Digital Smarts - One More Element Needed to Make Children’s Apps More Effective

Although it may not seem necessary, helping kids learn how to use those all those apps available on digital devices is important for parents to do. One recent study showed that 2-to 3- year olds who watched a demo by an adult on how to assemble a puzzle did much better later on in putting the puzzle together on their own as opposed to when they watched a machine generated, digital “ghost” demo. While it may not be all that surprising that this “social scaffolding” helped the learning process, it is a good reminder for all parents that these devices are not digital babysitters. Parents see how quickly their kids pick up on using technology and may forget that digital devices are just like any other tool…and just like any other tool, children are going to need to learn from their parents.