With summer in full swing, children everywhere experience the summer slide. The summer slide is a phenomenon in which children lose some of what they learned during the school year. This happens because they’re not staying engaged with educational activities during the summer. Fortunately, there are many ways to keep children engaged, from taking them to local museums and libraries to finding age-appropriate learning apps. Here are some of the apps we recommend:
Khan Academy Kids
Khan Academy is an Android and iOS app with a robust suite of learning resources for teachers and students. This app has its own app that children aged 2-8 can use for free and without ads to brush up on their learning. Five whimsical characters bring children along on gamified learning adventures that focus on core subjects like reading, writing and math, as well as soft skills like creativity and social-emotional development. The developers built this app in collaboration with learning experts at Stanford, so you can feel confident that your children will be learning everything they need to know about each subject. .
ABCmouse
ABCmouse has two different programs. There’s a main program for children ages 2-8 and an Adventure Academy program for children ages 8-13. Both programs present lessons in the form of games. They allow users to create their own avatar that leads them on an adventure. The more they learn, the more progress they make! Subjects range from reading and language arts to math and science to colors and art. The more advanced program also includes social studies. ABCmouse has apps for desktop, phones and tablets. It has a $12.99 subscription fee with a one-month free trial so you can test it out to see if it’s right for your child.
Duolingo
Most of us know Duolingo for their language learning program that is funded by advertising and paid memberships. This can be a great resource if your child wants to learn a new language. It’s a very child-friendly app, as long as they don’t try to buy anything from the ads. Duolingo also has a 100% free program called Duolingo ABC, a literacy program with 9 different levels with the goal of engaging children and fostering a love of reading. Like the main app, lessons take 5 minutes or less, which keeps children with short attention spans motivated to keep going. Through the app, children meet relatable characters and go on adventures with them.
Some of summer break should be dedicated to rest and relaxation, but children need to stay learning to prevent the summer slide. Our Orlando private school, located in the Catholic Diocese of Orlando, is committed to proclaiming the Gospel Message of Jesus Christ. We believe in teaching the whole child and want students to love learning, helping them grow into well-rounded, contributing members of society. Learn more about us by contacting us here.