Picture this; Day one of the school hols and your precious little person is already ‘bored’. Whether you’re trying to fill up those hours (in between camps – make sure to read up on some of our faves this year), you’re facing a mammoth journey and need to keep the kids distracted and entertained or you’ll need to rely on the iPad as an occasional babysitter this summer just to get some peace and quiet – these new apps are not only fun but also a good way to keep the brain cells engaged when school’s out! Happy downloading!

Jump to:

For Littles Up To Age 5
For Middles: Ages 5-8
Older kids: age 8 up

For Littles Up To Age 5

Thinkrolls: Kings & Queens

An epic adventure of logic, physics and fun! With 228 physics puzzles, 12 fairytale castles, toothy crocodiles, goofy ghosts and a friendly dragon, your little ones are guaranteed hours of fun-filled play and brain training (in fact this app is loved by older kids too). Unleash the magic and let your young knight or princess embark on an epic quest of twists and turns.

Toca Nature

Experience a little of Mother Nature’s magic. When the outdoors is scorching your little ones can still be planting trees, growing forests, feeding animals and making friends with a fox.

Metamorphabet

A is for Apple, B is for… BORED! Yup, most of the alphabet games don’t get our kiddos super excited but this one’s a little different. Users will be encouraged to poke, prod, drag, and spin each of letters to reveal fun transformations. A giant ‘B’ appears with a bushy beard and a beak – and then starts belching an endless stream of colourful bugs.

My very hungry caterpillar

Eric Carles brilliant little story comes alive in a 3D interactive app which will have kids nurturing the little caterpillar from its egg stage right until it becomes a butterfly, feeding fruits, playing and more – a kind of virtual pet!

Peek-a-zoo

Anything which involves animals is always a huge hit in our household and this new little game is going to be a guaranteed winner! The basic game involves your kiddos identifying the correct cartoon animal based on clues including emotions, actions, sounds and more. Once they pick the right character, a new scene appears.

For Middles: Ages 5-8

Weather by tinybop

Yup, we’re obsessed by the weather – especially when we live in the desert so any variation on hot is super exciting! Through interactive scenes, the kids can do anything from melt ice to help someone fish, cool the temperature for a panting dog or unleash all kinds of craziness through tornados and storms plus learn how to tell what kind of weather it’ll be outside (um…hot?!) .

Toca blocks

A fun world-building app for the pre-minecraft crowd that allows kids to create worlds, play in them and share them with friends too. Perfect for children who are into digging and building stuff.

DNA play

What could be cooler than creating your own monsters while learning about the concept of DNA (see, there’s an element of learning in here too, mamas!). And once they’re made, the kids can get their monsters doing everything from skateboarding to dancing and more.

Foldify

Literally one of the most genius app ideas I’ve seen in ages – and one that’s perfect for kids who love making/crafting. All they gotta do is select a template (human, car etc) then use the app to decorate it either by importing photos, painting, adding stickers etc. The app will then create a 3D model which can be printed out, cut and folded so that it exists in the real world too.

Squigglefish

There’s a room at OliOli (the kids museum we’ve long raved about, check out our review here) which allows kids to watch drawings of their sea creatures come to live on a giant interactive screen. Well now they can do the same at home (or in the car/on a plane etc) by drawing a fish on a white paper, coloring it in then holding the iPad over the drawing and watching as their fishy friend comes to life.

Older kids: age 8 up

Namoo: Wonders Of Plant Life 

A kind of virtual forest school where kids can engage in and explore the life of plants, learning about everything from how they make food to experimenting with underground root systems. Perfect for curious minds.

Earth Primer

How about making volcanoes with your fingers? Or sculpting mountains and controlling the forces of nature?! This beautifully designed app combines aspects of science books, toys, simulations, and games in a new interactive experience that’ll prompt lots of thought and knowledge about our world.

Solar Walk – Planet Explorer

Mini astronomy lovers this one’s for you! Solar Walk is an amazing 3D model of our solar system bringing the universe to the palm of your hand and allowing you to interact with planets, satellites, moons, comets and other space objects. Hitch a ride on a comet, spin Saturn around to take a good look and just zoom around our universe. Super cool.

Operation math

Yes I know, the idea of getting them to do math during the holidays might seem like a crazy one but this app makes this often uninspiring subject quite fun (honestly!). Defeat Dr. Odd and earn the latest spy gear in a game that transforms math drills into a global learning adventure. From the streets of Paris to the pyramids of Egypt, Operation Math includes more than 100 timed missions that help players learn addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

Universal zoom

Another for all those curious kids and endless question askers! Universal Zoom provides users with a superpower of seeing the invisible so that you can discover the world from the tiniest subatomic particles to the most prominent space structures plus learn how to measure size and compare objects too.

