Summer time means your kids will have plenty of leisure hours and these days, that actually means playing on gadgets like the iPad, iPhone or any Android device. If you allow your kids use of these in the house, there are a lot of child-appropriate applications you can download or buy online.

Some of these aren’t just brainless games, as they also encourage creativity and a good thinking process. Below are just some of the stuff you can get for your kids for their gadgets:

1. Faces I Make Application — I love that this application is so fun to play with and at the same time, it helps children come up with creative ideas. I myself can get lost for hours on this, so imagine what it can do for your kids. This application is about a less than two dollars at the Apple store and can work on the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch.

2. Doodle Buddy — my nieces have this in their parents’ gadgets and I can tell you how much they’re having fun. This application has finger painting and offers really colorful and vivid images where children can also make stamps out of. The best part? This is a Free application for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch.

3. Kids Doodle — this is slightly similar to Doodle Buddy except that it works only for the Android. This is a painting application and your child will be amazed with all the colors and drawings he can do with it. You can get this for $1.49 at the Android Market.

Game company THQ has announced a tablet to let Nintendo Wii users draw and share games. This could open the door to a lot of creativity-based games in the future. While technology aided art isn’t new, this could be a fun addition to your video games line up.

THQ will ship uDraw Studio bundled with uDraw GameTablet at a price of $70 (Rs. 3,260 approx.) by the end of the year. The other two games – Pictionary and Dood’s Big Adventure will arrive at the same time for $30 (Rs. 1,400 approx.) each. These games would be available in Europe and other countries by early next year.

(Source)

Here is the trailer for the soon to be released tablet:

Creativity based play is important for a child’s development, and while the Nintendo Wii is more a game system than an art studio this tablet can still help to aid in creative play.

Encouraging creativity in children is easy, and creativity itself is a trait that can translate into a lot of great emotional bonuses as well.

According to studies (and quoted from WikiAnswers):

It has been proven that children are very creative for the reason that they think recursively. To give an example of how a recursive thinker thinks, For instance, if you would ask two people how to put a giraffe in a car, they would probably tell you to open the door and put it in. now if you ask them how to place an elephant in the car, a person who is not a recursive thinker would probably say open the door and put it in. The one who is would probably say take out the giraffe and put in the elephant, because such a thinker can link one situation to a previous one. This linking to different situations is the essence of creativity.

• Fostering that creative growth isn’t difficult, especially in younger children.  Encouraging creative play by letting your child play with and decorate cardboard boxes of different sized can push imagination further. Letting them use their own minds and creations, you may be surprised with what they can come up with.
• Another amazing item? Sidewalk chalk. Even if you don’t have an accessible area for the chalk, simply by laying down some large poster board or even butcher’s paper, your child can have a lot of fun drawing and creating . If chalk isn’t for you (or the mess is too much to think about) you can also substitute the more traditional crayons.

Christmas time is just around the corner. This is the time that the family gathers around the table to enjoy each other’s company. Dad sets up the Christmas tree, and mom prepares her dinner specialty. Now, what are kids supposed to do while mom and dad is busy? Tips on what children can do while their Christmas treat is being prepared:

• Let them help. -  There are simple things that you can ask your children to do. For example, they can sort out the decorations while dad is setting up the Christmas tree. They can also help mom by preparing the table and making sure that everything is neat and tidy. The key here is to keep them involve.
• Let them have their own movie time – There are a lot Christmas movies for your kids to watch. This will help them capture the Christmas spirit.
• Let them create their own decorations – After watching, you can ask your children to draw their favorite scene from the movie and then use it for added decoration. You can also ask them to make their own Christmas cards that they can give to their relatives or friends. Prepare all the useful stuff that they will use for their own Christmas decorations like colorful markers, art papers, scissors etc.  This will keep them busy and at the same time develop creativity.

These are just few of many things that your children can do during the Christmas season. The challenge is to be resourceful and allow them to develop their creativity.

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