While learning of days past included long trips to the library, scouting dusty books to research topics that ignited a spark in your mind, today’s digital, always-connected world has brought us a huge amount of educational resources for young and old minds alike. Nowadays, researching an interesting topic has become an easy endeavour with plenty of search engines and a few taps of the keyboard providing you pages upon pages of thought-provoking facts and opportunities to learn.
This increase in resources has provided all types of learners; visual, aural and kinesthetic, excellent platforms to increase their knowledge and improve their skills in everything from art and crafts to maths and physics. By providing children with the tools to learn in ways they are most comfortable, they can make greater informed choices of what they will study in higher education and the types of jobs they might seek out in the future.
Game–Based Learning
While there are plenty of examples of game-based learning websites that have popped up in recent years, there are a few established market leaders such as Kahoot! and Education City that has shown to be successful platforms for “gamified” learning. Considering the popularity of video games in today’s world with over 8million UK households alone owning a single popular branded console such as Xbox or Playstation, it’s an excellent way for children to become engaged with learning about new topics that they might otherwise find uninteresting. Did you know? Popular game Minecraft also has a dedicated education edition for tutoring kids on all sorts of topics from communication and critical thinking to collaboration and creativity.
Hands–on Learning
Is your child always trying to take things apart or do they spend hours building their own projects? There are some fantastic hands-on learning resources available from websites such as Instructables and DIY.org. Projects are uploaded from talented and crafty individuals from all around the world using a huge range of tools and recycled materials and can be a great teaching opportunity for parents and children to do together. Alternatively, if you want to be involved in something bigger – why not check out the Cardboard Challenge, a global event taking place in October to encourage creativity and innovation in younger generations.
Exciting Visual Learning
Some children are avid readers and will devour books faster than you can find suitable learning resources, while others shy away from reading, preferring other visual stimuli over words. There are plenty of visual resources available online, the biggest of those is YouTube, the video sharing website. However, parents would be right not to let their children free reign on the site as while there are some excellent channels available for education, there are plenty of distractions and inappropriate material too. Websites like Buncee and TheSmartFeed have made finding safe, relevant educational media much easier for parents and can be filtered to certain subjects, age groups and even specific media websites.
Why Educational Resources Are Important
Everyone has a subject matter that excites them and makes them hungry for more knowledge, children are the same and while school is a fantastic place to learn, curriculums don’t always explore every subject or do so with minimal detail. Especially for older children or young adults that may go on to seek higher or degree level education, having theseresources available to explore subjects of interest from a young age helps encourage a love for learning and knowledge.
This also reflects well on an individual’s personal statement when applying for Universities and Colleges in the UK, showing an aptitude for independent learning which is advantageous for application profiles. There are plenty of guides available on building a personal university application profile, however, those looking to attend prestigious institutions, like Oxford and Cambridge, may wish to seek the services of education concierge services like those offered by Allen and Jain Education.
How Can You Encourage Children to Love Learning?
There are some children that take naturally to researching subjects and answering their own questions, but others may show reluctance, although this is not so much a reluctance to learn as it is an aversion to the type of learning offered. If a visual child is presented with a stack of books, they are probably going to be put off, instead, work with your child to find out what kind of learner they are and use educational resources that cater to their preference.
Another great way to encourage your kids to enjoy learning is to get involved, choose a subject that excites you both and spend time together finding the answers to each other’s questions, this offers a purpose of learning, rather than “just because”. You might surprise yourself by learning something new!
Knowledge and education are important, not only because it’s a necessary part of growing up but we can learn from both the mistakes and innovation of history. Not to mention, exposing your child to a wide range of subjects from a young age helps to create well-rounded individuals, often with a greater sense of understanding of their world. The next time you have an evening to spare, instead of catching up on this week’s soaps, use your time to learn something new and introduce it to your children or encourage them to do the same.
XOXO
Debbie
This is a collaborative post
