Today’s youth share a unique bond with technology. They have grown up around Apple products, mastered finding wifi and HotSpots, and most never think twice about using words like “Google” or “Facebook” as verbs. For adult generations, however, this fluency with technology is not as second-nature. In fact, parents may feel conflicted about the seemingly omniscient presence of technology in their children’s lives. Each week, alarming headlines appear on the front page of every major news outlet touting the risks and drawbacks of allowing kids to use technology. Concerns range from questioning whether your child has a technology addiction, to debating if technology causes social difficulties in the future. While the jury is still out on determining fact-based answers to these puzzling questions, one fact remains: kids and technology seem intertwined. Bearing in mind this relationship, we have a few recommendations for how parents can introduce their young ones to maximize the more productive apps that technology has to offer. Check out this amazing list of educational mobile applications for younger children. Some, like “Cookie Monster’s Challenge,” utilize popular characters from highly innovative and successful educational children’s television programs like Sesame Street or Disney to teach fundamental concepts like reading and mathematics. Parents can search for the name of the app on their phones, and download many for free or under $3! Digital Trends ranked the top twenty best educational tech toys for kids this year. The list includes build-your-own robot kits and electric circuit puzzle challenges that strengthen motor skills and encourage creativity. Not to mention, that many of the items on the list are fun for adults and older children as well. While the use of technology can tend to pose many worrisome questions about long term effects on young people, it can also be used to reinforce key educational concepts or to promote family bonding. With gadgets and gizmos here to stay, parents might very well decide to invoke the old saying, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em!”
Math can be difficult enough, let alone finding a way to make it fun. http://www.elitehometutoring.com/ compiled a list of 10 Fun Math games and the best part, they’re free! If flash cards aren’t intriguing and practicing linear slopes doesn’t create excitement- but the skills need to be sharpened beyond what homework provides-a fresh fun angle might be what’s needed. When math becomes fun through timed courses, blasting through alien slime and “chomping” through a Pac-Man style maze; games like Minecraft and Halo no longer replace study time. Let’s face it, staring at a sheet of paper hardly holds a light to the glamorous lights and sounds of the gaming world. Math games not only intrigue more sensory centers in the brain, they engage the mind to learn beyond memorization. The fun math websites listed below are tried and tested by real students and caregivers: 1) At http://www.coolmath-games.com/0-unlucky-robber, students can learn geometric angles, timing and spacial reasoning as they race through a climbing obstacle with the goal of finding treasure in the game “Unlucky Robber”. 2) Young learners can choose the level of difficulty as they play “Math Match” at http://www.abcya.com/math_match.htm. With options from addition to division this fun memory card style game has an exciting ten second bonus round at the completion of every series. 3) Fractions mean fueling up an asteroid blasting rocket as you race across the universe in the game “Space Fractions” on http://www.funbrain.com/brain/Adventure/SpaceFractions/index.html. 4) Move over Angry Birds, this astronaut worm is hurled through space by a slingshot aimed at the subtraction solutions in this game of accuracy and timing. Watch out for the asteroids that will knock you off course! http://www.funbrain.com/brain/Adventure/SlingShot/index.html 5) Symmetry is so much more fun and creative in the gorgeously displayed jigsaw puzzles at http://www.mathsisfun.com/puzzles/jigsaw-puzzles-index.html 6) Math isn’t fun if you don’t know the words, learn math words and a few more in “Hangman”. http://www.mathsisfun.com/games/hangman-game-with-math-words.html 7) Multiplying large sums is no longer daunting confusion in this lattice multiplication game. This fun game of multiplication lends an awesome tool that students will use throughout their education. http://www.coolmath4kids.com/times-tables/times-tables-lesson-lattice-multiplication-1.html 8) Linear equations have never been so fun as they are in the game or rescuing Zogs. These little Zogs have more patience than a classroom setting when it comes to hanging on until the answer is correct! http://www.mathplayground.com/SaveTheZogs/SaveTheZogs.html 9) Practice percentages, multiplication and real world math as you travel through “Math at the Mall”; http://www.mathplayground.com/mathatthemall2.html. 10) Explore the broad range of math games for every student from kindergarten to pre-calculus at http://www.mathplayground.com/. If these math games still don’t aid in your learning process, we can help! Contact Elite Home Tutoring and get on track with a custom plan to get the results you want through one of our credentialed tutors in your area. Please visit: http://www.elitehometutoring.com/ and our concierge service will locate a tutor near you.
