Introduction to Augmented Reality
Simply handing your smartphone to your child is a lazy strategy to keep them entertained; as an alternative, you may harness the incredible power in your pocket to enjoy quality time together with your kids as they have a good time and develop their creative skills. One of the most effective ways to do that is thru augmented reality (AR), using your phone’s camera to superimpose digital images and animations onto the true world to distort reality.
Unlocking the Power of AR
From unlocking the secrets of the universe to giving yourself a funny meerkat makeover, there’s a great deal of AR excitement available when stuck in even probably the most mundane of settings. Exciting and entertaining for little ones and massive kids alike, these apps will turn your phone right into a more magical portal than anything JK Rowling can conjure up.
Top AR Apps for Kids
Here are a few of the top AR apps which you can use to enjoy quality time together with your kids:
1. MSQRD
Price: Free iOS / Android / Windows Phone
If you haven’t got the time to crack out the face paints, you may still customize your kid’s grinning visage easily and fuss-free using AR. Face-warping (where you fan the flames of the front-facing camera and alter your features digitally) is one of the crucial fun and pleasant things to do together with your phone, and while there are plenty of face-warping apps, MSQRD is top-of-the-line we’ve seen.
2. Dinosaurs Everywhere!
Price: Free iOS / Android
If there’s one thing that each kid loves – besides chocolate or Santa – it’s dinosaurs. If you’ve run out of reasons for not taking them to Jurassic Park (because they understand it’s real, irrespective of what you are attempting to inform them), why not bring the prehistoric lizards to them? The wonderful thing about this free iOS and Android app is it’s going to drop AR dinosaurs wherever you point your phone’s camera, making every little thing from a walk within the park to a visit through the supermarket an exciting maze of dino-dodging.
3. Quiver
Price: Free iOS / Android
Just because children have gotten used to a digital world, it doesn’t mean that the creative act of coloring-in must be forgotten. Quiver combines real-world drawing and shading with AR technology to bring the traditional art of shading to the fashionable era, using each physical skills and your phone’s camera. To start, you’ll have to download and print Quiver’s coloring pages from quivervision.com, add the app to your phone and use whatever pens or pencils you’ve handy to rework your designs into colourful creations.
4. Iron HUD
Price (with in-app purchase of £1.49 (around $2 / AU$2.50)): Free, iOS
The idea of being Iron Man isn’t just exciting to children – it’s a cool concept that we will all get on board with. Well because of the facility of AR, your phone can now get you pretty near taking up that iconic role. Using the Iron HUD app, you’ll delay the phone to view the world through Iron Man’s eyes – all of the while being guided by the voice of his assistant Jarvis.
5. Reality Pool
Price: Free iOS
When you’re stuck inside with bored offspring on rainy afternoons, you need to use AR to bring all manner of games to life, irrespective of how much space you’ve got available. It will be hard to decide on which one though; there are AR football and basketball games on the market, but we’ve found these just don’t work consistently enough to create a fluid and immersive experience. However, the iPhone-friendly Reality Pool brings a pool table to your own home with none worries over space and price.
Conclusion
In conclusion, AR technology has the potential to revolutionize the best way we spend time with our children. With the fitting apps, you may turn your phone right into a magical portal that brings fun and excitement to even probably the most mundane settings. Whether you’re using face-warping apps like MSQRD, exploring the world of dinosaurs with Dinosaurs Everywhere!, or playing games like Reality Pool, there’s no shortage of fantastic AR experiences available. So why not give it a attempt to discover an entire latest world of fun and creativity together with your kids?