Category: Education

As parents, we want to do everything we can to make sure our kids have good reading skills. We entrust our children to the school system a few hours each weekday but are fully aware that what we do at home is just as important, if not even more vital to developing good reading habits. Sounds good right?

But there is one problem. I used the work ‘habit’ when referring to our desire to inspire kids to love reading. The problem is, a focus on developing good reading habits is the wrong goal. On it’s own, it won’t be enough.

Don’t misunderstand. Healthy habits can make it easier for any of us to do things we may not particularly feel like doing on any given day. But to inspire a love for reading is to instill the passion needed to fuel a lifestyle that ‘always includes reading’.

The infographic below gives some great tips on how to set the stage for kids of any age to begin a journey into a lifelong passion for reading. They go hand in hand with good resources that enable parents to do more than just laying a solid foundation. Setting our kids up for success is only the beginning.

Instilling a Passion for Reading in Kids

It’s quite natural for kids desire bedtime stories, but there is a definite point in early child development when their own passion needs needs to take over. This is necessary in order for them to begin a lifelong habit of reading on their own. It’s an important step in a child’s speech and language development. It’s easy to say “less screens and more books” but how does a parent begin to instill a passion for reading early on? This is a

Exploring basic steps to build a foundation of education through reading…

1. Of course, we all know we should read to our children from a very early age, but try to work times for reading into other parts of the day other than just a bedtime. This shows children how fun reading and fun it can be anytime they wish, not just in order to delay having go to sleep.
2. When kids want to watch TV, offer to read them a book instead following by playing a game. This teaches a fun balance or activities.
3. Bring kids to the library regularly so they can explore and pick books that appear interesting to them. If they don’t like a book, affirm that it’s ok to try and find something they like to read.
4. Model reading by having kids read their own books along side you when you are reading yours. You may not be an avid reader, but setting times to read together with your child may help them develop a love for reading that you were not taught.
5. Don’t stop reading to your child after they’ve learned to do it on their own. You can also take turns reading alternate pages of a book with them.

Room for Kids to Explore Safely

There are so many other tips and strategies to raising kids that love to read. It builds a solid foundation for learning. The Internet is one of the greatest resources for kids to access interesting articles or even books, no matter where they are. This is why providing a safe online environment that protects kids while searching the internet is vital, so that kids can freely explore all the positives the web has to offer.

The Benefits of Reading

Reading has many benefits for children of all ages! From toddlers to seniors, the hidden benefits of reading can have a substantial effect on us all. For example, reading can boost your communication skills, as it helps you to understand other perspectives and makes structured conversations easier to maintain. Additionally, reading helps keep the brain active, leading to a slower cognitive decline as you age and an improved memory that comes from the need to remember certain plot points. There has even been research that proves reading can lead to a happier, more satisfied life!

Reading also has surprising benefits on our health. While you read, your body is able to relax completely, reducing muscle tension and lowering your heart rate. These effects in the body help to lower stress levels and equip you to better deal with the stresses of everyday life. To further benefit your mental and physical health, you should start including reading in your bedtime routine. Abandoning your devices in favor of reading for around 30 minutes before bed, you will signal to your brain that it is time for bed, so you can start to wind down, relax and get a satisfactory nights rest.

In short, the benefits of reading are undeniable on both children and adults. There are even studies that show people can live longer if they read as little as 30 minutes per day! So, how can you get your child to enjoy reading?

Early Literacy

Early literacy is vital to child development and lifelong learning. Yet, there is a literacy gap in our world that makes it that much more difficult for kids to get the jump start they need. In any situation, kids need all the help they can get.

We’ve listed some fun and creative ways to teach kids to read.  These methods are also about inspiring our kids to want to read. It’s about instilling passion so they have a life long desire to seek out books they enjoy.  Another way parents and teachers can help is by introducing children to books they can identify with. This can include authors that have a common upbringing or common ethnicity.

What is your child interested in? Is is fantasy, science fiction? Do they want to be a veterinarian when they grow up or a fireman? Search online with your child about topics they may be interested in. Then take them to the library regularly to exploration a world of themes, ideas and authors from all walks of life.

