You know how there is a manual inside every device and product you own/purchase? The one that is extremely important and holds the guide to using said device or product properly? We decided our Square Panda users needed one user guide of their very own, to guide them along their journey to early education and literacy.
We recommend every first-time user read our cheat sheet of instructions, before using our playset and Smart Letters.
Firstly, let us explain the terms we use while referring to the Square Panda phonics playset:
Your guide to using the Square Panda Playset:
Your guide to using the Square Panda Smart Letters:
According to a study conducted in 2002, learners performed much better when they were introduced to ‘realistic’ coloured objects, rather than simple black-and-white or even random coloured objects.
Young learners use colour and shape to identify things and describe them. It offers learners a sense of security and stimulation when they are taught using one or two colours. A riot of them, however, seems to make beginner learners anxious and overstimulated.
Yellow (in small amounts) is a happy colour, and boosts growth and development. It can also help stimulate the memory and improve concentration.
The combination of blue and red, purple takes on both their qualities, soothing and calming like blue, and attracting attention, energising the mind, and increasing athletic ability like red.
Caring For Your Playset, Smart Letters:
Like any other electronic device, taking our playset and the letters for a swim is not the best idea! We did design them to be durable, but if they get wet, dry them off with a cloth as soon as possible.
Letters not reading correctly? They may have something stuck to their bottom side. Clean the letters with a damp cloth and then dry them thoroughly. Make sure to keep the letter slots of the tray just as clean, as small bits of food or other debris can affect the reading of the letters. If your letters are still giving you a problem, contact us, and we’ll do our best to solve your problem.
Remember, the settings button uses a ‘long press’ function. We thought that might be enough to fool kids, and prevent them from accessing the settings page. We applied the same reasoning to the ‘adults only’ menu, asking for a code which is entirely in words. The assumption was that if your kids can read those, then they are probably ready for more advanced learning tools.
Come back next week for an in-depth look at our incredible progress monitoring tools for kids…
– Sanjana Shukla, Content Writer, Square Panda India
Boredom teaches everyone that life isn’t a themed amusement park. Even young brains get easily stuck in the whirlpool of boredom, and it fills the teachers and parents’ mind with a cascade of guilt and accountability. The problem with the current education scenario is that it has somewhat submerged under the heavy load of papers with no fun elements. Learning should have a high ratio of fun quotient.
Children’s brains can easily drift into an elaborate fantasy realm which captures their attention. But, there’s a hope to channel learning equation for kids, all thanks to a new breed of early educational games apps. These apps are popularly known as ‘gamification’ in which educational and game elements are added together to generate a child’s productivity level. Gamification is the new trend in recent times, and multiple brain games for kids have changed the learning environment.
NOW EXACTLY WHAT IS GAMIFICATION?
Understand Gamification And Game-Based Learning.
For starters, gamification of learning is an educational approach which is inspiring students’ to learn using the elements of the game. A young brain gets motivated using the lessons blended with gaming elements. This makes education more fun-filled. Often, gamification and game-based learning are used interchangeably, but it does not mean they are similar. In the gamifying standard psychological tasks, the research has highlighted game elements can improve the task accessibility, build engagement using a system, and inspiring long-term participation. Yes, gamification is already spreading its roots in a variety of settings; there are game-based early educational platforms, multisensory systems for early learners, and as they level-up chances of winning increases. A slew of research studies have verified the connection between improvement in the engagement and better learning experience to kids. The core idea is to boost the child’s productivity using the concepts of gamified and game-based learning platform.
The gaming elements in game-based learning:
Gaming Elements In Learning
BLOOM OF GAMIFICATION IN EDUCATION
Nick Pelling (a British computer programmer, and entrepreneur) coined the word ‘gamification’ in 2002. He stated, gamification as ‘applying game-like accelerated user interface design to make electronic transactions both enjoyable and fast.’ Thus, games started to begin developed as a learning machine. Now, the gamification concept is implemented in the cultures of education, and it provides maximum value to the students.
HOW DO CLASSROOMS TAKE ADVANTAGES OF GAMIFYING EDUCATION?
The biggest challenge for the teachers is to gain their student’s interest to interact and engage them. For doing so, the teacher’s needs to redefine the course materials or the teaching techniques which will fuel efficient learners. Gamification would chalk out the right direction to encourage students by easily involving them in the classroom activities and learn well.
