The early educational landscape has been changing drastically over the last few years. With the consistent rise in the number of kids learning apps, the mode of early education has shifted from traditional classrooms to digital tablets and mobile phones. With digital platforms becoming a staple in everyone’s households, parents are trying to figure out how to incorporate these in a way that assists the early education phase of their kids. However, this shift in the educational landscape raises a very important question: Are kids’ learning apps taking over offline preschools?

Are Learning Apps Posing As A Threat To Offline Preschools?

While many might argue that the inception of kids’ learning games has been taking over offline preschools by a huge majority, the reality is different. In reality, learning apps complement preschools rather than entirely replacing them. It is a known fact that no parent would promote exposing their toddlers to increased screen time, even if it’s just for learning. Traditionally, preschools usually last for 5 to 6 hours. Exposing a toddler to a learning app to replace preschool for 5 to 6 hours is not only unhealthy but might also result in reduced attention span, lack of outdoor activities, and limited social interaction. 

Adopting a hybrid model that finds the perfect balance between preschools and online educational games like reading games, mathematical quests, or fun puzzles will always give the best results as compared to overrelying only on specific modes of early education. There are many preschools out there that are already trying to combine digital and traditional forms of learning by installing smart boards or using app-based homework in order to make learning more engaging and fun. 

If we look at learning apps, on the other hand, we can notice that they introduce more and more features that aim to bridge the gap between digital and traditional forms of learning. These can include kids learning games, parental involvement, offline activities or tasks. 

Adopting such a blended learning model ensures that the toddlers get the best of both worlds: digital learning as well as offline preschool learning, leading to consistency in growth. 

As a parent, you must know how to strike the perfect balance between learning games and offline activities to enforce what was learnt online. It is a fact that apps can introduce and make kids understand the most important concepts in a gamified manner, which makes it interesting to learn. However, children should also not be spending all of their time on the screens. The key lies in complementing digital learning with offline activities like outdoor play, storytelling, fun games, and more. If you are a parent who is looking for a good toddler learning app then you can simply search for one on the internet and find many options to select from. 

Here are some tips for parents:

1. Minimise the amount of time spent on the screen (typically not more than 1 hour per day for preschool-aged children).
2. Select applications that are based on active learning and not passive videos.
3. Encourage children to apply what they learn digitally in real life—like counting toys or identifying colours around the house.
4. Make sure the children are allowed ample time to have play dates, stories, and physical activities.

Thus, it is not the question of whether or not the apps will replace preschools, but how parents and educators can develop the appropriate balance of the digital and physical learning. When applied properly, the two can be used together to provide children with the best of life.