Are you curious about what your child will learn when they start school? How will they learn, and with what? Computers, not books! Today’s toddlers are digital natives. Namely, they will grow up knowing how to use smartphones and tablet PCs, regardless of their social or educational background.
More preschoolers know how to use a smartphone than to tie their shoe-laces, judging by a recent piece in the UK’s Guardian broadsheet paper.
The value to toddlers of educational, tablet-based and smartphone apps must not be underestimated. Teaching children letters and numbers early, is a good step to take. Infants after all, have a pre-literacy stage.
Here’s how smart-devices can benefit children with hearing issues:
- Visual display of printed letters (a, b, c …) and numbers (1, 2, 3 …)
- Animal sounds can be learned, if a child’s hearing level allows
- Interactive books have sound for cochlear implant wearers to learn
- Music and words can be played aloud for interactive, aural learning
- Junior snap, lotto & dominoes can be played by children & parents
- Visual prompts are supplied for story-telling by family members
- Fun, multi-sensory learning results, with parent-child engagement
- Children can learn to share the device with others in a social group
- Problem-solving skills are learned when puzzles are completed
The trick is to mix your child’s “device time” with recreational play, and to use the device as a fun way to jointly explore and learn about new concepts.
Further Reading
- Touchscreen Tech Boosts Literacy In Deaf Children
- Deaf Preschoolers’ Literacy Benefits From E-Books
- Literacy Skills In Children Aged Three To Five Years
- Digital Readers (eReaders) Improve Child Literacy
- Educational Revolution With Smartphone Devices
- Young Readers Learn From DVDs and Smartphones
- Video Games – The Literacy Of Problem-Solving
- Using iPads in a speech therapy environment
- iPads Become Child’s Play
