Apple has released a list of 30 fun ways that kids in the UAE can get creative with their iPads while schools are closed and distance learning continues across Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Little ones can get stuck into a whole host of device-based educational fun from going on a photo walk and making their own colouring sheets to having fun with emojis and capturing their own footage to make awesome films.
And, who knows, you may end up with a budding journalist, movie director or artists on your hands.
1. Personify something
Take a photo of an everyday object at home or outside, and draw on it using Markup to transform it into a character.
Get started: Open your photo, tap Edit, then tap the three dots in the top-right to use Markup.
2. Capture a time-lapse video
Set up your iPad to capture a time-lapse video while you build a fort, make your favourite snack, clean up your toys, or watch an ice cube melt.
Get started: Choose Time-Lapse mode in your Camera app. Tap the Record button to start recording; tap it again when you’re done.
3. Make colouring sheets
Take a few fun photos, then change them to black and white to create your own colouring sheets. Use Markup to add colour.
Get started: Open each photo, tap Edit, and apply one of the black-and-white filters. Go further by creating a book using a template in the Pages app.
4. Picture your name
Take a photo of each letter of your name by finding them in books or signs. Put them together to spell out your name in a colourful collage.
Get started: Crop the letters in the Photos app, then add each photo to a Keynote file in the right order.
5. Go on a photo walk
Pick a colour or letter of the day and take photos of things that are that colour or start with that letter. Then put them together in a collage or video. Try to make a rainbow or complete the alphabet.
Get started: Add the photos of each colour or letter to a slide in the Keynote app. Or add each photo to Clips and record your voice saying the colours or letters.
6. See colour in slo-mo
Record a video in slow-motion of drops of food colouring falling in water. Do primary colours first, then mix them together to create secondary colours.
Get started: Choose Slo-mo mode in your Camera app, then record.
7. Emojify your mood
Draw a circle, then add silly eyes, a happy face, or eyebrows that show the mood you’re in. You can also add shapes and images, then share it with your friends.
Get started: Add the images to a Keynote slide, then tap the plus sign to use the drawing tools. Or use shapes to get started, then decorate with emoji.
8. Storyboard your daily routine
Take a photo of something that represents each of your regular activities. Combine the photos and add a title, time, and checkbox for each activity. Mark it up daily.
Get started: In the Keynote app, tap the plus sign to use the drawing tools. Draw your emoji, then add shapes or images to decorate your picture.
9. Calendar together
Download this fun template to identify the days, months, seasons, weather, temperature and even your mood.
Get started: Open the document using the Keynote app. Copy the labels and paste them to the right spot on the calendar.
10. Find shapes in nature
Take a photo in your garden, from your balcony or find one of the outdoors on Google images then use Markup to trace all the shapes you can find in the photo.
Get started: Open your photo, tap Edit, then tap the three dots in the top-right to use Markup.
11. Make a simple book
Think of an imaginary story. Take photos or videos acting out different parts. Create a book with each photo or video scene, along with story captions. Then decorate it with drawings, shapes, or emoji images.
Get started: Add your photos and videos to a book template using the Pages app.
12. Tell a story with shapes
Add a variety of shapes from the Shapes menu to a blank page, and rearrange them to create a story. Try rearranging the same shapes to create three different stories.
Get started: In the Pages app, tap the plus sign in the top-right to open the Shapes menu. Drag the shapes to rearrange them.
13. Record news interviews
Have fun recording yourself asking and answering questions. Use different sounds and voices, becoming an alien giving the weather in outer space or a squirrel covering nut collections outdoors.
Get started: Use the Audio Recorder in the GarageBand app.
14. Create a comic strip
Take a picture of yourself and each of your favourite toys as the characters. Combine the photos in a video, transform them using the comic book filter, and record yourself telling a story.
Get started: Touch and hold the Record button in the Clips app to import each character’s photo from Photos. Tap each clip to use the comic book filter effect.
