This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Dumb Ways JR and The Motherhood, however all opinions are my own.
Technology is everywhere and for our family it has come into our kids lives a lot sooner than it did for us. I have 6 grandkids and only one does not have his tablet yet, he is 2, but the rest all have technology at their fingertips. So does my daughter Sammy, she's had her own phone since last year and while many might think she is too young for a phone, we've found that it helps us stay in touch with her plus it's an easy way for her to have access to so much learning. It is because of her that I came to know of the Dumb Ways family. Have you watched the "Dumb Ways to Die" video? Sammy found this video on YouTube a few years ago and she used to play it non-stop, to the point where I found myself singing the song, and couldn't stop.
The Dumb Ways to Die campaign began as a PSA in 2012, to teach kids safety around trains, train stations/platforms and level crossings. The cute and catchy song plus adorable cast of characters delivered the safety messages in a very entertaining way for kids, and adults. The message is simple, it's dumb to take risks that have serious consequences.
When it came time to deliver the message to younger children, it was decided that the graphics might be a little to the gory for young children and that is how the Dumb Ways JR apps came into play.
Three of my grandsons are right at that tender age (2, 3 and 4) where they want to play games on their tablets, but we want to ensure that while they have fun, they also learn something.
The easiest way for children to learn is for them to be having fun and the Dumb Ways JR apps provide so much fun and entertainment, that they don't even realize that they are actually learning a lot. And super important, is that with the Dumb Ways JR apps they are learning about safety.
Dumb Ways JR aims to introduce safety messages in an educational, age-appropriate way for a new and younger audience – 3- to 7-year-olds. The apps provide safety education, with no dying or blood just a lot of fun and really cute and engaging characters.
Four key elements have guided the design of the Dumb Ways JR apps:
child centered design
multi sensory and multi-modal elements
an appropriate level of challenge
humor with delightful and engaging characters
In Dumb Ways JR Boffo’s Breakfast, Boffo is hungry and your child is their personal chef. Watch Boffo react when he bites into a whole chilli or when weird ingredients are combined – sprinkles with eggs just don’t go well together! Kids think it’s hilarious when Boffo screws his face up to combinations he doesn’t like. Players create fun meals from 20 ingredients, learn about food combinations and experiment as they tap, stir, mix and swipe.
In Dumb Ways JR Loopy's Tain Set children will learn about train safety, the core of Dumb Ways to Die, and trains. This is the game Sammy loves to play, she loves creating her own train tracks and little worlds for her characters to ride around in. She is a natural builder and really enjoys the build mode while the little boys love playing drive mode, where they can drive the trains themselves. While playing Dumb Ways JR Loopy's Tain Set children can learn about various aspects of train safety in the app such as the characters cannot cross the tracks and the boom gates at the level crossings automatically come down when the train approaches.
At the end of the day these two apps provide the kids so much engaging fun and learning. I can hand them my phone while in the car, waiting to see the doctor, or just at home and know that they are playing a game that is age-appropriate for them and that I don't have to keep checking to make sure that they are not getting into something they're not supposed to be. I do have an 11-year-old grandson who we have to keep track of constantly, if you have kids around that age you know exactly what I'm talking about.
Find out more about Dumb Ways to Die and the Dumb Ways JR apps by clicking on the links. Download: Dumb Ways JR Boffo’s Breakfast on iTunes, Dumb Ways JR Boffo’s Breakfast on Google Play and Dumb Ways JR Loopy's Tain Set on iTunes and Dumb Ways JR Loopy's Train Set on Google Play. Our little ones are big fans of both of the apps and so are the bigger children because the games are just very engaging and cute. And seriously, they have no clue just how much they are learning about safety, all they know is that they are having fun!
