4 Apps For Homeschooling Young Children

Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the world has changed in unexpected and surprising ways. For children of any age, the restrictions of movement and bans around socializing will have come as a shock. For younger children, from preschoolers to tweens, it can be hard to understand and process the huge difference between their life as it was at the beginning of the year and their life now. Children of this age thrive on routine and find reassurance and comfort in what is familiar to them.

At the beginning of the government quarantines and lockdowns, children of all ages rejoiced in the novelty of not going to school or to the childminder and being home with their family. Many families though are balancing the adjustment of remote working and having the whole family home at the same time. Trying to meet all the needs of children in the family, a job, and everything else can be tough. Especially when homeschooling is involved. Suddenly there aren’t enough hours in the day and parents are getting burnt-out at home.

To ease the strain, here are four recommended apps to help parents with homeschooling and time management at home.

Cozi App

The Cozi family organizer app is an intuitive, award-winning, an app designed to help families stay on schedule with day to day routines. Cozi works nicely as a helping hand during quarantine as it takes the stress out of trying to remember what needs doing and the lesson subject of the day. It even helps you keep track of groceries and meal plans. Set the whole family up on Cozi and color code each family member so they know what is happening and when. Helping Mom and Dad stay on top of the housework, Cozi has a handy to-do list feature that lets you assign tasks to each family member. Cozi offers a free version and a subscription version so you can try it out for no cost.

(Android | iOS)

Duo Lingo App

Learning a new language at a young age has been proven to boost a child’s listening skills and concentration. Duo Lingo is a great way to get kids started with a new language or even improve on a language they have started learning already in school. Duo Lingo is a free app that personalizes the learning experience to the user and has more than 95 languages courses in 38 languages.

The app uses visuals and audio for the most part so kids that can read already can be left to it and will be able to learn alone. Younger kids, who aren’t quite reading independently might like a bit of support from a parent or sibling – a great way to bond and learn together whilst having fun. “Technically Duo Lingo is designed for 13 years old and up but it’s a no brainer for younger kids with its bright colors, visuals use and easy to follow instructions,”  Holly Asem a homeschooling blogger at Writinity and Lastminutewriting. There’s also a school version, so be sure to let the teachers know when the kids go back.

(Android | iOS)

Khan Academy App and Khan Academy Kids App

The Khan Academy app ticks a lot of boxes for homeschooling. Not only is there a totally fun, ad-free, learning program specifically for ages two to seven but there are also programs for older kids too. For the younger age group, Khan Academy Kids has cute characters like Kodi the kangaroo who kids will love to learn with. There are also printables to balance screen time and motor skills. Lessons for the little ones focus on early literacy, reading, writing, language, and math ‘while encouraging creativity and building social-emotional skills.

For the older kids, there is a multitude of syllabus subjects including science, math, history, and more. There are currently more than 60 million students worldwide using Khan Academy to supplement their homeschooling. That’s no surprise since Khan Academy is designed in a way that students receive rewards like energy points and badges to keep them motivated.

“My tip for parents who are homeschooling any age is to set up the app accounts yourself so you can keep tabs on your child’s progress and communications.” Says, Pete Duncan an app reviewer at Draftbeyond and Researchpapersuk. “Do the same with email accounts for older children.”

(Android | iOS)

Reading Eggs App

With schools closed, the learning of so many children has been put on pause. For any children who are learning to read and for parents who want to keep that going home but aren’t sure where to start, Reading Eggs can help. This award-winning app is designed to help children learn to read in just two weeks and is for ages two to thirteen.

The app has songs, educational games, and more than 2500 books to keep learning fun.  Learning is broken down by age groups, for ages 2 – 4 the focus is phonetics and letters, for age 5 focus moves to sight words and vocabulary. As the ages go up, spelling, book reading, and comprehension are introduced. Reading Eggs offers a free 2-week trial and has a subscription fee after that. Giving you and your children a chance to try it out first.

(Android | iOS)

Authored by: Ashley Halsey is an educational editor at Assignment Help and Gumessays.com who homeschools her two children whilst working remotely.