Guest blog post contributed by Jake Rheude of Red Stag Fulfillment
There is a growing consensus of educators and health professionals who believe that along with traditional methods, it’s possible to harness the increasingly sophisticated number of educational apps and websites to use in children’s education and development.
Already there have been strides within the classroom when it comes to combining learning with play. In fact, many researchers believe that much of what children learn comes from play. While a smartphone app can't and shouldn't replace tactile activities, the advent of touchscreen technology also presents an opportunity for children to learn and play at the same time.
Educational Sites Can Instill a Business Mindset
When appropriate, teachers should think outside the box and encourage children to be comfortable with digital technology. Armed with a tablet, your first-grader can learn basic e-commerce terminology – and then apply that knowledge to open up a lemonade stand. Your teenager can practice her Spanish on her smartphone while you drive her to volunteer with a local aid agency for Central American immigrants. And unlike asking your daughter to do her homework or study for an upcoming test, the beauty of educational apps such as Duolingo is that you don’t even have to ask, beg, nag, or threaten the way your parents probably had to when they were raising you.
The self-motivation that is central to the revolutionary new way our children are learning these days has another extremely positive benefit: it can instill a desire to learn more, grow more, and accomplish more, without even having to be told to by an adult. Any successful entrepreneur will tell you that he didn’t succeed by being told to do something a hundred times by his parents, or boss, or spouse. The character traits that drive someone to succeed develop young, and that’s when smartphone technology can be beneficial for your kids.
There are plenty of powerful learning tools out there, and today I’d like to talk about some of the best websites and apps for your child to get a head start and pick up a business mentality they may need for success in the future.
View Jake's List of Educational E-Commerce Sites
