Project-based learning can be described as a form of learning that follows a practical approach towards concepts and information. It also is a format through which the learner can gain a holistic understanding of the subject matter, as compared to stand-alone theoretical information. Theoretical approach of learning also does not equip the learner with the ability to effectively apply concepts of the subject matter, which Project-based learning does very efficiently.

TechnoKids promotes project-bases learning

The idea of project-learning and why it is an effective method of learning stems from the way humans use the information available to them. The human brain processes each piece of information coming its ways and then uses it in real world applications. That is how we learn anything and everything. And to understand a concept or idea truly.

This is where Project-based learning plays its role as an effective method of learning. Activities, Reports, Class projects, and so on are only some of the most common ways project-based learning benefits the learner, while also making it engaging and even fun to a certain degree.

The application of a concept requires not only an in-depth understanding of the concept itself, but also several skills to execute the ideas and build a strong foothold on root concepts. Therefore, Project-based learning is regarded as an interdisciplinary activity. Since it requires the learner to fully understand and apply concepts from various disciplines.

Practical learning can be taken a step further with collaborative work, such as group projects, debates, discussions, and so on. This allows for the student to learn in conditions most identical to real world problems, where including the skills and information on a subject, people require the ability to communicate their ideas with clarity, to optimize and make the process more efficient.

Hands-on approach to project-based learning

The real stimuli received by a learner in a project-based form of instruction incentivizes and motivates the learner to know more and do more. Information suddenly becomes meaningful because it has a use, and you get to use it. Take a chemical reaction for example; If you were told that 2 chemicals react in a particular way, and that’s that. You wouldn’t be instantly intrigued to know why, but if you were to mix 2 chemicals, that would definitely pique interests, right? What changed? You got to try it for yourself!

Practical or Project-based learning also allows for a critical and creative line of thinking to develop. Solving real world problems requires real thinking, which is always driven by a creative or critical thinking approach. The higher-order thinking required to solve such practical problems, is what essentially is of great use in the real world. It enables the learner to have independent innovative thoughts and the ability to also execute them.

Promoting critical-thinking

The ability to apply information acquired, allows for learners to have a greater control of their learning experience which in turn benefits as a real-world application of skill and information for the learner. This encourages the learner to think independently and freely, instead of having their thought bound in a unidirectional course. The critical thinking that a learner develops during such project-based learning is crucial functionally but also developmentally.

While project-based learning has been a ‘thing’ since over a century, it still has multiple facets that are still being explored. The introduction of technology in the learning experience has pushed the ideas of practical learning even further. The open-endedness of a project allows for the learner to extract as much value from it as possible. It also greatly improves the modularity of the learning experience, since, all students can learn based on their interests and skills, while learning to perfect their respective skills. This enables the system to remove causes such as ‘lack of interest’, ‘non-comprehension’, etc, entirely from the learning experience of a student. While all students in a class learn the same subject, each student has the agency to customize their learning experience to their liking.

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Peter played with puzzling puzzles and put the pieces of the puzzle in proper order! Now that was quite a puzzling tongue twister, wasn’t it? Puzzles have always been a classic free-play activity for kids. Puzzles come in a variety of types, patterns, and shapes, with different levels of difficulties.

Puzzles keep the children engaged in some sort of ‘mental workout’ which wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. When children are presented with a challenging puzzle, their left brain and right brain are at work together. The left brain prompts logic and the right brain demonstrates creativity, which are essential skills required while solving a puzzle.

Here are a few things that children learn through puzzle play:

Spatial skills: When kids solve a puzzle, they are told to look at each piece carefully to be able to place them correctly, to ultimately form ‘the bigger picture’. Adults use words like turn, flip, and rotate to indicate positioning of the jumbled pieces. Children start using their imaginative skills to figure what the ‘picture’ would look like, if a particular piece was joint to the other. Spatial awareness develops as the child is now becomes aware of how different objects relate to each other and how moving one object affects the other.

Problem-solving skills: Every piece of the puzzle is important. Piece by piece forms a complete picture. The first step to solving a puzzle is to unjumble the pieces and sort them in order. This gives children the chance to learn problem solving. They learn that it is more effective to break down the complexity of the task and deal with it in an organized manner.

Improves memory: Puzzles are great brain boosting activities. The mind is alert and most active in trying to make connections, remembering patters, and matching colors. Attempting to figure-out the puzzle in the first attempt might take a longer time. However, as the child tries over and over again, he gains confidence. At later stages, solving the same puzzle may seem like a cakewalk.

