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To all parents of 3 to 10 year olds
I talked to eight parents that have children about 3 to 8 years old in tow at supermarkets last night. It was enlightening. Only three have tablets for their kids and one mom of three said she only has one tablet for all of them. All have games on them and only one knew anything about educational apps and actually has them on her tablet.
Here’s a little guide for all parents that have a tablet for their child, and those that don’t will hopefully skip a barbecue or two and buy their children one.
If you have Apple you are screwed; Apple charges for everything. If you have Microsoft or Android, most are free.
Download about six apps for every grade from kindergarten to 3rd grade and three apps for 4th to 8th grade and, at the least, include apps for arithmetic, spelling, writing and reading.
If you only have one child, you will have to do a lot of coaching in the beginning. If you have two or more (each has to have their own tablet) or have neighbors that they can collaborate with, you are in luck. Just let them go.
For every hour on, two hours off. Try to keep them together during the on and off times. They will feed off each other like hungry lions and all you have to do is tidy up the bones.
You just can’t believe how fast and how much 3 year olds can learn from a 4 year old. One finds something on their tablet and shows everyone else, which allows the younger ones to actually skip over whole lessons.
One more very important ingredient to tablet learning is to let each child make a 30 second to 2 minute video of themselves and upload it to YouTube, and show them other kids their age doing all kinds of things on YouTube. This builds confidence and self-esteem like nothing else. Do it every month or two so you can actually see the difference for yourself as you watch them grow. Learning with technology is here, it’s free, and you just need to touch your tablet screen to avail it for yourselves, and your kids of course.
Gary DuBrall
Chalan Piao, Saipan
