Kid Mode by Zoodles

We have Kid Mode by Zoodles installed on both our phones and on Chace's tablet (yes, we're one of THOSE parents who think getting a tablet for our kid is a good idea). Its most useful feature is that it has a very effective childlock feature, so that we don't have to worry about him tapping on pop-up ads that appear on some of his favorite apps.

Kid Mode has five main tabs: Games, Art, Books, Mail and Favorites. We rarely use the Mail feature though, since Chace isn't conversational just yet.

On the Games tab, we put in all his apps and games, and even a media player for the music videos we downloaded for him. Also on this tab, you can find assorted educational videos that are appropriate for kids. I think the content changes weekly or bi-weekly. I say this because Chace seems to have a favorite video to watch every other week.

He's been using the Art tab a lot lately. He's only recently started drawing faces and a clown. We're crossing our fingers for more :)

The Books tab allows parents to record themselves reading the storybooks for replay later on by your child. Only the first one is accessible with the free version of this app (Three Little Pigs). The others you can get from upgrading to Premium, or you can buy separately for $2.99. I did record my own version on my phone, and it was easy enough. The graphics are just okay, not fantastic.

                                         

The Favorites tab is where all his most played apps and videos appear. Only thing is, he'd get confused sometimes when he tries to access Kid Mode on my phone, and he doesn't see his apps on the Favorites tab. The app lacks syncing capability, which is about the only downside I can think of so far.

                                         

The bonus was the addition of featured videos with songs from such popular shows as Sesame Street and Yo Gabba Gabba, and also some from his favorite YouTube blogger, KidsTV123 :)

All in all, we're really happy with this app. And these are features that are available on the free version. With the premium version, you get more stuff, like being able to promote subjects for certain skills you would like your child to target, and even excluding material with cartoon characters you may feel are not appropriate (at your own discretion). I think the price to upgrade is reasonable ($4.99/month or $39.95/year), though right now I don't see the need for us just yet.

That being said, kudos to the Zoodles team for making a great app!:)