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These days, kids are more knowledgable about the digital world than adults. And when I stop and think about it, I’m not sure whether to feel sad, scared, or downright impressed. I mean, just yesterday I consulted my younger cousin for iPhone advice. He’s 3 years old.

The app world, a behemoth industry in its own right, is a major part of that digital world. And it understandably makes most parents nervous, as some apps are less suitable for their kids than others. With more than 1.5 million apps available for download on Apple’s App Store alone, it can be tough for parents to manage and keep track of the content their kids come across.

With the PlayKids app from Movile, parents can feel comfortable letting their little ones safely explore the digital world. Recommended for kids ages 4 and up, PlayKids is basically a digital library of learning, making it an educational app worth talking about.

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The PlayKids app icon

When I first opened PlayKids, a whistling, floppy-eared dog greeted me. He played a catchy little tune that’s still stuck in my head now. A few seconds later, some other animal friends followed, including a green spectacle-sporting turtle, a pink kitten, and a fluffy yellow bunny. Totes adorbs.

The screen that followed displayed an old-school train steaming along a hillside, manned by none other than that same canine with the dangling ears. This time, he was wearing a pointy hat that kind of resembled the Sorting Hat from the Harry Potter films. With a star-lit night sky as a backdrop, the train puffed clouds of smoke that smiled back like Pepperidge Farm Goldfish. Unlike a traditional, linear-style menu system, PlayKids sorts the different interactive sections by train car. Kids and parents can swipe left and right along the train to view different app features that are unique to each car. These options include (but are not limited to) Featured Shows, My Family, Let’s Play, and Books.

Let the swiping begin. I swiped my way to the second train car first (the “My Family” car) mainly because I’m a family-first kind of guy and if my childhood has taught me anything it’s that first is the worst and second is the best. My four-legged friend from earlier showed up again, and asked me to “call Mom and Dad so we can have fun.” If there was any ever doubt that this app would be kid-friendly, it was gone now. There’s not an overwhelming amount of things to highlight in this section, but it’s worth stating that this is where parents would go to create separate profiles for all the members of the family. This is a popular and convenient feature that, in my opinion, should always be included when the situation calls for it. So bravo to PlayKids and Movile for that.

Swiping my way back to the first train car, it was time to explore the “Featured” section of PlayKids. Here, I found an abundance of thumbnails that led me to short episodes of popular TV shows, including Caillou, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Lalaloopsy, The Wiggles, Dora the Explorer, and Arthur. Episodes can even be downloaded directly, making offline-viewing possible and wasted data a thing of the past. Car rides just got less boring for kids, and a lot quieter for parents. It’s a win-win-win-win. (That’s a thing, right?)

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Swiping on. Next up was the “Let’s Play” train car, which I was most excited to explore because I was in the mood to play some games. Appropriately called “The Playground,” this digital play space is where kids can go to learn sounds, colors, and a whole lot more. For example, kids can learn to draw with video tutorials that walk them though the process of creating their own little masterpiece on real paper. They can follow alongside a PlayKids mascot as they draw things like a car, cat, dog, or flower. It’s thoroughly engaging and very interactive. Plus, it teaches kids to express themselves creatively. Other features in this train car include a coloring book and a clean-up game that asks kids to clean up the play space by dragging toys to their appropriate spot in the toy box. Here’s to hoping the skills they learn in this game translate back to the real world.

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Continuing to swipe, “Books” was next. In this car, kids and parents can access a wide variety of narrated stories, from a number of different genres. The books are separated by genre and topic, including adventure, fiction, fairytale, princess, myths, fables, and friendship. There are even a number of stories dedicated solely for bedtime, so kids can wind down and get ready for some hard-earned rest. Is there an adult version of this app?Screen Shot 2015-11-19 at 1.12.49 PM

Swiping until I couldn’t swipe any more, I landed on the final train car. The caboose. The last-but-not-least. My journey was coming to a close and my sadness was about to ensue. Unlike the other train cars, the features inside this one were far less predictable. Labeled “zZz,” I assumed it had something to do with sleep, but was unsure of any and all specifics. Enveloped in anticipation, I pressed my finger to the screen.

Lullabies! This feature helps parents put their kids to sleep with the help of song. By adjusting a slider, they can play the songs for a designated amount of time. When the time limit is up the music will stop. It’s a simple yet effective feature and it certainly puts the app to great use.

PlayKids is extraordinarily fun, and it’s an app that parents can trust. With more than 300 eBooks, audio books, episodes, educational games, nursery rhymes, and lullabies, it provides safe entertainment and play value worthy of applause. Maybe even one of those dramatic slow claps. I love those. PlayKids is even available on Apple TV, which helps bring the app to life on every living room’s big screen.

PlayKids is available on the App Store and Google Play, and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Android-based devices.

Someone start clapping. Slowly.

About the author

Joe Ibraham

Joe Ibraham

Joe Ibraham is the Art Director at the Toy Insider, the Toy Book, and the Pop Insider. He creates all graphic content for the Toy Insider, the Pop Insider, and the Toy Book social channels, including promos and stagnant graphics, as well as all signage, programming, and media graphics for various networking events. Joe shoots, edits, and manages all YouTube content for the Toy Insider and Pop Insider brand, including Play by Play videos, event videos, and other promotional videos. When he's not in the office, you can find Joe in the gym or hanging with his friends and family. He loves music, basketball, and art in a variety of forms. He STILL wonders why Drake and Josh is not available on Netflix.

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