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The hazy, lazy, dog days of summer are coming to a close, making way for the dreaded (for kids) and joyous (for parents) days of back-to-school. Whether you?ve chosen to have your kids continue virtual classes at home or you?re gearing up to have them rejoin their friends and teachers in the classroom, excitement and anxiety are sure to be at a high.
Luckily, there are plenty of things we can do to help our young ones cope with not only back-to-class stress, but with getting prepared to learn again before classes begin. The use of digital game-based learning (DGBL), gamification, toys and tools in schools and at home has long proven beneficial, and even invaluable. Not only do they help kids develop confidence, learn new skills for playing, and improve self-expression, digital education tools can change kids? relationship with learning, showing them that there are more ways to learn than in a classroom. Interactive games in subjects such as math, for example, can result in higher engagement, improved computational thinking, and, simply put, are just plain fun! Additionally, toys and gamification?where game-like elements such as points, levels, and leaderboards are added to learning exercises?are other incredibly effective ways to keep young children (and even toddlers!) occupied while stimulating the brain. And the best part is, after using these fun digital education tools at home, once they get back to the classroom, studies show that they?ll be better p...