- More About Restrictions
- How to Set Up the Restrictions Feature on the iPad
- Strategies for Finding the Most Suitable iPad Apps and Content for Your Kids
- Final Thoughts
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Strategies for Finding the Most Suitable iPad Apps and Content for Your Kids
As the parent, begin by deciding what you’ll allow your children to do with the iPad, such as play games, use educational apps, read eBooks, watch TV shows and/or movies, listen to music, utilize email, or access their Facebook page or Twitter account.
Next, set up the iPad’s Restrictions feature to lock all other functionality, so it’s not accessible by your child. You’ll then want to populate the iPad with appropriate content. To do this from the iPad itself, you’ll need to visit the iTunes Store (via the iTunes app) to acquire music, movies and TV shows, as well as educational content from iTunes U.
Once you’re accessing the iTunes Store, to purchase and download kid-oriented TV shows, tap on the TV Shows icon that’s displayed along the bottom of the screen, and then tap the Genres icon that’s located in the upper-left corner of the screen to select the Kids category.
Likewise, to find suitable movies, tap on the Movies icon that’s displayed along the bottom of the iTunes screen, followed by the Genres icon and the Kid & Family category icon.
To find kid-friendly music, tap on the Music icon that is displayed at the bottom of the iTunes app screen, followed by the Genres icon. Next, choose Children’s Music. You will also find suitable music under other categories, such as Pop or Soundtrack.
Use the separate App Store app to acquire games, educational apps and other kids-friendly apps, including interactive children’s books that require a proprietary app. Upon launching the App Store from the iPad, tap on the Categories command icon that’s displayed near the bottom-center of the screen. Choose the Books, Education, or Games category to begin browsing for appropriate apps.
Keep in mind, some games are specially designed for kids within a specific age group. Others, like Angry Birds, Monopoly, or Doodle Jump, are suitable for kids, but designed for people of all ages. Before exposing your kids to a game, read its description carefully and check its ratings and reviews to make sure each is suitable for your child.
Using the iBooks app, you can acquire children’s books and other eBook content that’s suitable for your child. After launching iBooks, tap on the Store icon which is displayed in the upper-left corner of the Library screen (which looks like a virtual bookshelf). Next, tap on the Categories command icon that’s displayed near the bottom-center of the screen. From the Categories screen, tap on the Children & Teens or Textbooks category.
Keep in mind, as you’re shopping for new content via the iTunes Store, App Store or iBookstore, your iPad will need to be connected to the Internet via a 3G or Wi-Fi connection. You also have the option to shop for this content on your primary computer and then transfer it to your tablet via an iTunes Sync or iCloud.
As you look for content that’s appropriate for your child, pay attention to recommendations from other parents that you know. You can also use the ratings and reviews posted within the iTunes Store, App Store, and iBookstore to help you select the best content.
After purchasing (or acquiring free content) and installing it on your tablet, invest a few minutes to experience it for yourself to make sure it really is suitable for your child. Once the content is installed, in most cases, you can turn off Internet connectivity altogether by placing your iPad in Airplane mode. This will help keep your child from accidently accessing web content that is not appropriate.