Even when kids are learning at home, educational aids go a long way towards keeping students engaged and helping key lessons resonate. Most of them are designed to truly encourage curiosity, exploration and discovery. Keeping children busy with outdoor activities and indoor activities that help them learn at home, is what we strive for. These aids and kits help squeeze in moments of learning while having fun. Some of these you could purchase online, others you can make or print out at home.
Below are the top recommendations for engaging learning aids your children could use for the at-home learning environment.
Class monitor
An award-winning ed tech organisation, Class Monitor offers online and offline tools for young learners up to the age of eight. Their curriculum uses a blend of traditional and modern teaching methods and they offer at-home learning kits and live online classes covering all areas of learning and development. The platform also has free printable worksheets, segregated grade or age wise, to try before you purchase from them. Another advantage is that these kits and worksheets don’t encourage rote learning, rather they focus on concepts.
Order online here.
Price: Rs 1,099 onwards
Brightspark
Led by Kolkata girl Anisha Jaipuria, Brightspark offers educational aids for children up to six years old. Her worksheets include fun tasks like colouring pictures, learning the alphabet, and fascinating play, subtractions and additions. They are grouped in bundles like community helpers, transport, which make it easier for the parent to choose. She also offers flash cards which can be used many ways and grow with children. All Brightspark products ensure conceptual and logical learning.
Order online here
Price: Rs 199 onwards
Little Minds at Work
Little Minds at Work is driven by a mission to spark curiosity and ignite a passion for learning in young minds. Their Activity Binders engage the little ones and ensure that they are learning too. The binders and flash cards cater to children till they are five years old. The Toddler Busy Binder is our personal favourite — I use it on a flight to keep my son occupied too.
Order online here
Price: Rs 199 onwards
Smartivity
For meaningful play time, Smartivity has a huge collection of STEAM toys for children aged 3-14 years. STEAM or Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths educational construction toys benefit the children by instilling analytical, creative and problem-solving skills, patience, focus and concentration, and most importantly, a deep sense of self-confidence to imagine, innovate and build solutions to the problems plaguing the world. They design toys that incorporate the power of play with fun and learning. From sensory inputs for preschool children to important concepts such as balance, motion, size, etc, they make learning informal, engaging and less daunting for students of all ages. With toys, students learn concepts through application.
Order online here
Price: Rs 699 onwards
Super Readers by Vedantu
Based on the belief “a child who reads is an adult who thinks”, Vedantu Super Readers is a phonics-based reading course for children of the ages of four through six years, which allows you to reverse your roles, and let your child read to you. Children get the tools to read almost any word, gain confidence, speak effectively, improve vocabulary and ace spellings. Every class is a fun-filled experience with stories and songs, interactive tasks, games, and rewards. The Superkids program also offers SuperSpeakers and SuperCoders courses.
Sign up online here
Price: Rs 5,000 onwards
Fububox
Fububox is a Monthly Book Subscription Box full of fun and surprises for kids until the age of seven. Reading is undoubtedly the most enriching habit you can inculcate in children, and if started early it provides the perfect stimuli. Every box is carefully picked according to age and preference and comes with a personalised message and a surprise goodie for extra fun.
Order online here
Price: Rs 1,450 Onwards
Many sites, including the ones listed above offer free worksheets to use at home. If you have knowledge about the skill, pinterest and YouTube tutorials also help create binders, activities and worksheets.
Let’s face it, kids get bored quickly. It is challenging to keep them engaged in study. The old methods are also not of much help today. Parents also know the importance of making their kids familiar with basic concepts. These aids are interactive and engage children, making learning a fun experience
The author is an economist and full-time millennial mother, struggling to cope with daily chores