Today, smartwatches are becoming increasingly popular among children in Singapore, and for good reason! They give us the unparalleled ease and convenience of ensuring our children’s safety. A smartwatch becomes an even more optimal choice since some schools do not allow younger students to have phones.

As we often see such smartwatches on our students’ wrists and witness firsthand the benefits that they provide, we decided to do some research and compiled a list of 5 Best Smartwatches for Kids in Singapore!

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1. Fitbit Ace 3

For Kids Aged 6+

The Fitbit Ace 3 is a stylish and kid-friendly activity tracker that helps to make fitness and exercise fun for the entire family! With virtual badges and an animated clock-face, it will help to inculcate healthy habits by encouraging your child to participate in fun-filled activities! Children can even bring their Fitbit along to the beach or even into the swimming pool, as the Ace 3 is water resistant to 50m!

At night, you can schedule bedtime reminders using your Fitbit App, and the Ace 3 can also function as a sleep tracking device to let you know if your child is getting adequate sleep. Most importantly, it is designed with children in mind and has an adjustable clasp, providing for a comfortable and secure fit. Your child will have no problems navigating its beautiful touchscreen and clock face displays!

Price: S$118.00

Find out more about the Fitbit Ace 3 here.

2. Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3

For Kids Aged 4+

The Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 is a smart watch designed especially for your children. With its swim-friendly and durable design, the Vivofit Jr. 3 is built to withstand the rough and tumble of both daily activities and adventurous holiday trips. We also love its colourful display and themed designs, with options like Star Wars, Iron Man and Marvel Super Heroes!

Furthermore, it comes with a colourful parent-controlled app that can help inspire your child to stay active through educational discovery and travel! The wide range of features and capabilities are sure to be incredibly useful for parents, from GPS tracking, activity tracking, and chore data tracker to help you manage your little ones!

Price: S$129.00

Find out more about Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 here.

3. My First Fone R1S

For Kids Aged 4-12

Created by a Singapore-based and homegrown technology brand for children, “My First Fone R1S” is a creative blend between a smart watch and a phone! Not only does it include the features of a smartwatch like advanced GPS tracking capabilities, it also incorporates features of a smartphone! For instance, it enables young children to connect seamlessly with their family and friends through voice calls and video calls, all under the safe supervision of their parents!

As parents ourselves, we especially appreciate that myFirst has taken the safety and wellbeing of children into consideration. The R1S Watch can be paired with the myFirstFone App on a parent’s phone, and allows parents to set a designated safety zone for their child through the Geo-Fencing Area Alert technology, which will alert the parent’s phone if the designated area is breached! The smart watch also comes with a one-touch SOS button for children to alert their parents in the event of an emergency. Whether your child might be off playing at the playground in your neighbourhood, or embarking on their very first field trip, the myFirst Fone R1S Smart Watch can give you peace of mind knowing that you can stay in touch with your child at all times.

Price: S$269.00

Find out more about My First Fone R1S here.

4. Little Tikes Tobi Robot Smart Watch

For Kids Aged 4+

Do you have a child that loves Coding Lab’s educational robotics classes, like our Young Computer Scientists Robotics Class, or our Junior Coders Programme with Photon the robot? Then this watch might just be the perfect one for your child! Gift them a thrilling educational toy for robotics with the Little Tikes Tobi Robot Smart Watch, and watch them revel in excitement over its moving robot arms and legs, fun sound effects and over 100 different expressions!

This watch also features a kid-friendly touchscreen, augmented reality games, and 2 built-in cameras for your little techie to film videos, take selfies and edit photographs! What’s more, this watch can be used anytime, anywhere, as it can be easily attached to their clothes using its clip, or even set on a table top with its extra snazzy display stand!

Price: S$53.90

Find out more about the Little Tikes Tobi Robot Smart Watch here.

5. Apple Watch SE (With Family Set Up)

For Kids Aged 10+

With features like FaceTime audio calls, a calendar app for your child to customise their schedule, and Apple music that they can use to play their favourite song, the Apple Watch SE brings you and your child a personalised experience unlike any other smart watch! It even features “Schooltime” and “Downtime” modes that can be automatically set to ensure that your child is not disturbed in school!

It is the perfect wearable technology to introduce to older children that might not yet be ready for a smartphone, or are looking for an accessory to complement their smartphone! With the Family Setup, parents have the freedom to control access to personal data, and for your child to contact you as an emergency contact.

