Or do Educational Apps really work (we’re a bit biased)?This is a question that many parents wonder. It is great being able to pass across a tablet or mobile and moments later complete and utter silence. But there is a lingering concern, they seem to be glued to screens.Children are no longer using computers and screens as we did when we grew up.Devices have evolved and now 5-15-year olds are using smartphones and tablets to browse online more than watching television. So, what can we do to make sure that children are using these devices correctly?It is of course important to be aware of the type of content. There are various educational games that your child can partake in and it’s something that you may want to encourage. Download the best apps to benefit their learning (like Emile)!If they’re using YouTube, make sure they’re exploring content relating to science, engineering or even exercise. They’re all in there! (Check out www.cyber-smart.co.uk for use in schools.)Does your child seem to be hooked on an ebook? That’s fantastic you shouldn’t worry as this is good for their written and verbal skills.Video games can be highly addictive, but also provide valuable life skills such as perserverance and problem solving.A quick search online can be worthwhile to reassure you if a game is suitable or not via the rating system. If they’re downloaded from the Apple app store under the children’s category you can be assured that the Apple team have already reviewed them and classed them as appropriate.Visual Learners learn better through images, colours, graphs and diagrams. Approximately 60-80% of children are visual learners and apps are an effective way to help their understanding.Visual learner traits:– Enjoys painting and drawing– Wild imagination– Visual information mostly recalled– Enjoys reading books– Good map skillsThere are plenty of apps that help visual learners and the reinforcement of using these outsides of the lesson could be crucial in filling the gaps they may have missed. An enormous effort goes into creating apps and they are constantly innovating to make them more interactive and engaging, so use the resources!The variety of levels in games motivates them to do better and get to the next level. Whilst they can feel more comfortable at home these improved skills can then be taken into class to eliminate the fear of failure in lessons. Emile is perfect for this it includes geometry, angles, adding and subtracting. Rewards can be efficient for children to keep on top of tasks and game apps allow this to happen.Learning skills can be used in real life applications such as telling the time on the clock. Games focus on maintaining attention, coordinate tasks, organisation and testing the working memory with recall and retainment.Managing their time is also important. Give your child a set time after school to eliminate them spending long hours on it. It can disturb their sleeping pattern and put off doing their homework. Using these screens for a vast amount of time can also be harmful to their eyesight in the future, so try and make a compromise between yourself and your child.
