“Mom, what is the capital of USA?”
“It’s New York”
“… and UK?”
“London, my dear”
“Burkina Faso?”
“Hmmm… Let me get back to you in a moment. Where did I keep the encyclopedia this time!!”
This could have easily been the conversation between a mother and her kid a decade ago, but technology has taken us many steps closer to making things more convenient and interactive for children. Access to knowledge hasn’t just become easier but so much fun that children themselves are more inclined than ever to reach out for it themselves. With thousands of fun learning applications available on app stores across operating systems, we are going through a time when technology is shaping the way the younger generation learns and grows its knowledge base. Learning is no longer perceived as a banal activity involving copious hours spent cloistered inside a room. In fact, with the penetration of technology in every sphere of life, learning has taken on new, fun and extremely engaging dimensions.
Smartphones are today as ubiquitous in Indian homes as dal chawal. While parents have to ensure that the child’s usage of smartphones is monitored closely, one must never undermine the many benefits that these empowered devices can have in developing the analytical, intellectual and cognitive skills of their little ones. Whether a child is free during vacations or is in a car for a long drive, he/she has ready access to educational content presented in a fun and interactive way. From games that teach about mythology in a subtle way to cartoons based on life lessons, the smartphone has made it easier than ever before to bust the boredom of kids while teaching them more than a thing or two. Since the approach is gamified and is packaged as entertainment, the natural resistance to anything pedagogical is automatically obviated out of the picture.
From apps that help you colour and design on-the-go without the mess and hassle of paints and paper wastage to those that narrate nursery rhymes and fairy tales, the way providers of content on smart devices are innovating is truly impressive and a shot in the arm for good parenting. Children themselves show enhanced proclivity to know about fruits and vegetables, alphabets and other learning imperatives thanks to their desire of excelling at the educative games they are playing. Phonetics and Semantics can both be used to introduce kids to figurative ways of learning via the smartphone thanks to its audio-visual capability. There is also the facility to karaoke along with nursery rhymes or theme songs from your child’s favourite cartoons which instils a natural confidence in the child and improves articulation from a young age. Learning videos, story-like narrations of important milestones in Indian and world history and tales of bravery of India’s freedom fighters are just some of the many stimulating choices on offer for kids. The best part is since all of these little nuggets of learning are viewed as entertainment by the little ones, their ability to retain and process the information is higher as is the innate intent to absorb it. Educational activities and entertainment on smartphones, therefore, not only amuse kids and keep them engaged, but also help develop analytical skills and spike their creativity while building neural connections and cognitive functions at a relatively younger age.
Parents have often expressed concerns over how the advent of digital media is increasingly responsible for distracting kids and steering them away from healthier hobbies such as reading. However, recent studies have shown that exposure to engaging cerebral activities can in fact pique a child’s interest in the arts, history and sciences and encourage him/her to broaden knowledge from a very young age. The availability of such knowledge at the click of a button further makes it possible for them to sharpen their interests.
In fact, since children from a young age are intrigued by technology and gadgets, they show a greater interest in learning whatever these devices have to offer. A study based on African kids who had no prior exposure to English were examined for 1 year by researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Tufts University, and Georgia State University. They were taught a few English words at periodic intervals and were observed, after which it was revealed that with the usage of tablets specifically designed for educational purposes, 50% of the students absorbed at least half of the new words taught. When they were presented a string of roman letters arranged randomly, 9 out of 10 kids identified at least 10 of them. This study demonstrated that when children are taught things without imposition and on platforms or media of their liking, their tendency to absorb information is much higher.
Parents also needn’t worry about exposure of children to adult or inappropriate content as most leading apps targetted at children handpick what the kids have access to. Violence or explicit content is kept at bay by experienced editors who ensure that the app provides a positive and reliable environment for the children to learn in. Since these apps are exclusively children-centric, security is made a top priority so that parents can relax and take a break when they find their little ones engaged in an online origami activity or a clay art tutorial. Since children enjoy consuming such content and parents feel happy that the child is learning something, these apps can also go a long way in improving parent-child relationships. There is no longer any insistence from parents that the child should watch a documentary or pick up an encyclopedia because acquisition of all such knowledge becomes a part of the daily routine of the kid.
Smartphones are truly reinvigorating the way parents can imbue their children with a love for learning. By presenting educative content as infotainment, new-age mobile apps are ensuring that children are able to expand their horizons of knowledge while enjoying themselves. Through interesting characterizations and appealing new formats, children gain adequate exposure to stories, added information and basic knowledge that they shouldn’t miss out on. They don’t feel pressurized to cram things from books and without realizing end up learning a lot. By continually watching high-quality shows and dramatized history lessons, they also develop good communication and verbal skills from a young age. The smartphone has truly metamorphosed into a new-age learning and entertainment tool for children and its relevance and positive impact is only set to escalate with the days to come.
-by Abhesh Verma, COO, nexGTV.