Price: S$379.00

Find out more about the Apple Watch SE here.

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Ultimately, the decision on which smartwatch is the best for your child may depend on a variety of factors, like their age, maturity and level of responsibility. Smart watches can be very impactful educational and parenting tools to help get your child acquainted with technology in this digital age. They can be especially beneficial for families that enjoy the convenience of being able to check in with their children easily and regularly.

The Coding Lab Team has chosen these 5 smart watches as they have features that are specifically tailored for parents and children in mind. As a coding school, we care for our students and are always striving to provide them with the best – both inside and outside of our classrooms!

Read Next: Inculcating healthy digital device habits

Read Next: Top 5 Parental Control Software

(Written by Gracia)

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Did you know that 12-year-olds in Singapore spend about 6 hours on their electronic devices each day?

We’re in the Fourth Industrial Revolution where everything technology is found in every aspect of our lives, and the digital world is now our children’s playground. Everything we see around us is being automated, for instance, that chatbot you’re typing to or the ordering kiosks at your favourite bubble tea shop. Isn’t it exciting that our children get to be part of something like Big Data and Artificial Intelligence?

While technology has many benefits, it also has its pitfalls. So, how do we ensure that our children benefit from the use of technology? How do you, as parents, create a safe and fun environment and prepare your children to learn about the world around them and help them to form healthy digital habits?

Learning and Playing With Technology

What better way to get to know technology better than by engaging your little ones through play?

Using tech toys is one way. Since 2015, the Infocomm Media and Development Authority has been developing the PlayMaker programme to introduce tech toys to preschool centres to enrich preschoolers’ learning experiences. Scratch Junior, Bee-Bot and the KIBO Robotics kit were some of the tech toys introduced.

Educational apps have also been making waves as a way for children to be productive and make the most of their time outside of school. The Coding Lab Team previously covered the Top 5 Educational STEM Games for Children that you can check out! Such screen time goes a long way in helping our little ones learn.

Workshops and classes are also available for children to learn about technology through play. For example, art is no longer limited by the physical world. There are digital art courses and various digital platforms that encourage creativity and design these days. We also encourage our students to get drawing in their coding classes to create gorgeous backdrops on Scratch or the coolest characters on App Inventor!

Whether they are physical tech toys, apps or classes and workshops, it’s important to choose the right ones to kickstart your child’s tech journey and nurture their digital habits.

3 Ways to Nurture Your Child’s Digital Habits

While there is a whole trove of resources on the internet, there are also online threats, cyberbullying, fake news, issues of privacy and more. It is important for our children to use the internet with due diligence as anything posted online lasts forever. How should you guide your child through their digital journey so that they become responsible digital citizens? We compiled key tips from the Media Literacy Council here:

1. Educate Yourself

• Know the ratings of movies, games, shows and videos that your children interact with.
• Play their favourite games with them! It serves as quality time together too.
• Encourage them to play in common areas like the living room.

2. Set Up Parental Control and Safe Search Settings

Ensure that the online world they interact with is already safe with Parental Controls. Not sure where to start? We’ve got our list of Top 5 Parental Control Software for more advanced settings or you can toggle web browser settings to restrict the websites that your child visits. Additionally, minimise exposure to violent or sexual content that have been flagged as inappropriate for children with Safe Search Settings on Google, Yahoo and YouTube.

• MacBooks, PCs and web browsers can restrict what kinds of websites your children can visit.
• Game consoles like Xbox and PlayStation control whether players have chat or video function.
• Games like Minecraft have private servers so that you know who your children are playing with.

3. Create a screen time contract

Sit down, talk to your children and draw up a screen time contract. This becomes an agreement between you and your child, instead of the imposition of rules.

• Set boundaries and agree on how much time they can spend online for entertainment purposes.
• Spell out the consequences of not sticking to the rules.
• Create consistency by having a regular routine on how your children use technology.

So, what can parents do?

For those of us with younger children, you might be wondering how much time should your child be spending online and what you can do. We’ve compiled a set of guidelines below from an expert at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital to help you navigate through this journey in introducing your child to tech.

We hope that you’ve learnt some useful tips about guiding your children’s digital habits! Here at Coding Lab, we strive to nurture future leaders in technology, equip them with digital skills and take steps to become digitally literate through our coding classes for Ages 5 to 18. Kickstart your child’s technological journey the right way with our fun-filled, MIT-inspired and award-winning coding curriculum today!

