South African children have resorted to homeschooling and e-learning methods whilst schools are closed in order to keep up with the curriculum.
However, the home environment can be drab without the physical presence of teachers and classmates but also over-stimulating with cell phones, the TV and their toys all at their fingertips - so getting your child to buckle down for an hour or two of work can be a challenge.
Finding a way to make learning fun again may be your best solution to the problem. From language learning to coding, there are a number of apps out there to keep young minds sharp.
Here are 5 educational apps to help children learn during lockdown:
Lightbot Jr : Coding Puzzles
Free on Google Play and App Store
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Designed for children as young as four years old, this app proves that it’s never too early to start introducing the world of coding to your kids. An easier version of the popular Lightbot that features a gentler approach with less complex puzzles, parents can play along with their kids to solve puzzles that use game mechanics that are rooted in Computer Science concepts.
Lightbot Junior introduces players to basic concepts like writing instructions, debugging problems, simple procedures and loops, just by guiding a robot with commands to light up tiles and solve levels.
Think!Think! : Brain training games for kids
Free on Google Play and App Store
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Think!Think! was created by a team of teaching experts, designed to help young children harness their ‘thinking sense’ and acquire the skills necessary to overcome any challenge, whether inside or outside of the classroom.
The app features short, timed puzzles that sharpen the players’ lateral thinking and spatial reasoning skills, whilst being presented as an enjoyable game.. Together with their daily cap of three games, the app ensures that players come back day after day to learn incrementally, and sustainably over time.
Duolingo - Learn Languages
Free on Google Play and App Store
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Better suited for teens, this app is all you need to learn French and Italian for when you plan on backpacking through Europe, Spanish or Latin for your studies and Japanese and German to help spruce up your CV for job applications.
Duolingo makes language learning quick, effective and enjoyable by offering an array of lessons that use listening exercises, flashcards, and multiple choice questions to teach new words, phrases, and sentences.
String Soul - Piano learning
Free on Google Play and App Store
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String Soul gives kids easy access to the best piano tutors online so they can learn to play the piano, or just practice their favorite piano pieces, with experienced professionals, from the comforts of their home, at their preferred time.
Barefoot World Atlas
Free on Google Play and App Store
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Go for a trip around the world with the interactive 3D globe and discover the beautiful wonders of our planet. Barefoot World Atlas is an impressive app that allows children to explore different regions of our world and it’s jam packed with enticing animated icons, an ever-changing soundscape and interactive quizzes.