15. Get your questions answered
Have a question? Like, why is the sky blue? Or, how much does an elephant weigh? Let Siri find the answer.
Get started: Say “Hey Siri” into your iPad.
16. Go back in time
Find an old photo. Re-create the scene, take a picture, then use a black-and-white filter to make it look like it was from the past.
Get started: Open your photo, tap Edit, then tap the three circles at the bottom to use filters.
17. Write a love letter to the planet
Take, find, or draw a picture of your favorite place. Add text boxes or a voice recording of why you love it and how you’ll take care of it.
Get started: Add your photo to the Pages or Keynote app. Tap the plus sign to choose Record Audio, or choose Shapes and add a text box.
18. Make skip counting fun
Record yourself skip counting by 2s, 5s, or 10s. Use the fun voice effects to give yourself a monster or robot voice.
Get started: Use the Audio Recorder in the GarageBand app.
19. Make patterns
Add a series of two or three shapes to a blank page to create a pattern. Repeat the pattern with a new set of shapes, then practice identifying and tracing each shape.
Get started: In the Pages app, tap the plus sign to use the Shapes menu to add shapes. Drag the shapes to arrange them in a pattern. Tap the plus sign again to use the drawing tool to trace on top of the shapes.
20. Go on a scavenger hunt
Use this template to create your own scavenger hunt by replacing the items in each square with different shapes or images.
Get started: Open the template in the Keynote app. Tap the plus sign in the top-right to open the Shapes menu, and replace the items in each box with shapes of your choice. You can also replace them with emoji.
21. Concentration
Write phrases or sentences using only emoji or shapes with a friend or sibling. Share your clues with each other and take turns solving them.
Get started: Open a document in the Pages app and tap the globe in the bottom-left of the keyboard to see the emoji. Tap the person icon in the top-right to collaborate with a friend.
22. Leaning tower of pillows
Build a tower of pillows, and record a slo-mo video of the tower tumbling to the ground.
Get started: Choose Slo-mo mode in your Camera app, then record.
23. Strike a pose, twice
Have a family member take a pano photo with you in the first frame. Run to the end so you appear in the photo twice.
Get started: Start on the left side of the camera frame, then run behind the photographer to pop into the frame from the right side.
24. Send flowers
Use shapes to make a bouquet of flowers. Add some text, and send it as a postcard to someone special.
Get started: Tap the plus sign in the top-right of the Keynote app to open the Shapes menu. Export as an image to share.
25. Have a laugh
Ask Siri to tell you a joke. Get started: Say “Hey Siri, tell me a joke” into your iPad.
26. Reach for the stars
Lay on the ground, and looking up, take burst photos of a family member jumping and reaching for the stars. The upward angle will make it look like they’re touching the sky.
Get started: Touch and hold the shutter button to take a burst of multiple photos. Tap Edit to select the frame when the person jumping is highest in the air.
27. Become an artist
Take a photo of yourself or your favourite toy. Trace the lines on top of the photo, then delete the photo to reveal your work of art.
Get started: Add your photo to a blank slide in Keynote. Tap the plus sign to use the drawing tool for tracing on top of your photo. Save it as an image when you’re done.
28. Use your voice
Use Voice Memos to create an audio message to share a funny joke with a friend, send an invitation for a virtual play date, or just say hi!
Get started: Record a message in the Voice Memos app, then share it using Messages or Mail.
29. Put things in order
Take a picture of each step of an everyday activity, like washing your hands: turn on the water, soap your hands, scrub, rinse, and dry. Put the photos in order to create a sequence. You just learned your first coding concept!
Get started: Add your photos to the Keynote or Clips app, and sort them in the correct order. In Clips, you can make a short movie that includes music, titles, and stickers.
30. Personalise a portrait
Take a self-portrait and use Markup to draw on it and let your personality shine. Do you have a cape or wings? Maybe a unicorn horn? Green highlights in your hair?
Get started: Open your photo, tap Edit, then tap the three dots in the top-right to use Markup.
