. Oh, I am super excited for this! Aiden really needs to brush up on his Malay as he will be entering primary school in a bit more than a year. It has been a tough battle trying to coax Aiden to practice his Malay, so I am definitely looking forward to enticing him with localized games and e-books on Samsung KidsTime.

Aiden enjoying an abundant range of educational content on Samsung KidsTime.

Recently, Samsung took to the streets of Kuala Lumpur to give local parents an opportunity to tryout the Samsung KidsTime and find out what they thought about it. Click on the video to watch!

See how the parents agreed with Lizzieasamummy? *honored smile* If you would like to join me and other satisfied parents on the bandwagon, download the Samsung KidsTime app HERE via the Google Play Store. For more information on Samsung KidsTime, visit their official website HERE.

Share with me if your child is enjoying the educational apps on Samsung KidsTime. I would love to hear from you!

Festival Sastera Kanak-Kanak Launch

I was at the Festival Sastera Kanak-Kanak last Thursday to witness the launch of Samsung KidsTime. As a proud sponsor of the Children's Literature Fest, Samsung had a fairly sizable booth in the Gallery Hall. They booth was carpeted with faux grass, it was like standing in a field! They decorated the booth beautifully with bright posters and images, even I was enticed by it as soon as I entered the hall. They also had a kids activity table, equipped with tablets that had the Samsung KidsTime application pre-loaded in them. There was also a similar adult activity table for the older kids and parents to tryout and explore the application as well.

Samsung KidsTime booth.

How can you say no to these informational pamphlets and posters. So attractive!

Kiddy sized chairs for the kids activity table. Heh, good thing I didn't bring Aiden; if not we would probably be here all day!

Tablets installed at the kiddy table.

As part of the launch, Mr Gerald Cai - Head of Learning, Media Solution Centre for Southeast Asia, conveyed a brief welcome and gave a live demonstration of the application. After the Q&A session, he welcomed Kota Buku as organizers of Festival Sastera Kanak-Kanak, to give a short speech.

I have to admit, I was impressed with the role of Kota Buku as advocates of future books. I'm sure the first thing that comes to your mind would be e-Books, correct? (Mine too!) But in fact, Kota Buku explained that e-Books are not future books, they are actually current books. So Kota Buku works towards progressive books and apps for the future. Hmm.. sounds a lot like Samsung KidsTime, right?

The launch.

Why, hello Mr Gerald!

After the launch, I walked around the fest and visited the booths. And look at what I scored! Brilliant book, hands down. This Belajar Solat book uses Upin and Ipin as characters to demonstrate to kids how to pray. There is even a version for girls which uses Kak Ros as the book's main character. The book is very comprehensive - it shows you how to take wuduk, the doa for wuduk, how to pray, surah to read during prayers and zikir - complete with pictorial images.

When I brought it home, Aiden insisted that I read the whole book to him - cover to cover. Unfortunately, since the book was in Malay I had to translate everything spontaneously for him. The book is currently in his school bag because he wants to show it to his friends and his Ustazah.

Belajar Solat with Upin and Ipin.

Loving the book! 

So have you made your way to the Festival Sastera Kanak-Kanak yet? It's going to end tomorrow so jom jom, let's go!

Samsung Kidstime - Educational Apps for Kids

Being a full-time working mother, I am not always around to monitor Aiden when I am away at work. He is left to his own devices (pun intended), and I cannot depend on the maid to do more than just the daily supervision. So I constantly worry that he is spending his afternoons either playing on his tablet, or watching television.

Kids should not be glued to technology devices such as the tablet or the TV. They need physical outdoor play and unstructured playtime to promote intelligence and cognitive growth. However, since technology is integral to the education and subsequent careers of our children, denying a child the opportunity to experience technology is perhaps robbing them of the ability to refine their understanding of evolving technology around us.

So what should a mother do then? Since I cannot physically remove the TV every day before I leave for work (Hubby screwed the TV to the TV panel), the best alternative was to hide the tablet and establish a snooze timer on the TV. However, this wasn't effective enough to stop Aiden from finding the tablet (under the couch!) or switching the TV on again to override the timer.

All that changed when Samsung contacted me to review their latest educational app for kids called Samsung KidsTime.

Samsung KidsTime

Samsung KidsTime was created to provide safe and meaningful playtime for kids. Big words aside, it means providing educational child-curated apps and eBooks for kids, in a safe and age appropriate digital environment.

I admit I was a tad cynical about the whole concept. However, the kind folks at Samsung gave Aiden and me a couple of hours with the device to explore the application. Afterwards, they even asked for my opinion about it.

Aiden being fitted up with the microphone. Check out his excited grin.

The crew filming Aiden using Samsung KidsTime.

