They say there’s an app for everything and that has never be more apparent since everyone started working from home and spending a lot more time inside as we weather the coronavirus crisis.
While we’re all staying put at home we need to look for apps to help us get our work done remotely, keep our children learning and entertained while trying to keep up our exercise and catch up virtually on video chats with family and friends.
Here a list of tips and tricks and a rage of apps from Apple’s App Store that can let you do all that and more:
EDUCATIONAL APPS FOR KIDS OF ALL AGES
- Learn at home: apps for pre-schoolers
These colourful and engaging apps will help guide pre-school children in their exploration of creativity, numbers, letters, words and reading.
https://itunes.apple.com/au/story/id1503493694
- Learn at home: primary school kids
These engaging apps will help guide primary school children in their exploration of science, the natural world and creativity.
Link: https://itunes.apple.com/au/story/id1503494527
- Learn at home: high school students
These apps have been selected for their ability to help supercharge high schoolers’ home studies.
Link: https://itunes.apple.com/au/story/id1503492981
- What to look for in kids’ apps by digital literacy advisor Dr Joanne Orlando (PhD)
Budding artists, film critics, coders, architects and scientists can start honing their craft from a young age with the help of some terrific apps.
To help parents pick the best safe, fun and educational apps, we’ve selected some of the top picks available in the App Store for young’uns (2–5) and a-little-older’uns (5+). Digital literacy advisor Joanne Orlando (PhD), long committed to helping families make the best choices when it comes to technology usage by children, explains what makes these so great for your little ones.
Link: https://apps.apple.com/au/story/id1494239473
KEEPING THE KIDS ENTERTAINED
— Apple’s App Store editors have curated a collection of apps for (5) At Home with Kids and (6) Entertain the Kids.
— There are recommendations for helping keep cooped-up children of all ages moving, entertained and learning.
— New timely content meant to serve as a helpful resource for our users will be added to the Today tab in the App Store every day.
- Keep Kids Moving — Fitness for the Whole Family:
— Designed by child development experts, GoNoodle is packed with videos to help your kids focus in school, improve their social and emotional health, and kickstart an activity. And the app is 100 percent ad and cost-free. Read more here.
— Cosmic Kids is the app version of the Cosmic Kids Yoga series, which has been a YouTube sensation since 2012. In every video, host Jaime Amor offers guided, playful yoga sessions designed for children as young as 2 years old, gently easing them into the idea of mindfulness and calm.
— Fitoons hopes to instil a healthy lifestyle mentality in children through play. Kids choose from six comical characters and devise exercise programs and meal plans.
8. Art and DIY Projects for Kids:
— DIY.org – Built specifically for kids, this app contains a wealth of hands-on projects and how-to videos where kids can learn art, photography, sewing, animation, cooking, coding, and more.
— Jumprope – How-to videos for crafters and creators of all ages. Find innovative recipes, beauty tutorials, fitness routines, and even create your own.
— Bluprint – Enjoy thousands of crafting classes taught by experts. Find tutorials on quilting, baking, knitting, sewing, and so much more.
- Free subscription resources:
Several developers are making special and free subscription resources available during this time including:
— Kinedu, an app for baby development, is making their app for free until April 15 for everyone around the world that is in need of activities for their little ones at home.
— Kahoot! Play & Create Quizzes is now offering its premium version at no charge.
— Headspace offers free access to all K-12 teachers, school administrators, and supporting staff in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. Headspace is also offering a collection of content, called Weathering the Storm available free to everyone.
— Stop, Breathe, Think has added a new category to the app called Calm Coronavirus Anxiety to help users feel more safe, centered and connected. They’ve curated a selection of premium tracks – now free for the next 60 days – to support users.
AT HOME WORKOUTS AND MINDFUL MOMENTS
Check out the best at home workout and mindfulness apps to keep you energised and motivated in mind and body.
Full collection: Work out at home
App highlights:
– SWEAT: Kayla Itsines Fitness
– At Home Workouts by Daily Burn
– Wakeout!
– Peleton – at home fitness (Have extended free trial period)
– Centr, by Chris Hemsworth (Have extended free trial period)
– Full collection: Yoga for everyone
App highlights:
Full collection: Your meditation station
App highlights:
– Headspace: Meditation & Sleep
– Full collection: Soothing sounds to relax to
App highlights:
– Portal – Focus, Sleep, Escape
– Full collection: Navigate your emotions
App highlights:
– Moodnotes – Mood & CBT Tracker
– Aloe Bud
– Jour: Journal for Mindfulness
SOCIAL NIGHTS IN
Fun games to keep connected with your friends and loved ones, wherever you are
– Houseparty (can play quizzes, drawing games etc. all with a group of friends on video)
– QuizUp
– Monopoly
– Uno!
