What Was Left After Six Months of a Tablet Learning Program for My Child
I handed a tablet learning program to my second-grade child. The ads said they would do it on their own for 15 minutes a day. To cut to the chase, there is no "on their own."
The first month, it was novel enough that they turned it on themselves, but from the second month they started watching for my reactions. In the end, I had to sit next to them, and if I didn't, a 15-minute session turned into 40 minutes. The error rate was okay-ish, but when I realized the child wasn't reading the questions but guessing, I felt a bit deflated.
Still, something did remain. The habit of sitting down at the same time every day, and the flow of revisiting wrong answers, definitely took hold. That was something that was a bit difficult with paper workbooks.
Now we use the tablet three times a week, and paper for the rest. I can see that focus blurs when screen time gets longer. For those considering learning workbooks, I'd like to say: first ask yourself "Do I have time to sit with them?" rather than "Is this designed for the child to do alone?"