GAMIFY TO IMPROVE GRADES
Games are gradually turning into verified educative tools which delivers the best to raise the kid’s interest. Following a standard set of the curriculum will improve the transformation of involving preschoolers. Gamification reinforces the context which will profoundly impact classroom management. Students will develop an interest to attend regular classes. The educational games will keep the class actively hooked, engage preschoolers cognitively, emotionally and socially.
For example: If we develop a game that transforms the base of education by adding rewards or bonus points for every correct answer, then children will gain more interest to participate in each of the activities conducted.
Teachers needs to integrate educational games into the curriculum to enhance the involvement of the students. Grades will be surely rising. Moreover, a gamified classroom is a dynamic approach to teach kids.
If you want to know, how to boost a child’s productivity; here’s the lay low of how teachers can seamlessly use the gamification in early education to increase a child’s productivity level.
– GAMIFY TO RAISE ENTHUSIASM:Gamification brings in the fun element in learning any subject, even the uninspired or struggling children can be motivated to reach the next level. Early learners enjoy themselves to participate in games and without realising the fact that they are actually practicing learning. These kids begin to focus on improving schoolwork and improving skills in the class.
– Square Panda’s multisensory learning games, like Letter Lab, Lagoon, Bowling, and Space Cows, inspires kids to explore their potential while they learn to read.
Explore & Play Lagoon Game To Encourage Kids Productivity.
– AIDS COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT: Numerous studies have reflected that cognitive development turns young brains into more profound learners. Neuroscience theorists believe adding gamified teaching content will stimulate cognitive skills. These skills will help to solve problems, perform strategic planning, thinking and processing the material.
It will produce a stimulating environment for the brain to find answers to questions. Gamification will create a positive effect on their cognitive functions, and achieve autonomy.
Early Learners Brain Cognition Photo by: freepik.com
– GAMIFICATION GENERATES TEAMWORK: Preschoolers will learn to collaborate with their classmates by working together as a team. They are constantly learning something new.
Games Develop Teamwork In Preschoolers
-GAMIFICATION INCREASES ATTENTION SPAN: It is the cold truth: a game will capture students’ attention more than anything else. Games offers unique experiences to the participants. They will like to spend more time learning.
Gamification Increases The Attention Of Children
WHAT DOES GAMIFICATION BRING TO EDUCATION?
Let’s listen to our experts’ advice.
KNOW THE SQUARE PANDA WAY OF LEARNING
The future of learning is in the child’s early development. Kill their boredom with curiosity and advance their interest in fun learning games!
Early Learners Explores Gamification
Square Panda’s neuroscience research-based multisensory learning platform to absorb the elements of phonemes, phonological awareness, vocabulary, rhymes, etc. Each lesson guides early learners with personalised gameplay.
If you are searching for the best practices for gamifying the delivery of education, then drop down your comments and we’ll help you attain your goals.
‘Screen Time’, or the time spent by a person in front of a screen, is growing by leaps and bounds every day.
Photo by Vidmir Raic from Pixabay
Guidelines issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend no digital exposure until children are 18 months of age, and exposure with adult engagement at least until they are 5 years old. We at Square Panda follow their instructions, endorsing the use of our literacy platform for children above 2 years of age. We are also great believers of learning via screen time, for the following reasons:
WE LIVE IN A DIGITAL WORLD
Digital media has invaded every part of our lives, in offices, homes, and even schools. In such a scenario, ensuring children are digitally literate is not just smart, it is also staying a step ahead of the times. Supervised screen time, can, if handled correctly, can increase children’s confidence and prepare them for their future.
PUTTING THE ‘SELF’ IN ‘SELF-CONTROL’
An overuse of anything, be it screens or even play time, is never a good thing. With that said, parents and teachers should try to encourage children to self-regulate the time they spend in front of a device. Teaching them moderation through methods like fear (you can scare them away from too much screen time by showing them its adverse effects), and positive motivation (entice them away from the device by introducing them to something they enjoy more), can have unexpected benefits. Because they are setting their own (moderate) time in front of a device, they become more independent, confident, and self-assured. They are gradually able to identify their own needs and wants, and figure out a way to meet them.
THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF SCREEN TIME
Research has proven that screen time can actually help, rather than hinder, development of young children. Screen time has also received a ‘thumbs-up’ from child media expert and Vice President of PBS KIDS Digital, Sara DeWitt, who believes screen time can be beneficial if used correctly.
In light of fear that excess screen time can cause obesity, look to videos, apps, and activities that encourage children to move rather than stare passively at the screen. Square Panda’s games, like Jiggity Jamble and Monster Rhymes, motivate kids to use their bodies while learning English.
Talking to kids about their pastimes, and more specifically, their favoured games, has a way of opening up the conversation to new avenues. Experts even suggest this can lead to enhanced social and emotional interactions.
Parents and teachers can control the content, choosing only those programs/products that have a high quality of educational age-appropriate content. And there are a lot of high-quality educational products out there!
We ask parents and teachers across India to say a big, resounding ‘YES’ to screen time with us, because our early literacy system has 40% less screen time with our multisensory approach; kids constantly look away from the screen to search for and pick up Smart Letters while playing with games. Unlike other digital experiences, Square Panda’s phonics-based early education platform qualifies—and many parents would agree with us here—as ‘good Screen Time’. With a product that is research-based (we’ve got our own team of experts in the field of early education, working alongside educators) and has proven results in many schools and homes across America and China, Square Panda’s vast library of educational gamesmakes a child’s time in front of a device more productive.
We think an introduction to the digital world is essential in today’s day and age, but we highly recommend a balanced use of screen time, with children going outdoors as regularly as they learn and play indoors.
What Do You Think:
Take this poll and let us know your thoughts about ‘Screen Time’ in your homes and classrooms:
Ever imagined the preschoolers surpassing all the milestones and reaching their ultimate potential? Young brains requires milestones to develop their base foundation skills. Teachers, Parents, and Caregivers, always wonder about how to encourage the child by directing them in the right path. Now you can trigger the accurate emotions, set them on course for effective and engaging learning. Evolve their cognition’s easily.
“Cognitive Development pertains improving the skills in terms of understanding the concepts, perception, learning, thinking and processing information in the brain.”
In simpler terms,Cognition refers to thinking and memory processes while cognitive development refers to long-term changes in these processes. Here’s a better explanation by Piaget in his popular Psychological theory. According toJean Piaget’s(a renowned Swiss Psychologist) Theory of Cognitive Development, the children move through four different stages of brain development. The theory focuses on understanding, how young brains acquire knowledge and the nature of intelligence. As children take an active role in the learning process, make constant observations, and perform experiments their skills grows. Infact, interacting with other people adds more knowledge. He believed, cognitive development is a process which happens due to biological maturation.
Piaget’s Period Of Cognitive Development
Everyone knows, the preschool years are the most exciting and enthusiastic as a child is immersed in a highly social world. These social and cultural influences are providing the context and building the cognitive growth foundation. So, how can kids’ keep every detail in mind and solve problems? When they read a book, speak and watch a video, their young brains hold onto everything as processed info. The psychologists calls it theworking memory. It underpins the child’s ability to learn. Working memory generates proper guidance to enhance the child’s decision-making process and behavior.
Yes, children’s thinking ability is tremendously developing by leaps and bounds. Especially at the age of three-five, every child’s brain begins to grow cognitively, and they require teachers to provide support and guidelines. Mentoring them with educational tools will engage the preschoolers’ thinking abilities and give a boundless exposure to their potentials.
Square Panda inspires early learning by triggering the correct cognitive cords. There are various hallmarks in the pedagogy, which teachers must use to encourage and educate the early learners.
Here are some hallmarks on how to train the preschoolers through the lens of cognitive development.
1.Simple Reasoning and Problem-solving-
Young brains have thousands of questions and need explanations on how things work around. Teachers should pose and read aloud some thought-provoking questions for preschoolers to understand the natural causes of any phenomena, this will stimulate their cognitive abilities. Reasoning and problem solving is a technique which teachers can use to help students understand how and why things work. For instance, Teachers can evolve their students curiosity levels by reading the different “how to” children books or guides.
2.Growth of Social and Emotional Cognition-
Social Cognition refers to thinking about social situations and keeping emotions in control. Your child is a social being and in the pre-school years, children begin to expand their cognitive skills, and knows, how the social world works. Using the method of learning to play, they are able to grasp other people’s behaviors, displays their theory of mind and gain greater perspectives on the working of the world. Throughout their preschool years, their young brains learns to increase communication abilities and advances their cognitive workings.