The post Some Of The Best New Apps for Kids of All Ages appeared first on Sassy Mama.

It’s pretty toasty outside and it’s only gonna get hotter mamas! But while summer in Dubai is no walk in the park (literally, the parks and the beaches are pretty much out of bounds in this weather), there’s no need to panic about being housebound for weeks with the kids. We’ve put together a summer survival guide to the region’s best family friendly activities that are perfect for keeping the brood cool and entertained. From aquariums to indoor zoos, this is the only alphabet you’ll need to perfect over the school hols.

The post A-Z Guide To Surviving Summer With Kids In Dubai appeared first on Sassy Mama.

Here’s some great news, mamas! Yes it might be hot out there but we’ve got you (or rather your energetic kids) covered when the great outdoors is out of bounds. Save your home and your sanity (the sofa won’t handle anymore bouncing about and frankly neither will you) by checking out our list of 12 places to keep sporty and active little people busy when the usual beach/park/pool routine is on hold. You see? There’s no need to panic – summer in Dubai is totally doable.

The post 12 Ways for Sporty Kiddos to be Active Over Summer in Dubai appeared first on Sassy Mama.

Welcome to June, mamas! Well actually we’re almost halfway through the month, about to celebrate Eid Al Fitr (with three days off school for the kiddos!) and summer holidays only three weeks away (gulp!). For me, this time is about spending time with friends who we won’t see over the school hols, about keeping as cool as possible when temperatures outside are raging and about keeping the kids busy without spending an absolute fortune! And luckily there are lots of ways to do it all and have a blast before the bell rings at the end of term. From free events to super sassy discounts, here are a few of the things I’m doing and loving in June. Oh and Eid Mubarak, mamas!

The post Keeping Up With Kaya: Things To Do During Eid & Beyond appeared first on Sassy Mama.

With my biggest baby turning 10 in sweltering June and during Ramadan I was initially stumped about what to do for his party. Lucas told me he wanted to invite 9 friends and when I asked what they all enjoy doing he shrugged and said ‘gaming’. That, my friends, is when I remembered GameVan!

I booked a 90 minute party during which the van would be parked on my drive, power cables run in to the house and the boys would be able to play on the van’s two PlayStation 4s, an Xbox One S and a Wii U, each connected to 4 flat screens. Lucas was beside himself with excitement and I was delighted that we’d have the ease of a party at home without a pack of 10 year old boys charging around my house!

On the day of the party GameVan’s lovely owners, Adeel and Carolina, arrived half an hour early to set up. When everything was ready they showed Lucas in to the van and his face literally lit up. His friends started arriving and the van was greeted shouts of ‘cool’, ‘epic’ and ‘awesome’! The van can seat up to 12 with everyone playing at the same time if they’re playing multi-player games.

They have loads of regular as well as online games and are supervised throughout the party to ensure that only age appropriate games are played. There were 2 portable ACs inside which did a good job of keeping the temperature comfortable despite it being 40 degrees outside. No food or drinks are allowed inside the van so we enforced short breaks every so often so they could come inside, hydrate and fuel themselves with handfuls of crisps.

I was genuinely surprised by how much interaction there was between the boys while they were playing. We could literally hear the roars of victory when someone won inside the house! At one point I popped my head in and noticed that a few of the boys didn’t have controllers. Carolina explained that it was because they wanted to take turns playing Fortnite (a single-player online game which they all seem to be obsessed with) on both of the PlayStations. There was a bit of resistance when I insisted that they put a different, multi-player game on one of the PlayStations but I was happy seeing more of them playing and I think they were too once the Fortnite mourning period had ended (about 30 seconds later)!

At the end of the gaming time they came inside for pizza and cake. Conscious of growing boys’ need for their 5 a day I had offered to prepare some raw vegetable sticks and perhaps a fruit salad but it was a hard no from Lucas who insisted that only food of little to no nutritional value should be served at his party – so pizza and cake it was! I might not have won any awards from the other Mums for returning their sons hyped up on video games and junk food but I got maximum Mummy points from the birthday boy who said it was the best party ever!

GameVan info:

www.gamevandubai.ae

Tel: 0504967885

Prices from 1700 AED

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Dr. Nashila Farrah Jaffer is aChiropractic Physician, a mama of two and the founder of ‘We Rock The Spectrum‘, a relatively new play space in the Beach Park Plaza on Jumeirah Beach Road specifically developed to help child development (& a far cry from any other soft play area in Dubai). We chatted to her about why this space is about so much more than just fun!

Why did you decide to set up WRTS in Dubai?

