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Math During Pandemic

Balancing Screen Time During The Pandemic

Balancing Screen Time During The Pandemic

Balancing Screen Time During The Pandemic

The COVID pandemic has changed the way students live, learn, and visit with their friends. They have logged online to attend school, played online games, and visited with grandparents over video chat. This is the first generation of children to be so reliant on screen time and for students to show a gap in learning due to a pandemic. Dropkick Math understands the strategies that children need to overcome any educational gaps they may have missed during the time they were involved in online learning. Our programs offer math help services that can provide you with the tools to support your child in math moving forward.  

An Increase In Screen Time

Unsurprisingly, children worldwide were reported to have increased screen time during the pandemic. But these stay-at-home orders that prompted children to turn to the screens have had many educators and parents debating how much screen time is appropriate for children. These COVID-19 safety measures shifted the ideals around children and screen time so much that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) even updated its guidance on-screen use. They now suggest, “Screen usage has likely increased for children, but parents should ensure media use is positive and helps the family and community.”

How Can We Balance Screen Time Effectively?

Although screen time is being used for education and socializing, it can come with consequences. But why is balancing time on screen important?

It is more important than ever to put schedules and structure into daily life for children to ensure a healthy balanced lifestyle. If no measures are taken, screen time, video games, and social media can really creep in and take over.

Through the pandemic, many parents and educators have been reporting that the more screen time young people have, toddlers in particular, the more behaviour problems they may exhibit and the more learning problems they experience in their development. Children need to interact with the real world before venturing into the virtual world.

But these cautions are not limited to very young children. Parents of children of all ages need to be mindful of the impact that increased screen time may have. This increased screen time has been found to affect:

Sleep – Essential for mental and physical health and wellbeing.

Physical Activity – Exercise and movement can help young bodies develop and prevent obesity. 

Socializing – Interacting with others can promote communication and help to build empathy. 

Family Time – Connecting with family members can help to establish bonds, trust, and openness. 

Diet and Nutrition – Whole, healthy foods can provide essential vitamins and nutrients that are essential for good health. 

Personal Responsibilities – School assignments and housework can foster discipline, helping to form structure and responsibilities.

How many hours of screen time is healthy? While there is no definitive answer to this question, it is vital to keep a healthy balance. Screen time can affect everyone differently, so parents should be on the lookout for behavioural signs in their children are over engaging with screens. Kids that have severe tantrums need to turn off their games. Teens who stay up late at night, stop socializing, or spend time with family also need to cut screen time. Some children have stopped grooming and failed to meet their responsibilities at school, which could eventually cause school failures.

How Do You Balance Screen Time And Offline Time?

Talking with your children about their screen time can help keep parents engaged and knowledgeable about their child’s online activities. Parents should also encourage their children to share online experiences and discuss them. Starting a conversation can help normalize similar discussions about content as they get older. Simply talking to kids about their media can be incredibly powerful.

How Parents Can Manage Screen Time

As the pandemic has required children to use their computers and phones more often, it can be tricky for parents to try and limit their screen time. Therefore, balancing screen time may mean changing the way kids use electronic devices. Instead of simply playing games, use the opportunity for your child to play an educational game that can help them understand key skills focused on a specific subject. These games can also teach adults about their child’s cognitive learning development. If you notice your child likes playing games focused on mathematical equations and scores, that child may enjoy working more on complex math problems. At Dropkick Math, we use math intervention programs disguised as fun and engaging games to help foster your child’s confidence in mathematics.

Children can also use their screen time to watch interactive videos about topics that interest them, such as animals. This can help introduce them to different educational concepts. Older children may find content that can help build their skills more tactilely. For example, they can learn a new skill such as cooking or sewing.

The key is to monitor and moderate screen time. There are a few steps that can be taken to help children achieve a healthy balance of screen usage, including:

  • Creating a daily schedule with breaks to relax and unplug for mobile devices
  • Communicating with teachers to recommend online and offline educational activities for children
  • Making use of social media and video chats to help children avoid isolation
  • Being selective about content to help ensure your child is only looking at trusted sources for positive informational and useful content
  • Using media together with your child so you can monitor what they’re viewing and what they are learning

The primary key to remember when balancing your child’s screen time is to provide them with a break from screens. By stepping away from laptops or iPads, children can participate in a variety of other activities.

More To Education

At Dropkick Math we understand there is more to your child’s education than simply staring at the screen. We are not an online math tutor; we are much more. We help children understand their identified mathematical stumbling blocks through fun and engaging game-based learning. By approaching math in a fun and engaging way, we can provide you and your child with the tools to move forward in math. Contact us today for more information about our programs.

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What Do The Studies Show?

What Do The Studies Show?

What Do The Studies Show

After two years of disruptions, it is safe to say that the pandemic has impacted children’s education. With an estimated 90% of all children worldwide who have had their education disrupted, change is needed. Students cannot continue to be pulled in and out of school and be expected to learn the same way in front of a screen as if they were in a classroom. 

As of May 2021, schools in 26 countries were closed country-wide, and in 55 countries, schools were only partially open. Even though many are starting to open again slowly, evidence suggests that students will continue to feel the consequences of lost learning during the pandemic

The Gaps In Learning

With millions of children deprived of regular education during the pandemic, it is vital to get help for those who may have any gaps in learning. At Dropkick Math, we offer programs to help students build their confidence by developing their understanding of the fundamentals of mathematics. 

According to recent research, math learning seems to have taken a bigger hit during the pandemic compared to other subjects. Due to this lack of proper education, student’s growth rate in math is expected to slow during the next few years. So, getting them the help they need now could help them get caught up quicker than expected. 

What The Research Shows

Although it is still early days and the pandemic is not over yet, some studies are starting to be released on the effects of missed education on children. Research shows that the impact of the pandemic on K-12 student learning was significant, leaving students on average five months behind in mathematics and four months behind in reading by the end of the school year.

Here in Ontario, initial findings show that impacts of the pandemic are concentrated in math. Reading achievement in the fall of 2020 was consistent with the prior year, but average math achievement was 5 to 10 percentile points lower than the previous fall. It was also noted that, on average, students made gains during the early phase of the pandemic; however, math gains were smaller than pre-pandemic trends. 

Studies are also beginning to show that high schoolers have become more likely to drop out of school, and high school seniors are less likely to go on to postsecondary education. But the crisis didn’t just impact academics. It also took a toll on students’ broader health and well-being, with more than 35 percent of parents being extremely concerned about their mental health. 

Unfinished Learning

As more research becomes available and the true cost of the pandemic is shown, many educators are using the term “unfinished learning” to capture the reality that students were not given the opportunity to complete all the typical learning they would have typically completed. 

As policymakers and education leaders work together toward recovery, Dropkick Math is here to fill in any gaps in learning that may arise. As one of the leading math tutoring services in Ontario, our trained instructors can provide support in key math skills through fun and interactive programs. 

We start by assessing the student with our free early indicators check-in. From there, we can help place your child in the program best suited for their needs to start building their math confidence and develop their skills for the future. 

Get started today by learning more about our programs.