3. Recollection and Boosting Memory-
Improving the capacity for memory and recollection is vital for young brains. Going hand in hand with metacognition, the children will recall their previous knowledge of different concepts. Metacognitive skills allow children to learn how to solve problems and generate thinking of their own. Using the mnemonic strategies is rudimentary in young children. Preschoolers should be able to exhibit their abilities to recall things, people, story, Etc. They should be able to address their family members.
Let’s use an example- A teacher can involve the students in book-reading or drawing activities which stimulate their ability to reflect on their own thinking. Then the teachers should ask them what they have learned from the book. It will aid the teachers to evaluate individual students learning capacity and the students will learn to recall, the teacher does the repetition of significant concepts in the story.
4. Encourage Symbolic Play-
Symbolic representation is one of the major hallmarks of influencing the preschoolers. Their young brains begin to understand and decode the difference between things whether they are real or not. Children mostly recognises the characters in books or stories. Teachers should engage them in a symbolic play, it will inspire the children to participate in the make-believe/ pretend play. They learn the significance of real and fantasy.
For example-
Children must be involved in the pretend to play as if they are the characters in the storybooks being read to them. Just like how in the Lagoon game, the Cameo- the chameleon’s character uses intonation, shows emotion and expression to indulge the child’s mind.
Conclusion-
Pedagogy could always nourish the child’s cognitive capabilities by optimally using all of the above hallmarks and approaches. Shape their actions, judgment, and build stronger motor skills using the learning theories and advanced phonics system.
Square Panda has some powerful findingsonearly childhood learning and program effectiveness. We are helping kids ages 2 to 8 to learn to develop theirMultisensory reading abilities i.e. reading using touch, sight, and sound.
Do you have the readiness to implement a cognitively rich experience for preschool children? Express your views and write to us in the comment section below.
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– Nidhi Parikh, SEO Content Writer, Square Panda India
We are extremely proud to tell you that we’ve won the ‘Parent And Teacher Choice Award‘ for 2019! Bestowed on us by a website that has been active longer than Google (!)–the website, HowToLearn.com, was started in 1996, while Google began in 1998–we were unanimously selected as the best early education system because of our “unique multisensorymethods of teaching reading, as well as a library of games that truly engage the learners”.
About HowToLearn.com: This website went live two years before Google did, and is still kicking, successfully connecting parents, teachers, educators, and even resellers, with the best educational resources to enhance learning. Companies interested in boosting their online profile can throw their hat in the ring and enter their names. The best of the lot (like us!) will be chosen as the winner by a jury of parents and teachers, who base their decision on proven results, creativity, innovation, and the brain-building abilities of said company.
If you have ever wondered how to teach a child to read, then this article, written on our global blog, is for you. With simple tips and easily available book suggestions, this article will make sure your kids learn to read English, taking them from pre-readers to confident and fluent lifelong readers.
Images by RitaE, Anemone123, StockSnap, Pezibear, Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay
Sight. Sound. Smell. Touch. Taste.
Each sense unique. Each sense vital. Each sense necessary to function normally.
Now imagine any of the things you do every day–devouring a plate of piping hot noodles, watching that long-awaited movie in the theatre, playing a friendly game of cricket with the neighbourhood kids…
Did you ever notice that every one of your actions require the use of two or more senses, never just one?
You smell, see, and taste the noodles.
You see and hear the movie.
You see, hear, touch the bat and ball.
Vital to an experience individually, when combined, our senses transform a regular activity into something absolutely divine.
And yet, many traditional classrooms end up depriving their students of a multisensory experience, preferring to teach using only sight and/or sound.
‘Multisensory‘: A word to describe using more than one sense at a time, the multisensory model has also been prescribed by countless researchers as the optimal way to teach children, especially young learners in nursery and kindergarten.
*Watch Square Panda VP of Education and Research, Dr. Vera Blau-McCandliss, talk about learning using a multisensory experience here.
Multisensory process have also been shown as playing a key role in beginners learning letter-sound correspondence, both behaviourally and neurologically.
In the UK, Sir Jim Rose published his final report (2006) on ‘An Independent Review of the Teaching of Early Reading’. It affirmed that the childhood acquisition of speaking and listening skills, and phonetic knowledge, is greatly enhanced by the use of multisensory approaches.
