When kids are patching, they are effectively restricting vision to their dominant eye, therefore making the 'weaker' eye do all the work. The ultimate aim is to improve vision in that weaker eye. While patched it can be very beneficial for patchers to do a variety of up-close work, including spending time on an iPad or tablet. Obviously it's important to remember the recommendations around screen time and take that into consideration when giving kids access to devices.

Apps recommended by other patching parents

We asked our amazing community of patching families which apps their kids' love while patching. So here it is - the best apps for patch time!

Apps for Kids aged 1-4

• CBeebies - search in the App Store for CBeebies and you'll get dozens of fun and educational apps for kids.
• World of Peppa Pig - a crowd pleaser, Peppa Pig offers some fun games.
• Hungry Caterpillar
• Paw Patrol
• ABC For Kids
• Duplo
• June's Journey
• Balloon Pops - just as the name suggests, the child will pop balloons!
• Fruit Ninja - this one might be considered vintage but how can you go past the good ol' Fruit Ninja. 

Apps for Kids aged 4+

• Reading Eggs - a very popular app for kindy and prep aged children as they learn to read. Plenty of colour and visual stimulation included in the app.
• Mathletics - you can get all educational with this fun maths app
• ABC Me - one for the older kids
• Toca Hair Salon
• Colouring by Number
• Doodle Buddy - this is a fun app where kids can draw and stamp on their own pictures or hundreds of different backgrounds.
• Cut the Rope - another oldie but goodie.
• Dexteria - there are a few in this bundle and for different ages so check out what your kiddo will like best.
• Look again - this app is great for visual discrimination, scanning, figure ground and scanning skills.
• Piano Tiles - a great app that works in black and white where kids can only tap certain tiles.
• LEGO - if your kiddo is into LEGO there are a bunch of different LEGO themed apps to suit all different ages.
• Minecraft
• Tetris
• Roblox

Have you got other apps that your kids love? We'd love to hear from you to add them to the list!