Curious and hungry for more tips? Head over to the Media Literacy Council’s website! They have more resources on data protection, fake news and much more for everyone, including parents, youths and even seniors.

(Written by Zulaikha and Nicole Loo, Edited by Cheryl Tang)

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We know that you’ve got lots of things to do, so we’ve hunted down and made a list of 5 Educational Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Games for Children – so you don’t have to search for them yourself! Now, screen time can be productive and educational, and the family can relax and wind down together after a long day.

Get your phones and tablets ready to download – and let’s take off into the world of educational games! 🚀

1. Smart Tales

For Ages 1-5

Learn STEM concepts through interactive animated stories and games with this award-winning app!

Smart Tales is a combination of STEM and the arts! Develop reading, logic and counting and learn important life lessons on respect, environment, using technology safely and more. With more than 300 fun lessons, this is the ideal educational app for your tiny tots to enjoy picking up STEM concepts through colorfully illustrated stories of animal friends!

Our Favourite Feature: Experiencing colourful, unique stories with fun characters every episode! 📗

Smart Tales is available for free (with in-app purchases) on App Store & Google Play

2. The Robot Factory

For Ages 6-8

Build your very own digital robot and bring them to life! 🤖

Ever wanted to design your personal robot? With The Robot Factory, players can choose the color and type of parts they want to piece their robot together with. Collect robots, test their performance in obstacle courses, and record their unique robot sounds as you develop creative-thinking, problem-solving and storytelling skills.

Our Favourite Feature: The satisfaction of finally equipping your robot with the right parts to successfully complete the obstacle course! 🎉

The Robot Factory is available for SG$5.98 on App Store

3. Lightbot: Code Hour

For Ages 4-12

Learn to solve problems using programming logic!

Want to pick up new skills or continue testing the coding skills you learnt at Coding Lab? Train your little one’s puzzle-solving skills while they apply their knowledge of programming logic in this beginner-friendly game! The goal? To guide Lightbot the robot to light up tiles and solve 20 levels with commands that are common in coding, such as loops and conditionals. Remember to take eye breaks as solving these puzzles can be slightly addictive as they increase in difficulty.

Our Favourite Feature: The whirring sound effects that accompany Lightbot’s every action! 🚁 (Special mention to the sound the rising platform makes at the start of each level!)

Lightbot: Code Hour is available for free on App Store & Google Play

4. STEMWerkz

For Ages 5-12

Learn STEM through play and interactive videos!

Featuring more than 3,200 concepts across three zones: STEMWerkz Quests, STEMWerkz Channel and STEAMvalley, there’s something new to learn during every gaming session! Pique your child’s interest in STEM as they build their own towns and develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills. If you enjoy the free content, you can also consider getting their subscription plan to unlock more educational and engaging content such as live interactive lessons.

Our Favourite Feature: You get to interact with a wide cast of characters with interesting designs and stories! 👦👧

STEMWerkz is available for free (with in-app purchases) on App Store & Google Play

5. Khan Academy

For Ages 2-8 for Khan Academy Kids
For All Ages for Khan Academy

Interested in Math, logic, reading or just want to inspire a lifetime of learning and discovery?

Khan Academy has educational and fun programmes – not just limited to STEM – with thousands of activities and books for all! For little ones, the Khan Academy Kids app has thousands of colourful books, adorable characters and kinaesthetic activities such as yoga and dancing to accompany your child’s learning. Older ones can embark on their learning journey on Khan Academy (yes, even parents can use it too!), which is an extension of the web version, and teaches a range of topics through interactive exercises and videos.

Our Favourite Feature: The app contains topics for all ages, no matter the different interests, so learning is an exciting and educational time for all! 🌟

Khan Academy Kids is available for free on App Store & Google Play
Khan Academy is available for free on App Store & Google Play

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Check out our specially curated Resources page for more on coding!

Interested to learn coding in a way that feels just like gaming? We teach Ages 5 to 18 age-appropriate coding in fun and engaging ways! Find out about our courses here.

(Written by Lixin Foo, Edited by Cheryl Tang)

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Today, our Educator and Assistant Curriculum Team Lead, Hovan Tan, will be sharing with us his insights and personal experiences with video games. He’ll also talk about understanding your child’s games, what you should be wary of and how video games are stepping stones to success for your child. Let’s hear from Teacher Hovan! 👇

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Video Games. Many of us love and enjoy playing them as a hobby (even as adults), though by default, we try to have our kids spend less time on them despite their pleas to play on. Well, for as long as I can remember, I have always loved and enjoyed playing video games. My father (like all typical dads), felt that video games would distract me and result in poor grades – but this did not deter me from playing and still achieving at school.

