Technology has pushed the limits of what is possible in many ways, including early learning. Today, children spend more time in front of screens, from increasingly younger ages. Thanks to advances in technology, parents can guide from the beginning how their little ones use the phone or tablet, exposing them to fun learning techniques that blur the lines between play and school.
What is early learning?
A fairly common confusion is that early learning takes place in nurseries, or that it resembles babysitting. But early learning is much more than that – it means learning techniques built with specialists, which help in the education and development of the child before contact with kindergarten or school. Children who are exposed to specialist-approved early learning methods develop important cognitive and emotional skills, are more sociable, have more self-confidence, are more attentive later in school and more open to learning new things.
Why is it important to start learning from a young age?
Firstly, early learning satisfies children's curiosity and offers them a way to understand the world around them! Although in Romania children generally start school around the age of 6, the brain begins to develop and absorb information long before that. The little one goes through several stages of language development, their vocabulary growing exponentially in the first years of life and reaching several hundred words around the age of 3-4. Early learning contributes to the harmonious progression through these stages, improving listening, understanding, vocabulary, mathematical thinking (counting, recognizing geometric shapes), creative thinking, and problem-solving.
According to UNICEF, children who benefit from early learning have a greater chance of success in school and in life. The rate of school dropout is much lower, and once they become adults, they will be better integrated socially, with better career and job opportunities.
Technology and traditional learning methods – what to choose for your child?
It's tempting to think of education in black and white – what is better for my child, to use classic learning methods or to rely on new technologies? But why couldn't both be effective and useful learning tools in a child's development? Online platforms, games, and digital applications can be seen as complementary learning methods, whose role is not to replace traditional learning, but to supplement and help it! Under parental guidance, technology can be used in a safe and responsible way, with proven benefits for children.
We provide you with the VoxiClinic speech therapy platform, through which you can connect with a speech therapist and your child can participate in 1-on-1 therapy sessions, from a laptop or computer connected to the internet. VoxiClinic is built with a high degree of interactivity, in order to meet all the expectations and needs of a speech therapist during therapy sessions. Your child enjoys hundreds of interactive exercises, educational games, sound practice and pronunciation modules, and much more!
We recently launched the new version of VoxiKids App – a mobile application for children designed together with speech therapists, based on the principle of learning through play.
Our lives as adults are often hectic, and it can be a real challenge to offer children interesting activities that capture their attention and keep them occupied for longer. VoxiKids App includes interactive games and exercises, audio stories, puzzles, and songs – which is exactly what you need to keep your little one's attention, while they develop their language, pronunciation, and verbal understanding.
What impact does educational technology have on early learning?
Besides the fact that technology applied in education offers parents a little more free time, it can also create a personalized, safe, and interactive environment for the child, which better engages their attention and skills. Through educational digital games, the little one embarks on a true adventure of creative exploration in which they learn interesting things and also learn to cope independently in various situations, without the help of their parents.
From VoxiKids App, you will be able to assess your child's language development and easily monitor their educational progress. However, the most important results will be seen in everyday life, when your child will start to better use the communication and understanding skills practiced through play in the application.
More benefits of technology in education
| Fun and entertaining | The more a child plays, the more they learn and develop their language and thinking. |
| Improves communication skills | Independently going through the stages of the game supports the child's listening, patience, and attention. When you play together, you will communicate better and more easily. |
| Improves memory and knowledge integration | The interest and attention invested in the game help the child to better retain new information and integrate it into their existing knowledge base. |
| Encourages both individual and collaborative learning | Each child progresses at their own pace, sometimes needing to revisit on their own certain things they don't do well at first. Other times, it is easier to learn in a group or with the family. Technology can respond to both learning styles. |
| Learns modern skills | VoxiKids helps children become familiar with modern technology and quickly discover how useful it can be in developing what educators call the 4 C's of early education – creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, communication. |
| Mobility | Thanks to technology, learning tools can be accessed from anywhere. Mobile applications do not need to follow a schedule, the little one being able to use them whenever they feel like playing! |
