Parent Profile: Mom of a girl (3 y.o.), Europe (Portugal), works, has partner support.

Q: What do your afternoons and evenings usually look like?

A: After kindergarten, we go for a walk or stop by a café. At home, we do something creative — she loves cutting and gluing, coloring, building things. Often she reenacts her day in roleplay. I follow her lead — one day she’s a doctor, another day she runs a restaurant.

Q: Do you have any play routines?

A: We try to follow a calming routine before bed: clean up toys, take a bath, listen to a lullaby, and read one or two books. She chooses them, usually in English or Portuguese, sometimes in Russian.

Q: How do you choose toys or apps for her?

A: It’s based on her interests. If she’s into animals — we look for games about animals. If she’s suddenly into letters — we add a game with letters. I also check app reviews and test them myself before showing her.

Q: What kind of digital content do you allow?

A: She uses a tablet for about 30 minutes a day. We’ve downloaded 3–4 simple apps: a feeding game, a musical app, a coloring one, and a logic puzzle. No YouTube or videos so far — I want her to stay focused.

Q: Does she learn from apps?

A: Yes, especially when it matches what she’s doing offline. For example, after using the logic app, she started grouping things by color and shape in real life.

Q: Where do you get ideas for new things to try?

A: From other parents, daycare teachers, Pinterest. Sometimes from what she says — if she keeps talking about cooking, we bake something simple together.

Q: How do you track what she’s learning?

A: I don’t write anything down, but I watch what she repeats or tries to explain. If she teaches her doll something she learned — I know it’s sinking in.

Q: Would an app that tracks learning and gives play ideas be useful?

A: Yes, especially if it gives suggestions based on her behavior and play style. But it has to be low-pressure — just a little helper, not another thing to manage.