I was interviewed by Samsung for my opinion on KidsTime.

When Aiden was handed the tablet, he was overjoyed. As soon as we launched KidsTime on the device, Aiden got slightly overwhelmed; he didn’t know which app to try out first as there were over 80 games and eBooks to choose from. Not only that - new apps are updated every month, and best of all, kids get access to all content for a minimal monthly fixed price.

So what was my first impression of the application?

Time Limit

Apart from the colourful, vibrant graphics and foot-tapping music, the first feature that struck me about Samsung KidsTime was the Time Limit feature. Parents now have the ability to set the duration of playtime; up to a maximum of 60 minutes. Aiden of course wanted to set it to the full monty, but at least I am assured that he is only exposed to the tablet for a maximum of one hour per day. This effectively instills a mentality for time management and responsible game play.

Parents can set the duration of playtime.

Aiden gleefully wanted to set it to the maximum 60 minutes.

Safe Environment

The next thing that I appreciated about it was the safe environment. As soon as Samsung KidsTime is launched on the device, there is no way for the child to exit the application hence the tablet can solely be used to play Samsung KidsTime child appropriate apps only. To exit Samsung KidsTime, parents will have to enter a pin code at the App Lock feature to use the tablet as normal. (I hereby vow to not be swayed by Aiden’s puppy eyes when he asks for the pin code… *prays*) Apart from that, Samsung KidsTime also provides a safe environment by carefully combing their apps to ensure that they do not have any ads or any in-app purchases. Yes, you read that right. Zero ads, zero in-app purchases – it is every parent’s dream. Now I do not have to worry about receiving messages from my credit card for an in-app purchase, or worse; Aiden clicking on inappropriate banners, viewing online violence or even adult content! I do not even have to filter his apps as I know his online sessions are safe and secure with Samsung KidsTime.

Parent PIN ensures that kids cannot exit KidsTime without parents' permission.

What every parent wants - a safe online environment for their children.

Educational and Interactive Content

During my time exploring the app content with Aiden, I noticed that all of the games revolved around educational premises such as Math, Reading, Science, Social Studies, Creativity and Language Arts. Since Aiden has a love and flair for numbers, he naturally gravitated towards apps related to Math. All of the apps are fun and interactive, hence kids need to think and interact with the device as it responds to user input. This is quality screen time, as indirectly, they are learning while playing. This is a far cry and way much better than sitting in front of a television receiving passive information. It also gives me peace of mind that every time Aiden is holding on to the electronic device, he is being educated and entertained at the same time.

There are over 80 games and eBooks for your child to choose from.

Child Progress Dashboard

Last but certainly not least, the Child Progress Dashboard. The best feature of them all and certainly the first of its kind; Samsung KidsTime tracks your child’s usage duration, monitors their time spent on particular apps and even suggests other educational apps to complement their holistic learning. And this is all accessible via a dashboard, where all information is consolidated into a colour coded pie-chart to provide parents a comprehensive report of their child’s interest. Using this, parents can steer their children towards apps that would improve areas they are weak in, or further expose them to subjects they are passionate about.

The dashboard gives a comprehensive report for parents. This one is Lizzie's profile *grin*, and I am obviously passionate about Language Arts!

Here are a couple of behind-the-scene photos from that afternoon. They were a great crew - super efficient and very patient with Aiden's antics. Thank you for having us, Samsung KidsTime. We certainly had fun!

The action that happened behind the scenes.

The beautiful crew that made it all happen.

For further information on Samsung KidsTime, visit their official website HERE (click the link)!

The Samsung KidsTime app can be downloaded HERE (click this link too!) via the Google Play Store. (Ooppss I forgot to tell you that if you download the app now, you get a one month trial access to the best educational apps for kids – all for free!) Try it out and share with me your kids’ favourite apps. Aiden’s favourite for now is the Big Kid Firefighter app, erm even I am addicted to it myself.

Samsung KidsTime via Google Play.

Samsung KidsTime is available on most Samsung devices.

In line with Samsung’s efforts to advocate knowledge and enrichment skills in kids, Samsung KidsTime is sponsoring the Children’s Literature Fest (Festival Sastera Kanak-Kanak), happening from 30th October till 2nd November 2014 between 10am-6pm daily at the KL Tower/Menara Kuala Lumpur. Do check out the Samsung KidsTime Booths 10 & 11 at the Gallery Hall. The fest will also feature internationally acclaimed writers, professional workshops, book exhibitions and book sales. For more information, visit the FSK Children’s Literature Fest Facebook page.

Since Hubby and I are cultivating the reading habit in Aiden and Ian, I am definitely going with my family. So keep a look out for me and don’t forget to say Hello! *smile*