I have been really excited over the last couple of weeks to try out and review an app called Oliiki.

Oliiki is an easy to use mobile app that provides age appropriate activities for parents and their children from conception to two years old. It covers the first 1000 days of a baby’s life. It is known that the first 1000 days of life is the most potent time to build the foundation for early speech, language and communication skills in order to prepare young children for building relationships and social interactions ready for school.

More in depth information on the science can be found here: http://www.oliiki.com

It works by delivering an activity based on the child’s development stage. Everything you need to do is explained along with what you may need. It even suggests how to prepare yourself. There are a thousand activities based on up to date research.

I am always looking for different activities to do with the baby and I try to get some kind of learning encorporated but I don’t have the greatest of imaginations. And this is why I am loving this app!

The app breaks activities down into age groups 1st trimester, 2nd trimester, 3rd trimester, 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-12 months, 1-1.5yrs and 1-5-2yrs. This means that you can access age appropriate activities with each section.

That explains what the app is. Let me now tell you about some of the activities we tried out at home from the app.

Putting the shopping away

I had never thought to allow them to help put the shopping away when they were this small. Making it into a game as the app suggested was more fun than I anticipated, although be sure to keep a close eye on what they are doing or you may find things in some unusual places.

I had not long unloaded the washing machine. It is a rare occasion for it to be empty! We did have more success on another day though and he even tried stacking the tins!

Play doh

Another suggested activity is playing with playdoh or even making it. I decided to make it so that my 6 year old could get involved too. The bub had a bit of a play with it but he decided it wasn’t tasty food and threw it away!

Bath time senses

Again this is something we do all the time with our babies and it’s always fun but I had never before thought about turning it into a learning experience. We talked about the different textures and feels of the bubbles, sponge, toys and a beaker. It’s another great sensory activity.

Simple puzzles

We like doing puzzles anyway but mostly that entails me picking up the pieces that he is throwing everywhere! Since using the app I have been showing him how to do the puzzles with more purpose.

It’s a wonderful world

We are generally very outdoorsy and spend a lot of time on walks, in nature or going to the park. I think these are great learning opportunities anyway but I had never thought about actively turning into a fun learning experience. Describing what we can see and pointing out things for him to notice.

We have completed a few more of the activities but I think I have shown you a good sample of what is available. There are so many wonderful ideas on this app. The app is really easy to use and you can search by age or category. I also like that it tells you what you need to get and isn’t using really expensive materials so it is affordable for most people. I know that many parents may be creative in ways to learn but I have found lots of fun and educational activities that I would never have thought of on my own. Just doing one activity per day only takes about 10 minutes (obviously depends what you’re doing). I can’t wait to do the next one’s now. It really is true what they say, children are like sponges when it comes to learning, and I think that completing the activities that the app offers can definitely enhance that.

You can find out more about this app here: http://www.oliiki.com

There is lots of information about the app and child development. There is also a blog section on there too.

Link to Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Oliiki/

Link to Twitter Take a look at Clare (@Oliiki_Learning): https://twitter.com/Oliiki_Learning?s=09

The app is also available to download from the playstore:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.oliiki.oliiki

If you are interested in the app and would like to subscribe you can contact Clare via Facebook, the website or Twitter. If you mention secret life in the title you will get a special price for now until the end of April.

Love and peace xx