While early literacy is important, it’s never too late to get started.

Reading Resources for Parents!

Another valuable learning strategy to encourage new readers is to teach your child alphabet recognition.  This can begin from very early ages to better prepare them for when it’s time to begin reading. Getting to know letters will give kids a jump start even when you are reading to them from storybooks.  Children will not only follow the pictures but also begin recognizing the letters on the page as you read.

Being well read helps kids be creative writers too.  Here are some easy ways to improve your child’s creative writing skills.

Interaction with other human beings through sight, sound and touch creates those first important bonds. This grows into communication beyond the sense into language. This is why access to online educational tools is so important. Research has actually shown that early literacy first begins through play. Before language. For kids to excel in school from an early age, that “play” needs to soon develop into a love for reading.

When it comes to showing your child the internet, there’s a lot to explore. It can be overwhelming knowing where to start. Just because there are dangers online shouldn’t stop parents from exploring productive and beneficial opportunities for kids to learn. It’s all about finding the right programs to benefit and complement their real-life learning skills.

If you’re not too sure where to begin when it comes to the internet and your child, let’s talk about five things that your child can learn online.

1.     Try a Readability App

A lot of kids struggle to learn to read. Whether it’s at home or kindergarten, for some reason, they’re just not getting it and coming to you frustrated. Teaching them to learn how to read is also easier said than done.

However, there are now online resources that make it a little easier to teach your child how to read. A readability app has a variety of different reading programs to encourage them to persist and learn an important new skill. From pointing out where they make mistakes to encouraging different reading levels, this is a great way to build up your child’s confidence around reading.

2.     Teach Them Math

Math is another tough skill to teach a child, especially if they’re not naturally inclined that way. Luckily, there are a number of different online resources that can not only prepare your toddler for what they will learn in school but can also make learning math fun and interactive.

Whether it’s a math learning game or math training that improves their skill levels, you’ve got many different options to choose from.

3.     Ignite Their Creativity

You may not know it, but there are a lot of resources on the internet for kids that aren’t just mindless games. In fact, there are game apps made for kids with education in mind, designed specifically for the purpose of encouraging their creativity.

Make sure that you find a game and encourage the child to think for themselves and inspires them to use their imagination and get creative.

4.     Learn to be Organized

One of the biggest skills that your child will learn as they prepare to start school is how to be organized and plan ahead. When they’ve got to get up and make their lunch, get dressed, and remember what homework they have to hand in today, having planning skills is going to make all this a lot easier.

There are now quite a few apps that can help your child plan ahead, so they can see their schedule in front of them and not get so overwhelmed by the day.

5.     Improve Language and Grammar Skills

Another essential skill for your child to learn as they get ready to start school is grammar – and, of course, language. These two go hand in hand with reading, so it’s no surprise that there are interactive apps and games that can help improve your child’s grammar and language skills.

While the internet can be tough terrain from time to time, there’s also a lot on offer when it comes to your child learning new skills. Make sure to keep them safe online too, and monitor their activity whenever you can.  There are also methods to help limit your kids screen time to ensure a proper balance between all of their activities.

Around the World Online With Kids

Think back to the popularity of Smart Board use in the classroom. Technology provides a way to show students a wider range of opportunities. Today, 86% of educators – including teachers, principals, and more – believe students need to enhance their tech knowledge, and learn video capturing skills to succeed in order to succeed in their future workplace.

Why so? Using video maximizes classroom time. Education institutions have reported some interesting numbers, documenting that 91% of students experience satisfaction when learning by video. Not only is the student more satisfied, but their achievements improve by 82%, as well.

Benefits of The Flipped Classroom

A flipped classroom flips the traditional approach to learning and it results in reapable benefits.  With flipped focus, students learn new content outside of class, through video and tech. A flipped classroom proves beneficial because the focus is 80% student-centered, and students discuss and explore applications in-class.

On the other hand, traditional teaching only centers 35% of instruction on the student. Teachers review homework and present new content in class, while students are left to do homework and practice what they’ve learned after school hours have concluded.