Being an avid gamer taught me many skills and lessons. It was the spark that spurred me to take up Computer Engineering at University, and I now get to experience and inspire the joy of coding when I teach my students the code behind some of the games they play, such as Minecraft, Brawl Stars and Zooba.

Indeed, I learned a lot from playing Video Games. Let’s start by taking a look at some of the popular categories of games:

1. Types of Video Games (and what we can learn from them)

• Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) games: League of Legends, Dota2, Mobile Legends, and Pokemon Unite, are examples of strategy role-playing games where two teams compete against each other.
• First-Person Shooter (FPS) games: Typically use weapons and feature a first-person perspective. Examples include Call of Duty, Valorant, Counter-Strike, and Fortnite.
• Strategy games: Include Age of Empires, the Total War series, Civilization, and any simulation games even on mobile.

There are so many other skills and lessons that your children can learn from playing video games. We’ve also picked out the main lessons from gaming in a previous blog here.

Video games also provide you with opportunities to bond and interact with your children. This will help you to identify learning points in their gaming experiences, such as how to interact with other online users or how to win humbly and lose graciously. You could also get ideas for alternative activities that could interest them!

2. What dangers are present in online games?

That being said, we must tread the online domain with great care, especially when it comes to protecting our littles.

With the internet and online games today, one can easily communicate with almost anyone in the world from anywhere and at any time, opening up a world of possibilities and dangers too. For example, Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) have large communities and social interactions within the game. Having the ability to find people from around the world and chat with them allows friendships to be born and gives players a sense of belonging.

At the same time, we have to be concerned about safety, cyberbullying, security and privacy threats from online predators. For example, Roblox, one of the most popular children’s games in the world right now, is struggling to moderate content and create parental controls to protect children from being maliciously exposed to inappropriate content. 

Online fraud and scams are rampant in our technological world too, and there is also the allure of freemium and gambling games. These instant gratification games are addictive and younger children may not understand the nature of these purchases.

To keep up with this ever-changing fast-paced online world, we will have to learn how to protect ourselves and our loved ones from online dangers.

3. How can you keep your children safe and protected as they play video games?

Video games can provide you with opportunities to bond and interact with your children. This will help you to identify learning points in their gaming experiences, such as how to interact with other online users or how to win humbly and lose graciously. You could also get ideas for alternative activities that could interest them!

I highly recommend for you to do research into the games, and check on their available parental controls before allowing your child access to them. (There’s a reason we do not teach Roblox coding here at Coding Lab, despite the multitude of requests that come in!) You must be able to identify potential risks involved and work with your child to educate, learn, and mitigate any online threats (Yes, we approve of Minecraft!).

Here’s a good checklist to use to keep our children safe on the Internet 👇 (Source)

Video Games – A Stepping Stones to Success?

As gamers, we should take the effort to understand how games are crafted. Behind each game lies a developer, a studio, perhaps even a multi-million dollar company leading the development of that successful game. Through blood, sweat, tears, and lots of time, these games were painstakingly created. This is a lesson by itself that I incorporate into my teaching and instill in the younger generation.

Creative learning utilises our vivid imagination and critical thinking skills to come up with ideas and solutions. This is especially evident in our classes when we have Hackathon sessions – based on the games they love to play, students are able to think about different aspects required for the program they want to create. I’ve had students program mini games ranging from themes like Minecraft to Zooba.

Just like our mini coding hackathons, a tremendous amount of thinking and planning has gone into creating the games we love to play, and I am heartened to see my students incorporate such extensive thinking and hard work when creating their own projects!

In hindsight, being an avid gamer taught me many skills and lessons. It was the spark that spurred me to take up Computer Engineering, and I now get to experience and inspire the joy of gaming when I teach my students to code.

Whether my students decide to do computer science or not in the future, learning to code in itself feels like a game with its own benefits, skills and lessons too. With colourful, drag-and-drop programming blocks like Scratch and MIT App Inventor platforms, the learning experience is now gamified. Each lesson feels like a game for my students and I, and I always think about how my journey with video games has come full circle.