I have been practicing as chiropractor for 17 years now and over the years I have seen more and more cases of children having developmental delays such as gross motor weakness, postural weakness and back pain at very young ages. I believe the reason for this is the sedentary lifestyle that we are all leading compared to 15 years ago when ipads and phones were not available. In the past, children led more active lifestyles because gadgets were not readily available like they are today, so kicking a football around or playing in the garden were the norm. Nowadays, children go to school from such an early age and have regular routines when really they should be actively learning and playing through movement. Movement is essential in the development of children’s neurological system. In fact 90%  of stimulation to the brain comes from movement of the spine. So this lack of movement I feel has significantly affected the growth and development of children today.

Being a mother myself, I have seen how important it is for my children to do something active every single day and in Dubai it is not the easiest with the hot summer months. Thankfully the parks are fabulous and they are a fantastic way to keep children moving and active and encourage a healthy lifestyle in the winter months. So when I came across We Rock the Spectrum Kid’s Gym whilst searching online, I thought this would be perfect in Dubai as an indoor playground for children to fulfil their sensory and motor development needs whilst having fun.

I call it “Play with a Purpose.”

What kind of services and classes do you offer?

We have Open Play whereby you can come with your child at any time of day, just like a regular gym, so you don’t need to prebook in advance, just show up at any time during the day. We encourage parents to play with their child inside the gym, but we also have a Drop n’ Shop option where we can supervise your child for an hour or two. We have kids fitness classes, dance and drama classes, a maths enrichment program, birthday parties, coffee shop and free wifi too. We also work very closely with Pure Child Health, a centre that offers occupational therapy and speech and language therapy, and we run parent workshops at the gym to help educate parents about child development.

Why is it so important that parents take their children to a gym?

In a day and age where computers and ipads are so readily available, it is important for children to get into good habits early on and understand that movement is an essential part of an active, healthy lifestyle. Just as adults go to the gym and exercise to keep themselves fit, the same should be available for children so that it becomes a habit. If we can encourage the importance of exercise from a young age we will avoid many more health problems later on in life.

What age should parents think about taking their kids to the gym?

We Rock the Spectrum Kid’s Gym welcomes children as young as one year old. There are fun swings to help with spatial awareness and movement as well as soft play toys, role play and arts and crafts to encourage fine motor skills, as well as social skills interacting with other children. From birth to age five, a child’s brain develops more rapidly than at any other time in life. Scientific research has made clear that the quality of a child’s experiences in the first few years of life helps shape how their brain develops. Therefore, in my opinion I would encourage movement and activity as early as possible.

Tell us about some of the specific benefits from the exercises you offer?

There are ten pieces of equipment that will be found in every We Rock Kid’s Gym. These specialised pieces of equipment are all designed to stimulate your neurological system. For example, the climbing apparatus enhances body awareness, body scheme, motor planning and bilateral coordination. The child’s body weight, combined with gravity, provides additional proprioceptive feedback to the joints, helping the child coordinate their movement. The bolster swing provides a swinging side to side motion that is a great motor planning and motor sequencing activity. The trampoline builds lower body strength and helps to teach balance and provides a full body workout. The zip line, by far the most popular piece of equipment in the gym, is a great way to build upper extremity strength, muscle endurance, enhance the ability to integrate and tolerate movement and help give self-confidence as children challenge themselves to hold on long enough to get to the crash pit at the other end. the best part about it is that children are having fun whilst having a full workout without realising it!

How do your services and classes cater to children on the Autism spectrum specifically?

The equipment found at all We Rock The Spectrum Kid’s Gyms are the same pieces of equipment used in occupational therapy offices to help regulate children on the spectrum who experience sensory processing difficulties. In fact, statistics show that as many as one in six children experience sensory symptoms that could affect their everyday lives. We encourage parents with children on the spectrum to come and play with their child in an inclusive environment with children of all abilities. This encourages parent-child bonding, social interaction and a place where children of ALL abilities are welcomed. In addition, there are long waiting lists for some occupational therapy clinics and it can also be unaffordable for some families.

How is the gym fully inclusive? And how do you cater to differently abled children?

The gym is fully inclusive as we encourage children of all abilities to learn, play and grow together in a safe environment. We do not differentiate children into separate groups as the whole purpose and vision is to provide an inclusive environment for all kids to play together. Our staff are fully trained on the specialised equipment and we have a Calming Room for children who may need a break from the excitement of the gym.

We took our kids to We Rock The Spectrum and they LOVED it, mamas! Check it out for yourselves: 
www.werockthespectrumdubai.com

The post The Play Space That Promotes Fun With Purpose & Child Development appeared first on Sassy Mama.