The photo was taken by Steven Weirather from Pixabay
When you’re homeschooling your kids, you might want to avoid too much screen time. But it is possible to use various tech tools to educate your kids, while still allowing them time away from screens and time to get outdoors. There are different types of tech that you can put to use for children of all ages to help them learn in different ways. Using a mixture of tools helps to keep things interesting and ensures kids are taking an active approach to their education, instead of just looking at a screen all day. Here are some tech tools that you should try.
Ebooks
Physical books are enjoyable for children to read, especially when they have pictures or even fun effects, but ebooks can be a useful learning tool. Ebooks don’t take up physical space, which means you can own as many as you want. Another benefit is that more than one user may be able to read the book at the same time, so you don’t need to order multiple copies. Ebooks are often cheaper than physical books and you can even get audiobooks with text highlighting so that readers who might have a bit of trouble can follow along.
Websites and Apps
There are many different websites and apps that you can use to provide homeschooling materials. Some resources like ABCMouse even have both a website and a mobile app so that you can choose one or the other, or benefit from using both. Websites are usually easy to navigate and might focus on one thing or provide a range of materials. Some are also completely free, which is ideal if you’re on a budget or just looking for some supplementary learning materials. You can find all kinds of things, from educational games to practice tests, and much more.
Online Videos and Streaming
Videos and online media can be a great way to provide educational and entertaining material for homeschooled kids. YouTube is a fantastic free resource if you know where to look, but it’s important to find the most valuable and educational channels. In addition to using free sites like YouTube, you should check out streaming sites that offer documentaries and educational kids’ TV shows. Although you might not want your kids to watch videos and TV all day, at least you can choose educational things for them to watch to make sure that they are learning.
Activity Trackers
It might not be an educational tool in itself, but an activity tracker can be an excellent piece of tech for a homeschooling child. It keeps track of how active your child is during the day and can help you to adjust their activity levels. If you feel like your child isn’t active enough, you can encourage them to move more and spend more time outdoors. You can use the tracker for educational purposes too, looking at the data that it produces and setting goals.
With the right tech, you can enhance your homeschooling efforts and make them more varied and valuable.