As people’s perceptions of gaming change and our online world grows, playing video games is both a boon and a bane. It is up to us to be there to guide our children and keep them safe when they step into the digital age.

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Do your children enjoy playing games? Give our award-winning, MIT-inspired coding classes a shot! Your children will get to dive into the world behind games and technology as they learn computational thinking and more core skills of the 21st century.

(Written by Hovan Tan, Edited by Cheryl Tang)

Read: 6 valuable lessons video games can teach your child

Coding Lab Educator Feature: Interview with Hovan Tan

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Now that the holidays are here, you might be wondering which are the best shows and movies that you can engage your children with. Fret not! We’ve got the answer: Educational. Tech. Shows. And movies!

The team at Coding Lab has compiled our top recommendations for your child’s fun and enriching holiday, whether they are aged 4 or they are teenagers. Not only can they stay entertained, but they will also be able to learn a thing or two about technology and the world.

Click to jump in to:

Ages 3+

Ages 7+

Ages 12+

Family Time!

Note: Most age ratings are based on Common Sense Media‘s recommendations with information from the streaming platform.

1. Ask the Storybots

For Ages: 3+

Available on: Netflix, select episodes on Netflix Jr on YouTube

What it’s about: How do computers work? How do cell phones work? How do airplanes fly? This Netflix Original animated series answers questions from kids through song and fun, with Storybots characters who live in computer parts. To complete their tasks and find the answers to questions, they travel to the “Outer World”. In their journey, they meet other characters who explain how things work and through animation, it makes it easy for young ones to understand and fun for older kids too!

What we like: This two-time Emmy-winning series has an animation style that combines the real world with bright-coloured main characters. Each episode even includes guest stars that make it even more exciting, such as the rapper Snoop Dogg guest-starring as the Operating System in the CPU who explains all about binary codes. Overall, the show depicts the Storybots’ journeys to finding answers in an enjoyable way for kids, full of humour for older ones and educational for all. With big concepts made simple, amazing animations and catchy songs, it is sure to captivate the tiny tots in an educational time!

Duration: 20-28 minutes per episode

2. Brainchild

For Ages: 7+

Available on: Netflix

What it’s about: This show covers topics such as social media, space, motivation, and more in an exciting way. Through scientific experiments, interactive games and illusions, it explores and answers questions that your children might have on the various topics. Hosted by Sahana Srinivasan, the young girl is relatable as she introduces topics and keeps you intrigued. 

What we like: It’s a refreshing take with a witty and humorous host, and a colourful show that gets your children into science, in touch with their emotions, learn more about technology and filled with life lessons about teamwork and kindness. Produced by the creators of the popular Brain Games series, you can be sure that it is engaging and entertaining for a family of various ages! The only downside of it is that it only has 1 season with 13 episodes and many viewers asking for more. 

Duration: 22-24 minutes per episode

3. Coding Bytes

For Ages: 7+

Available on: YouTube

What it’s about: These small, byte-sized video tutorials by our passionate Coding Lab educators invite your little ones to join in the fun to code their own projects at home with Scratch, MIT App Inventor and text-based Python programming language. Through easy-to-follow videos, your children can choose from an array of projects, ranging from a colourful Augmented Reality game to a maze game, as well as a phone app to catch fishes, and more!

What we like: We love that the videos are short and sparks little ones’ interests to explore the programming world even further. There are also checkpoints in the video to encourage children to pause and code alongside to successfully code a project of their own. With simple explanations, demonstrations and colourful graphics, it is engaging and sure to keep your little ones entertained and occupied!

Duration: 5-11 minutes per episode

4. Big Hero 6 – Movie and The Series

For Ages: 7+

Available on: Disney Plus (movie, series)

What it’s about: You may remember how robotics prodigy Hiro and inflatable healthcare robot Baymax captured many hearts when it took to the silver screens 8 years ago. The animated comedy film and its high-tech superhero stars is worth a watch for the young kids (and nostalgic rewatch for the parents!), and you can now continue following the adventures of Hiro and Baymax in a show series as they go up against scientifically-enhanced villains!

What we love: There are lots of possibilities with coding and technology, and we love that the premise of both the movie and series of Big Hero 6 stretches one’s imagination of the world that could be. With a gorgeous animation style, an Asian lead, lots of laughs and heartwarming scenes, it is an enjoyable film that also imparts life lessons (and a great refresher before Baymax! releases end-June.). It also might just inspire your little one to explore more tech!

