Kidobi Review: Changing the Way Children Learn

In a world where technology is becoming more and more of a presence in our lives, I believe that it is our responsibility as parents to be a filter for our impressionable children and monitor what they are exposed to on a daily basis. With the huge amounts of negative media out there that portray violence and just pure nonsensical content, this can be quite the daunting task. While there are a few kid friendly programming on regular TV and cable, there are however three major setbacks to them:

1.  No Control- You have ZERO control over the TV lineup, so if your child wants to watch his favorite show at 8am but it isn't scheduled to air until 930 that could be a problem. Hey, not everyone has TiVo! :-)

2.  Commercials- Some of these channels might have commercials in between programming that might be inappropriate for your child to watch

3.  Lack of Flexibility- A few of these channels only show kid- friendly programs for a limited per day, usually in the morning and early afternoon. But what if  you and your child are out running errands during that time?

 It is because of these reasons, that I am thankful for programs like Kidobi because they make my job a little bit easier.

Kidobi is an online media content provider that gives you and your child access to thousands of videos that are geared towards education and personal development. The age range for this program is from 2 through 6+ and you can tailor each video to virtually any subject or interest that your child may be interested in. The subjects vary from  (but are not limited to) math, science, language skills, social interactions and even arts and crafts.  The Kidobi app is available for both Apple and Android tablets and smartphones, as well as on any desktop. So whether you're at home or on the go, it's pretty cool to know that you have all of this entertainment at your fingertips.

When you log in for the first time, you set your kid’s age and from there, Kidobi gives you the option to actually program your family values so they can ensue it won’t add shows that may contradict them.



Set your family values and curriculum!


 

Once you configure these settings, Kidobi will begin to recommend videos based on your preferences. You have the option to either used the Playlist Wizard that will generate a group of videos with a preferred time limit, or you can simply click on a video to watch. I got to say, some of the videos seem rather dated: If I had to guess I would day that a lot of them were probably done in the mid to late 90's. This however does not take away from the educational quality of the content itself. Besides, my son who is of preschool age did not notice this and was thoroughly entertained nonetheless. There are also parental controls put in place that prevent children from wandering off and messing with other things on your computer, tablet or smartphone.



You can click on a video, or you can create a playlist of your own. Or let Kidobi create one for you!

Kidobi completely takes the guesswork out of finding quality, educational content that is also commercial free. It's no wonder this company was the recipient of the 2013 Dr. Toy Best Vacation Children's Product.

 

As I mentioned, Kidobi is available on you personal computer and all Android and Apple devices. You can create a free account with limited access, which I would recommend signing up for as a trial run. This will help you decide on whether  to opt for a paid subscription , which gives you access to premium videos for only $4/month.

 

If you decide to sign up, contact me and let me know how things are going!

 

*Disclaimer a free subscription of Kidobi was given to me is exchange for this review. All opinions expressed are completely my own*

 

For more information, please visit the Kidobi home page. Or you can follow the on Twitter and on Facebook.