Learning Through Play 2.0

Learning through play has been the hallmark of play schools and pre schools for years. Even when I was a kid a million years ago, we were encouraged to engage in play based activities and role play games. We played things like House, Cops & Robbers and Restaurant (just a few of my favourites).

Although times have changed a bit since my kindergarten days, the idea of learning through play and role play has stayed the same. It’s just updated, the 2.0 version has been released. Lol.

Nowadays, we live in a much more digital world. Kids are very tech savvy and they love learning and playing with technology. Apps and online learning are becoming mainstream. Education needs to move with the times. I am seeing it in classrooms and widespread in homes across the nation. Kids love their ipads, tablets and chrome books. Hey, if they are using them for hours a day anyway, they might as well learn some useful skills with their devices.

The best online learning programs are the ones that maintain the hallmark from years ago. The ones that encourage engagement, imagination and role play. As a parent, I want my kids to be able to navigate and understand technology, BUT I also want them to enjoy play based activities and inspire creativity. If you can get both from one program, those are the ones that stand out as a winner to me.

When looking at which apps to download for your child, ask yourself these 4 questions:

1. Does it engage their intellectual curiosity?
2. Will they learn something useful from it?
3. Does it encourage critical thinking?
4. Is it interactive and imaginative?

If you have answered yes to these questions, then you have found a piece of technology that bridges the old world with the new… Learning Through Play 2.0.