Duration: 1h 48mins for movie, 24-26 minutes per episode

Did you know? Our students Ages 10 to 12 learn to develop their very own Baymax, a personal healthcare companion, in our Python Junior 1 course. Find out more here!

5. Ron’s Gone Wrong

For Ages: 8+

Available on: Disney Plus

What it’s about: This film is set in a world with social media and follows awkward teenager Barney and his new “Best Friend out of the Box” robot named Ron, whose algorithm was originally designed to help one make friends. Ron then turns out to be a defective robot who goes against his programming. Catch the action-packed adventure as Barney navigates friendship and life with Ron!

What we like: This animated comedy is perfect for family movie night with younger kids. With endearing characters and a heartwarming story, it touches on how technology can help us while also emphasising on the importance of maintaining human connection. We love that it touches on codes, algorithms and digital security – giving a great insight into what goes on behind the technology that we see – while also entertaining through the many antics of Barney and Ron!

Duration: 1h 52mins

6. Veritasium

For Ages: 12+

Available on: YouTube

What it’s about: Want more technology videos for your children to think about? Veritasium explores science and engineering, featuring experiments, expert interviews, demonstrations, and discussions with the public about science. This Youtube channel was created and narrated by Derek Muller, an Australian-Canadian science communicator, filmmaker, television personality and inventor.

What we like about it: Each video is packed with content that will be eye-opening and intriguing. With the help of Derek’s extensive experience in his field, Veritasium is able to explore a myriad of topics in a comprehensive way, with complementary visuals and graphics. You should definitely give this a go and let your children explore whatever topic they are interested in. Given the nature of these topics, you can also join your children in this learning experience and enjoy some quality family bonding time!

Duration: Around 6-30 minutes per video

7. Steve Jobs

For Ages: 14+ (Coarse Language)

Available on: Netflix

What it’s about: Your teenagers may know of Apple, iPhone and Macs, but do they know the story of the fearless visionary who made it? Inspired by the life of Steve Jobs, this film covers the events of the Macintosh launch in 1984, being forced out of Apple, the NeXT Computer in 1988 and then after returning to Apple, the launch of the iMac in 1998. It showcases the genius behind Apple and his flaws, while also putting human connection at the heart of it all. 

What we like: It’s been 11 years since Steve Jobs passed away, so it’s a good way to introduce one of the greatest innovators in recent years to your teenager. With witty lines, great acting and scenes that will make you hold your breath, this is the better film on his life (compared to the film Jobs). There is much to learn from the story of Steve Jobs as he led in art, design and the man that has revolutionised the very world that we are living in today. 

Duration: 2h 2mins

8. Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell

For: Family time with children of All Ages

Available on: YouTube

What it’s about: This German-based YouTube channel creates amazing animated videos that explain a broad spectrum of topics, from quantum computers to futurism, medicine and biology, and so much more. Kurzgesagt aims to spark curiosity about these topics, while laying out the facts, and also hopes to inspire others to learn through good humour and engaging storytelling.

What we like: These short, “in a nutshell” videos explain complicated issues in a clear and concise way, with brilliant animations to accompany it. With a narrator explaining concepts clearly and so many video topics to choose from, it is perfect for your child to find out more about the world. It is also no wonder that Kurzgesagt has racked up almost 2 billion views! Its great pacing, narration and colourful animation will have your children hooked from start to finish and interested to find out more!

Duration: Around 6-15 minutes per video

9. The Speed Cubers

For: Family movie time for children of All Ages

Available on: Netflix

What it’s about: For all the competitive spirits out there, this documentary explores the world of competitive Rubik’s Cube speed solving. It follows the unusual friendship of two speedcubing champions, Feliks Zemdegs and Max Park. 17-year-old Max with autism, as they grow and overcome adversities.

What we like: Did you know that a speed cuber can solve a Rubik’s Cube in under seven seconds? It’s a seemingly simple subject that is interesting even if you do not know how to solve a Rubik’s Cube. This inspiring and positive documentary imparts values of sportsmanship and friendship. Above all, it teaches one that winning is not everything, and is a good opened for many conversations that you can have with your children.

Duration: 40 minutes

10. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

For: Family time with older children Ages 12+
(This show is rated PG13 – Parental Guidance advised for ages 12 and under)

Available on: Netflix

What it’s about: Based on the impressive real-life story of 13-year-old William Kamkwamba in Malawi, Africa, the Netflix Original tells the story of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. Against all odds, the determined young boy was inspired by a science book and skills learnt in school to invent an unconventional way to save his village from famine and other environmental disasters. Even though the title gives away the ending, the movie does a wonderful job of telling the story, which is filled with father-son moments as well.