The benefits of a flipped classroom are endless. Primarily, a flipped classroom increases student engagement, allows learning to be more collaborative, and guides students to self-discovery.

Of course, there are challenges in any instance. Pointing this out, a flipped classroom can easily become active, noisy, and distracting for those who struggle to work in the aforementioned conditions.

Furthermore, flipped instruction must be strategically executed for reapable benefits to be available as students may have trouble focusing in a flipped learning environment.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

In order to improve the educational experience on behalf of the student, more artificial intelligence will be implemented into the classroom. The same goes for embracing new technologies for learning, such as virtual reality.  Educators are also using chatbots to provide self-paced learning for the student, track performance, provide immediate feedback, score assignments and tests, and communicate with parents.

By leveraging a chatbot, educators can create personalized and interactive learning experiences that cater to the individual needs of each student, fostering a more efficient and effective educational journey. Furthermore, the use of chatbots in education can free up valuable time for teachers, allowing them to focus on more personalized instruction and mentorship.

AI tools are also being used to provide voice overs for explainer videos. With their advanced speech synthesis capabilities, these AI-powered tools enable the creation of high-quality and natural-sounding voices that seamlessly integrate with visual content. This breakthrough technology not only saves time and resources but also provides a versatile range of voice options. AI models can accurately mimic human speech patterns, intonations, and emotions, allowing creators to tailor the narration to their specific needs. ions, and emotions. 

Evolving Education

The future of education is becoming as technologized as every other industry. From 2014 to 2019, educators increased their use of video for capturing campus events, flipped instruction, providing assignment feedback, and many more tasks. Even so, 98% of educators believe video will play an important role in the personalization of education, and 89% are interested in VR/AR/360 video.

Today, 9 in 10 educators are interested in the benefits of tech to improve the learning experience for students, both inside and outside of the classoom. To learn more about how education will look for future generations, check out the accompanying graphic.  It explores the use of AI and Video, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of the flipped classroom.

Additional Reading: How does virtual reality help in education?

It’s an interesting time to be a student in America. The action behind asking our children, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” may have more influence than we know. Turns out, Gen Z – those born from 1995 to 2012 – is obsessed with learning. In fact, it’s common for Gen Z students to spend their extra free time on homework and volunteering.

Today, the typical Gen Z student dedicates 6.48 hours per work to homework and 2.66 hours per work to volunteering. Due to a plethora of similar habits, Gen Z is on course to become the most educated and most entrepreneurial generation.

Job Availability

Yet, nearly 9 in 10 Gen Z college grads considered job availability before selecting a major. With unemployment at its lowest since 1969 – three generations before Gen Z’s time – why is our youngest generation alive so curious about their future employability?

To put it lightly, they’re ahead of the game.

Rising student debt has made Gen Z wary, and most want to know they’ll be getting their money’s worth before researching academic programs. Schools are getting involved, as well, encouraging students to take Advanced Planet (AP), dual credit, and the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program courses and exams. Today, nearly half of Gen Z high school students have already earned college credits.

Don’t fret- students are curious, not worried. 2 in 3 Gen Z students are confident they’ll receive a job offer soon after graduation. For some majors, it’s even higher. Even more, 60% of our youngest generation on the planet impressively plans to start a business one day, and 92% expect to work for less than six employees in their lifetime – Gen Z doesn’t even bother with summer gigs.

Working for Scholarships

Most teens prioritize studying to earn future scholarships over working a job. This is the main way Gen Z is reshaping how we “do” college as a society. Nearly half of American workers are living on less than $18,000 a year, and Gen Z is privy to this, so 82% think college is the way to get there. In the meantime to graduating high school, most are most focused on earning grants and receiving financial aid to afford college.

Interestingly enough, one in three 15-year-olds plan to pursue one of the top 10 most popular occupations, regardless of whether or not their desired career will still be in-demand by the time they’ll be eligible for hire. Gen Z is ahead of its time – it’s all about employment for them. As we witness our very own children reshape the college years, continue to ask them, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Infographic:  Reshaping College Years

Read how Industry 4.0 will impact students.