One of the most obviously confusing concepts for my four-year-old is time. Many of our conversations revolve around his questions concerning what’s happening that day. “Am I going to preschool? Is today the day we go to the cafe? Do I have swimming lessons today?”. It’s clear he’s trying hard to get it straight, when time is still such an abstract concept.

Now there’s an app to help toddlers and preschoolers understand the structure of their week. It’s a helpful visual tool which you can help them create themselves, adding in outings, classes, social and sporting activities, mealtimes and special occasions. Week Planner for Kids was developed by two Dutch dads wanting to make the world a little less bewildering for their kids.

The app automatically downloads in the language the iPad is set to (English, Dutch, Spanish, French, German and Russian) and can be used for multiple children, each with their own schedule. The days have their own colour and you simply hold and drag activity icons onto the day columns. You can also create new icons to suit your needs.

This will be an invaluable tool for many children who find each day unpredictable as they try to grasp the way time works. It will also be excellent for children with special needs, who become stressed when changes are made to a schedule. Add the new activity in well ahead of time and talk about it with your child to reduce stress.

Week Planner for Kids is available from iTunes for $1.99. See the video below for a demo.