What we like: This heartwarming movie touches on climate change, technological breakthroughs, the importance of education, family and determination, and is a real tearjerker. It’s also a great story to inspire your child to impact the world and to show them that age doesn’t matter when it comes to inventions. 

Duration: 1h 53mins

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We hope that these recommendations will help you to make the most of the June holidays as it entertains and educates your children and family! After all, learning can take place everywhere, not just in the classroom.

Did we miss your child’s favourite educational tech show? Let us know at community@codinglab.com.sg! 

Read Top 10 shows/cartoons to teach children about STEM

Read Tech Podcasts & TED Talks to get you psyched about tech (we’ve shortlisted the essential 5!)

(Written by Cheryl Tang and Oliver Zhang)

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As we usher in the Year of the Rabbit, the Coding Lab team wants to keep our students and children safe on the internet, so we’ve compiled a list of our top 5 Parental Control Software for you to manage their screen time. We first launched this in 2022’s Tiger year for Tiger mums out there. And we’ve just refreshed this list to include the latest features and enhancements in 2023! 💻🤓 (Also look out for some bonus software below! 😉)

We’ve seen many children (yes, even our Scratch 1 kids!) with their own smartphones. In fact, two-thirds of Singaporean children aged 7-9 use their smartphones daily and are active on social media. Despite the age restrictions, children have their own Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Do you know what your children are doing and who they are interacting with on social media?

If you don’t, you’re not alone. Here’s how you can get to the bottom of it all: Parental Control Software.

What are Parental Control Software?

Parental Control Software are applications, features or software that allow you to monitor and limit what someone does online. In the past, features were mainly blacklisting websites and checking your children’s searches. Today, it has evolved into tools that allow parents to monitor what your children are up to, control or schedule screentime, and even track the locations of their children’s smartphones – all simply by logging in to your Parental Control Software account.

That’s why we’ve got a list of our Top 5 Parental Control Software that can be great tools to help you safeguard your kids from the dangers of the web. Read on to find out which one suits your needs best!

1. Net Nanny

Available on Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Chrome OS and Kindle Fire.

Paid options only.

We kick off the list with one of the Parental Control Software that has been around the longest. With its web-filtering technology (which allows you to control the content that your child accesses online), monitoring features, screentime management, well-designed and easy-to-use apps and web portal, Net Nanny is available on a number of platforms.

Granted, it only has paid options. Furthermore, the geofencing features, which allows you to establish boundaries around ‘safe areas’, is still rather basic. Net Nanny also lacks some features on its iOS version, but it is still considered almost as good as its Android counterpart.

Price: USD $39.99/year for a single Windows or macOS desktop device, USD $54.99/year for up to 5 devices, USD $89.99/year for up to 20 devices

Find out more about Net Nanny here.

2. Qustodio

Available on Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Chrome OS and Kindle Fire.

Free with paid options.

Just like Net Nanny, Qustodio is also available on many platforms. But where Qustodio really stands out from the competition are its call and text monitoring features, something that most other Parental Control Software do not offer. You can allow or block calls or specific phone numbers, and view text messages.

It offers a free option that covers one device with basic functionalities such as web-filtering, web and social media monitoring, time limits and an online monitoring dashboard. Keep in mind that features are limited for iOS, which does not include calls and text monitoring, as well as the Panic Button that would enable your child to send an SOS when they need help.

Price: Free for 1 device with basic features, USD $54.95/year for 5 devices, USD $96.95/year for 10 devices, USD $137.95/year for 15 devices.

Find out more about Qustodio here.

Customers of Singtel, you’re in luck!
Get deals and discounted prices for Qustodio here. 

3. Kaspersky Safe Kids

Available on Android, iOS, Windows, MacOS.

Free with paid options.

Get the best bang for your buck with Kaspersky Safe Kids, which is loaded with many key free features, such as web-filtering, screentime management, and more. Access to full features is affordable for an unlimited number of accounts and devices. As an antivirus company, the paid version also boasts features such as GPS locator, screentime scheduling and real-time alerts for accessing sites or leaving ‘safe areas’ (geofencing).