REMOTE WORKING TIPS AND TRICKS
Partner on projects with shared Notes, Pages, Keynotes and Numbers Documents
Invite people to collaborate in real-time on Notes, Pages, Keynotes, and Numbers documents using iPhone, iPad or Mac. Now you can add someone to any document stored in iCloud so they can make edits and see the latest changes you’ve made — ensuring anyone who is sharing the document will see the most recent version. More info here.
Share your screen with iMessage
Host a tutorial or show your colleagues, clients or classmates exactly what you mean by sharing your Mac screen. In the Messages app, start a thread with the contact you’d like to share your screen with, then click Details > Click the Screen Share button > Choose to share your screen or request to share your contact’s screen. More info here.
Record your screen on iPad or iPhone
Whether you’re in the same time zone or working opposite hours, you can easily show someone how to do something on iPhone or iPad. Go to Settings > Control Center > Customise Controls > Tap the + next to Screen Recording. Then swipe down from the upper-right corner of the screen and press deeply on the Screen Recording icon. Tap Start Recording. Once done, access and share the video in Photos. More info here.
Multitask with iPad
iPadOS has introduced an all-new way to work on iPad with Multitasking. Now users can work on multiple apps in Slide Over, and quickly switch between them, view two files at the same time in Split View, or open multiple windows in work. More info here.
Start markup with Apple Pencil
On iPad, easily take a screenshot and start markup by swiping Apple Pencil from the bottom corner on either side of the iPad screen. More info here.
Host video calls with Group FaceTime
With Group FaceTime, it’s easy to chat with more people than ever before. In the FaceTime app, users can invite up to 32 participants to join a Group FaceTime call. When an invitation is received, people can choose to join using audio or video from iPhone, iPad and Mac. And with on-device intelligence, FaceTime will automatically highlight the current speaker by bringing them to the forefront, so you’ll never lose track of the conversation. All FaceTime conversations are end-to-end encrypted, so they remain private and viewable only by the participants. More info here.
Discuss topics as a team with iMessage
With Group iMessage, everyone on the team can send and receive photos, videos, and audio messages, see all responses from the group, send and receive message effects, and can even give the group a name, add or remove people, or leave the group — and with end-to-end encryption, the discussion will remain private. More info here.
Set up an extended display using iPad
With Sidecar, fans of a two-monitor set up can use iPad as an external display for Mac and a high-precision drawing tablet across supported Mac apps with Apple Pencil. From the remote worker to the student on the go, Sidecar makes it easy to bring an extended display anywhere and even connects over Bluetooth and WiFi so users can spread their work out over two displays wherever they happen to be. More info here.
Easily work across all your Apple devices
If you have multiple Apple devices signed into the same iCloud account, here are some simple tips to help you move between them for ultimate productivity:
— Copy and paste across all your devices — copy text, images, photos, and videos on an iPhone, iPad or Mac, then paste the content on another Apple device.
— Start working on a document, email or other project on one device, then switch to another nearby device and pick up where you left off with Handoff.
— With iPad by your side, create a sketch on iPad and easily insert it into a document on Mac with Continuity Sketch.
— Markup: Sign documents, correct papers or circle details in images and use Apple Pencil on iPad or your finger on iPhone to see updates live on your Mac.
— AirDrop: Wirelessly send documents, photos, videos, websites and more to a nearby iPhone, iPad or Mac.
More info here.
Silence calls, alerts and notifications with Do Not Disturb
Whether you’re in a meeting or just looking for time to focus, Do Not Disturb can silence calls and notifications, preventing them from lighting up the screen. You can ask Siri to turn on Do Not Disturb or open Control Center and tap the crescent moon icon. More info here.
Focus and block out distraction with AirPods Pro
Working from a busy coffee shop or house with distractions? AirPods Pro can help you focus with Active Noise Cancellation and superior, immersive sound. More info here.
Third-party app collections on the App Store
The App Store editors have created several collections to help stay connected and productive while working remotely.
– Connect with Coworkers
There are a wide range of tools that aim to facilitate group collaboration through video conferencing, real-time communication, secure messaging and more. Full collection here: https://apps.apple.com/au/story/id1403648007
– Be Productive!
There is so much to get through in a working day – emails to read, meetings to attend, notes to take, ideas to brainstorm and tasks to manage. These apps will help you to be organised, efficient and productive. Full collection here: https://apps.apple.com/au/story/id1276662720
– Work anywhere
Who needs an office, when you’re carrying around a small supercomputer with its own internet connection? Break free of the confines of conventional working and embrace your inner nomad – with these phenomenal productivity and business apps, you can keep on top of your work, wherever you are. Full collection here: https://apps.apple.com/au/story/id1295656075