Develops persistence: Cracking the puzzle is like a eureka moment! The joy and confidence of the preschooler is unmatched. However, the process is quite frustrating at times. Children encounter many hurdles and go through an emotional roller coaster in an attempt to solving the puzzle. In the process, children learn to deal with their emotions and be persistent until they get it right.

Highlights Presents Hidden Pictures Puzzle Town App (3+ years)

To give puzzle play a new dimension and make screen time FUN for kids, Highlights introduced the ‘Hidden Pictures Puzzle Town App’ for children. The app soon become a favorite amongst the early learners and went-on to win a Platinum Award for the Best Mobile Game of 2017.

The app creates excitement amongst puzzlers and rewards them on every milestone achieved. It’s invigorating for your little ones to unlock an animated character and collect points on their way to manifest a personalized ‘puzzle town’.

Hidden Pictures Puzzle Town consists of the following:

• 50 puzzles
• Weekly 5 new puzzles
• 5 different kinds of puzzles, including Highlights’ famous Hidden Pictures scenes
• Adorable characters and accessories to enhance play and personalization
• Additional bonus mini games that help earn more collectibles

Highlights’ puzzle gameplay aims to transform your children into the ‘best versions of themselves’.

• Hidden pictures within the puzzle promote vocabulary building
• Multiple attempts encourage letter recognition and critical thinking
• Finding their way through the ‘mazes’ help strengthen problem-solving and fine motor skills
• Matching and pairing activities build pre-math skills through visual memory
• Identifying an object within the puzzled picture, develops cognitive skills and improves memory
• Intensity of puzzle increases through adaptive learning technology, as the child becomes more confident

From emotional skills, to cognitive development, and self-esteem, puzzles seem to have obvious benefits on learners. Solving puzzles in the least possible time encourages healthy competition amongst children. Continuous improvement happens when children attempt and re-attempt the same puzzle multiple times.

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Play is a powerful activity for young learns. Yes, you read that correctly! Studies suggest that the best learning happens when children are encouraged to play. A play-based learning environment fosters freedom, creativity, and encourages interactions through hands-on activities. There is a beauty in unstructured play, where the students are free to choose their own activity based on their level of interest.

Learning while playing helps children develop numerous skills. Children interact with others while playing and this helps them to develop their social skills, as they become more confident in conversing with peers in the classroom.

Even if it looks like your kids are having a fun time at play, there is a positive transformation happening within them. Play has a major impact in bringing out the best in children in the following ways:

• Fosters socio-emotional development
• Think creatively
• Discover new things while playing
• Develop critical thinking
• Use problem-solving techniques
• Increases physical activity
• Chance to expand vocabulary

Learning through play never stops! Be it the early learners, elementary graders, or even high schoolers, learning through play and trial-and-error method doesn’t go out of fashion. Play activities prepare children to be ready for the outside world, as these champions are now already experienced at taking risks and finding ways to solve challenging problems.

LEGO® Education encourages playful learning

For over 37 years, LEGO® Education has worked on making ’learning through play’ a part of every classroom. By collaborating with educators, LEGO® Education provides various solutions that make learning fun and impactful.

Combining the core concepts from Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM), LEGO® Education curates hands-on, child-friendly kits that are like prized possessions.

Coding Express by LEGO® Education

Children uncover the boxes to discover a new world of coding, at the age where other kids are only having tea parties with their dolls. One such example is LEGO® Education’s Coding Express (2+ years). Children not only find it amazing to play with blocks and build their own ‘train’, but are overjoyed when they can make the train move, stop, and change directions. Without even realizing the child is learning pre-coding concepts and using his cognitive capabilities to the fullest. Now isn’t that brilliant!

STEAM Park by LEGO® Education

Spending time at an ‘amusement park’ is such a fun thing to do for kids! However, building their own ‘amusement park’ sounds way cooler. The STEAM Park is therefore designed to playfully engage the 3+ year olds to become architects of their own imagination and collaborate with their classmates to construct a dynamic theme park. Using a special selection of LEGO® DUPLO® bricks, children love recreating the scene of a ‘theme park’ with lots of moving rides, fun games, and interesting characters. This definitely seems like the most legit way to head-start your little one’s journey and allow them to later connect the dots when they actually study about concepts like motion, gears, and measurement, in higher grades

WeDo 2.0 Core Set by LEGO® Education

What is space research? What are the core elements of Earth? Why do objects remain in resting position, unless an external force is applied to them? We are sure your fourth graders must be very keen on knowing aspects of earth, physics, space science, and engineering.

Giving them a ready answer to these questions may limit the child’s knowledge. It is actually more beneficial to let students conduct their own investigations and present findings themselves, before providing them a theoretical reasoning.