That said, its web interface is slow and the app could have been better designed. Features to block or activate web control on iOS devices are also limited. Overall, the free version is definitely worth a try to test it out for yourself before deciding whether you should purchase it.

Price: Free for basic features including web monitoring, time limits and app management for unlimited devices, SGD$15/year for full features on unlimited devices. You can choose to get the bundle with Kaspersky’s antivirus software from SGD$35/year.

Find out more about Kaspersky Safe Kids here.

Editor’s Note (Jan 2023):
‍‍Several software updates for Kaspersky Safe Kids have since been released in 2022 for both Mac and Windows, improving the application performance and fixing several application issues. Find out more about this here.

4. OurPact

Available on Android and iOS.

Free with paid options.

Looking for the best app control for iOS? Look no further than OurPact. This is the only Parental Control Software that offers this level of iOS functionality, with user interface and app management being its strongest features. Schedule screentime for your child and block all apps with a simple button.

It is important to note that installation requires a computer. Some key Parental Control Software functions of OurPact are lacking, such as limited web-filtering and no monitoring of texts. If your family is iOS-first, there are currently no alternatives that offer anything close to this level of control over iOS devices.

Price: Free for 1 device with basic features, USD $6.99/month for Premium for 20 devices and all but one premium feature, USD $9.99/month for Premium+ for 20 devices with the full premium feature set

Find out more about OurPact here.

Editor’s Note (Jan 2023):
‍‍OurPact has since released new, enhanced family locator features for both iOS and Android devices, enabling parents to get real-time GPS updates on the precise locations of their children. Find out more about this here.

5. Norton Family

Available on Android, Windows, iOS.

Paid options only.

Rounding off our list is a brand known for its antivirus software. Norton Family offers a comprehensive range of features, such as monitoring, scheduling screentime, and geofencing, with the goal of encouraging parents to teach their children healthy online habits. Its web-filtering is one of the widest with 47 content categories to choose from, such as Alcohol, Drugs, and Mature Content.

The app management works well, though only for Android devices. It is also not compatible with macOS. While it is easy to set up, the web portals are not the most well-designed ones, and its mobile apps are not exactly user-friendly. It is relatively affordable if you are considering getting its suite of antivirus programmes bundled together with Norton Family.

Price: From SGD$69.99/year, bundled with Norton’s antivirus software.

Find out more about Norton Family here.

Editor’s Note (Jan 2023):
‍‍Norton Family’s price has reduced to S$29.99 per year for the first year. Then, S$44.00/ year bundled with Norton’s antivirus software. Find out more about this here.

Generate a Family Agreement on internet and technology use together!
The Smart Talk encourages parents and children to talk about ground rules for internet safety.
Click here to get started!

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2023 Update!

To herald this new year, we have updated this blog with more alternatives of highly-rated and effective parental control software that may be suitable for your family! We have found that the following parental control softwares have unique features that make them good additional options for parents to consider. 👇

6. Kidgy

Available on Android, Windows, iOS.

Good for parents with younger children below 13. Free and paid options available.

We love how the Kidgy application is both user-friendly, and an effective parental control software which can help to monitor your kids’ messages, calls and apps’ usage online! It provides comprehensive one-page reports on messaging and app-usage details, and enables you to block dangerous sites through its internet filter.

What’s more, the Kidgy app also includes unique and valuable features like a Panic Button for emergencies, GPS Location Tracking for safety and even a Daily Schedule Planner to help educate your child on organising their daily tasks!

Price: Free with upgrade option of S$13.98 per month

Find out more about Kidgy here.

7. Google Family Link

Available on Android, Windows.

Excellent free option and possible complement to your primary parental control app

For parents that would prefer a more basic and intuitive option, Google Family Link is a free app that comes with most of the functionalities needed in a parental control software. It is hassle-free and easy to set-up, providing clear instructions and descriptions for both parents and children.

This app is perfect for families that would like another app to support and complement their existing primary parental control software, or for those that would prefer not to spend money on such software.

Price: Free

Find out more about Google Family here.

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As a coding school, we know that it’s important that we let our little ones continually explore the digital world while also staying safe and vigilant. The use of Parental Control Software allows us to be aware of what our children are up to online, to limit screentime and prevent stranger danger – ultimately, it is up to us, as parents, to educate them on healthy online habits that will stay with them for life!

Read Next: Inculcating healthy digital device habits

Written by Oliver Zhang, edited by Thinzar Htet and Gracia Goh

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