Getting your child engaged with education is an important part of parenting and technology is a great way to help.
Time with books and pencils can be supplemented with apps to get them interested and progressing in reading, maths and other subjects.
Mobile devices such as phones and tablets are best as children love the tactile response from tapping and swiping, but instead of them using angry birds to kill pigs, get them working on something worthwhile.
Working with your children at home will also help them develop at school as more classrooms incorporate digital learning into the curriculum.
Here are some apps to consider for your children:
Apple and Android devices (Free)
This app introduces "sight words", the most commonly used words in school and children's books. Kids need to recognise these words by sight to achieve reading fluency.
Each word features an interactive word puzzle with letters that come alive, and then a sentence puzzle with words that become what they describe.
Apple devices ($2.99)
Drawnimal helps kids learn the alphabet and learn to draw. It lets them expand their iPad by using simple tools like pen and paper. Drawnimal motivates kids to draw around the device and encourages them to think outside of the box.
Apple and Android devices ($3.79)
This action-packed app helps toddlers learn the 123s with 20 mini-games. Whether they're serving up a seven-layer sandwich or finding 14 colourful cupcakes, they'll have fun with numbers in this learning game.
Apple devices ($2.59)
Quick Math lets your children practise maths while racing the clock. It has a simple interface that children can pick up easily.
The best thing is that little ones have to write the answer on the screen so they get to practise writing their numbers and not just guess using multichoice. The app lets users try their hand at addition, subtraction, multiplication and division and has a feature which tracks progress.
Apple devices ($5.99)
This app lets children explore a working model of the body. Every part is animated and interactive: the heart beats, stomach gurgles, lungs breathe, the skin feels, and eyes see.
Apple and Android devices (free)
MeeGenius is an app that offers a digital library of more that 800 classics, new releases and everything else in between. The app is free to download and it comes with five books. You can purchase additional titles individually or subscribe to have access to all the books in the collection.
Apple and Android devices (free)
Learning a second language is hard but Busuu offers an easy introduction. Children can learn English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Russian, Turkish and practise with a community of over 50 million native speakers. Kids can also stay motivated by setting a goal and tracking their progress.
Apple devices (free)
This popular app features more than 900 kid-friendly facts in an interactive format. Developed in partnership with National Geographic Kids, the app features seven fact packs to help children learn about a range of topics including animals, weather, space and science.
Apple and Android devices (free)
Trivia whizzes will love this game, which challenges players with questions about science, social studies, math, language and arts. There are five levels but lower-level questions aren't all easy.
This article appeared on Stuff NZ on January 31 2015 and was written by Blayne Slabbert.