The unbeatable stick-to-it-ness of digital in helping kids learn
Do you remember the days before GPS? Cool people used mapquest to print step-by-step directions. The responsible thing was to have the steps read to you by a passenger. With a human co-navigator in the mix, frustration ensued. “I said turn left not right! How could you miss that turn?! Who doesn’t know what 1000ft is?!” By the time you got to the destination, you were probably close to blows or tears – or both.
The Unbeatable Stick-To-It-Ness of Digital in Helping Kids Learn
Now think of the experience with digital. Your GPS never gets mad at you. With the same steady, ready-to-serve voice, your GPS redirects you and sticks with you through all your mess-ups until you get to the destination. No judgment. No snide comments. No feeling like you’ve embarrassed yourself and your whole lineage. That is how sweet it is to be taught by digital:).
No human has the unwavering constancy of a machine. That’s a good thing because we don’t want to be boring automatons. Nevertheless, we can all attest to the difference a calm, patient teacher can make. When it comes to the unflinching ability to repeat info without complaint, digital clearly has a human beat.
Digital Learning Tools for Kids Have a Secret Power
Say you’re learning how to do long division. With digital, you can pause, fast forward, rewind, stop to take a bathroom break, stop to take a mental break, or stop just because. You can replay, you can ask the same questions several times, and hear the same concept over and over again until you hear a description that meshes with your soul. Can you imagine if you tried this with a human? Even a monk with the endurance of a rock would lose their cool!
This week, we are sharing some practical ways to mine this power of digital for your kids. You’ve probably known about these resources, but getting them in front of your kids has been ridiculously impractical. Well, suffer no more. Here are some things you can tactically do using Aneta.
1. Schedule Daily 30 Minutes of An Educational You Tube Channel for Your Kids in Aneta
Any of the channels from the ‘digital gem of the week’ we have shared over the months would be great. There are content creators who make free lessons from pre-school, through elementary and high school level, and just put it on the internet. Did we mention it is free! Thanks to competition for eyes and ears, these channels are actually fun! Comedy, interesting storylines, and gimmicks possible only on digital make serious stuff like play.
This content can be vital when your child doesn’t understand how something was explained to them at school and you don’t have a clue. Plus kids who may have had their confidence attacked can benefit immensely from the independent pace through the digital material.
When something has a set time and the child can get to it on their own, it is more likely to happen. This is where Aneta frees you. In 2 minutes, you can schedule the specific channel for your child to watch at a particular time for months.
2. Put Interactive Kids Educational Games in Your Kid’s Aneta Homeroom for Anytime Access
You don’t need to beg them to play video games so don’t even bother with the scheduling. There are now 100s of creators who have turned learning concepts into games that teach or reinforce fundamental learning skills. Store a couple of them in an organized way in their Aneta Homeroom and the kids can get to them at any time. Again, any of the free recommendations we’ve shared as a gem of the week would do. Any time they come and say to you, “I’m bored”, you’ll be already prepared with productive distraction.
3. For a Lazy Weekend or Holiday, Play an Anetapack on A Totally Random Topic for Your Child
Anetapacks are like playlists but for websites and apps that you receive and share with others. Basically, it is content that some expert on the topic has put together.
Let’s stress again that kids should get plenty of physical activity and off-screen activity. But there are those times when that has been done and they are still ‘bored’. Pick an Anetapack on something wild you may not even know much about and put it in their Aneta for them to navigate. Would they be interested in learning about 3D printing? Would wood carving rock their boat? Origami? Miniature construction? Magic tricks?
Go ahead. Give your kiddos some of the sweetness of learning from digital.