That’s where the WeDo 2.0 Core Set by LEGO® Education comes handy. The kit is designed for hands-on STEM solutions that combine LEGO bricks, classroom adaptable software, engaging projects to promote discovery-based learning.

Each of the invigorating activities keeps the students glued to the tasks and develops capable 21st century skills like; programming, prototyping, analyzing and interpretation.

Caution Parents! Your kids might just get addicted to the play way of learning and wouldn’t mind spending hours on delving into thought-provoking activities.

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Reading is not something that happens overnight. Children are not born readers but they need to be steered in the right direction by an adult to be able to develop this wonderful skill. Every child is gifted differently and their learning styles may not be the same. Therefore, it is unfair to compare your child with another preschooler of the same age.

Learning to speak happens quite naturally amongst children, as they start by picking up words from conversations being spoken by adults around them. The child starts by learning to speak his own mother-tongue, as it is spoken most at home. This seems rather simple, doesn’t it?

However, learning to read is different from being able to speak in a particular language. Though the child may speak ‘English’ quite well, he may not know how to read the words or connect his vocal speech to the word characters in a book.

The four stages of language development are; Listening, Speaking, Reading, and lastly Writing. Reading is at stage ‘three’, that is after the child has learnt to listen & speak. Reading is a slightly complex process affected by a number of factors. Reading literacy requires practice, proper instructions, and the development is a gradual process occurring in different stages.

Ever wondered what are the various stages of learning to read?

Explore the magnificent world of ‘books’ and help your little kiddos embark on their reading journeys by taking notes on the following phased approach.

The Emergent pre-reader (between age 6 months to 6 years)

This stage is all about discovery. Children are still exploring the world around them and trying to make connections. They are constantly observing words on sign-boards, television shows, in their classrooms, and on their handheld tabs. The letters seem familiar to them, as they have studied their ABCs in classrooms. While exploring, they discover that when letters are combined together, they form words. Previous knowledge about phonics helps them identify the ‘letter sound’ and apply a technique called blending to join the letter sounds into a word.

Children start by recognizing and naming things by the shape of it. They know what an apple looks like and they can identify a bat, and a cupboard. Instructional worksheets with simple CVC (consonant vowel consonant) words are presented to the child at this stage. The worksheet has simple three letter words with corresponding pictures of the objects. The child observes the word and finds a meaningful connection to the picture right next to it.

There is something called as ‘sight words’ that are commonly used in English language. Some examples of sight words are; ‘at’, ‘the’, ‘them’ and ‘they’. These words don’t follow the phonics rules and must be learnt as it is. It is beneficia to have a ‘sight wall’ in classrooms and your home where the child will be exposed to these words over & over again. This helps the child memorize the ‘sight words’ easily, making them more prepared for reading.

Many parents owe the success of their child’s reading capabilities to Kutubee. This app, makes reading fun for the emergent readers by making available a vast library of e-books. The illustrations, colors, and animated characters not only make the story come to life, but also present the sentence in easily legible format for the young child to practice reading.

The Novice reader (between age 6 years to 7 years)

These early bird readers are familiarizing themselves with printed words and sounds. They no longer require an ‘image’ to associate the words. Meaningful connections are formed basis the vocabulary stored in their memory. At this stage, the child begins to read stories with little or no help from an adult. They apply phonetic rules to four – five letter printed words and learn to pronounce them correctly.

Often children are presented with ‘short stories’ with simple sentences. The words that describe the main character ‘pink pig’ or ‘big bad wolf’ are repeated through the story to drill the context clearly.

KutuBee makes the job of the teacher/parents easy by recording the audio of children while they practice reading. In this way, the adult can correct the child wherever needed and give him guidance to read words with more fluency.

The Transitional reader (between 7 years to 9 years)

During this phase children get to read easy chapters from school text books and novels with increasingly greater level of fluency. The sentence is broken down by the child and read in parts, if it is too long for them to read. The child re-reads the paragraph to make meaning out of the printed matter.

Usually the font used in these stories are still large and the words are evenly spaced out. The chapters are short and limited to 3 to 4 pages.

Kutubee has a good collection of stories for the transitional reader. Books about fantasy, adventure and those which have a moral are more interesting for the children to read.

The Fluent reader (between 9 years to 15 years)

The fourth stage is when children finally have the confidence to read and are on a journey to expand their vocabulary and gain knowledge from reading. This is when they start focusing on studies through textbooks, read newspaper to stay updated with current affairs, and refer to articles on the ‘web’ to research on various topics. Learners gain new ideas, undergo various experiences, and are building strong attitudes.

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