This teaching method greatly benefits struggling readers and children with developmental abilities too, as they are assisted by multiple stimuli. Schools around the globe are gradually warming up to this style of teaching, especially in young students, but the ‘multisensory’ aspect is confined to a few subjects. Examples include singing songs, conducting science experiments, and more.
Listening to the need of the hour, Square Panda created a learning experience that greatly boosts skill level and retention…we enhanced our learning system with a multisensory phonics learning platform.
Understanding that every learner internalises information differently–some learn through touch, some though sight, and yet others though sounds–we knew we had to create a system that catered to each learner individually, as well as something that worked for everyone on a larger scale.
Meet our 45 Smart Letters™.
If their brightly coloured toy-like bodies (consonants in purple, vowels in yellow) weren’t enough, these Smart Letters have been created with food-grade plastics, making them completely safe if ingested (not that we recommend anyone munch on the letters!).
Completing the circle of ‘sensory integration’, these Smart Letters are paired with interactive educational games for children as young as 2 years of age.
Padding this already impressive early literacy program, our ‘multisensory’ approach is sure to greatly strengthen any little learner’s language acquisition and development. By providing students with multiple learning pathways, we hope to give each child a chance to succeed.
So come on and give multisensory teaching a try!
Have you tried teaching the ‘multisensory’ way? Tell us your experience with ‘multisensory’ teaching in the comment section below.
– Sanjana Shukla, Content Writer, Square Panda India
This Women’s Day, join Square Panda India in celebrating all those amazing ladies who have dedicated their lives to bettering the futures of young learners.
A huge shout-out to all the amazing educators who graced us with their presence and insight into early literacy at the Square Panda India Launch.
*Read all about our launch here, or watch it here.
As a special treat, we’ve collated some quotes from their talks:
*Catch each speaker’s talk on our YouTube channel.
Here’s wishing all our ‘HERoes’ a very Happy Women’s Day!
Let’s try to make the quotes and wishes of today the realities of tomorrow.
– Sanjana Shukla, Content Writer, Square Panda India
The moment we had been waiting for finally arrived!
Square Panda celebrated its launch in India on February 19, 2019 at the Westin Hotel in Mumbai.
You may recall, dear reader, from our previous post, that while we are well-known across America, we have just opened our doors in India.
We introduced our amazing multisensory phonics learning system to India at the ‘Language, Literacy, and Early Childhood Education‘ event.
An audience comprised of the biggest names in education were left completely enthralled with the talks presented by our speakers…
especially when Guest of Honour Andre Agassi walked in.
Take a look…
Square Panda CEO and co-founder Andy Butler with Andre Agassi, who spoke about his journey from tennis to education, and from there, to Square Panda. (below) (Watch the video here.)
(above) Andre Agassi’s Q & A session with the audience.
Ashish Jhalani, Managing Director, Square Panda India, kicking off the event with an introduction to Square Panda. (Watch his speech here.)
Dr. Nandini Chatterjee Singh, cognitive neuroscientist from National Brain Research Centre on deputation to UNESCO-MGIEP, talking about ‘Shaping the Biliterate Brain – Acquisition of Literacy Skills in Two Distinct Languages’. (Watch her talk here.)
Dr. Vera Blau-McCandliss, VP of Education and Research, Square Panda, speaking about ‘The Research & Science Behind Today’s Early Childhood Learning’. (Watch her speech here.)
Andy Butler, CEO and co-founder, Square Panda, enlightening the audience on the ‘Future of Technology for Early Learners’.
Dhruv Bhargava, VP, Data Science & Software, Square Panda, on Personalisation & Adaptiveness for Better Young Learners’. (Watch his speech here.)
Also actively engaging the audience interest were our two panels:
Panel I: The 6 C’s of Early Education—Collaboration, Communication, Content, Creativity, Critical Thinking, ConfidencePanel Speakers (from left to right): Bhavin Shah-Moderator, (Director-CEO, Education World), Vani Shastri (Director at SEED & Seed Academy, Chennai), Nitya Ramaswami (Executive Mentor, Alfa Group of Schools), Bhargavi Ajit (Adapt India).
Panel II: Evolution of Artificial Intelligence Aided TeachingPanel Speakers (from left to right): Fatema Agarkar (Co-founder, KA EduAssociates), Pooja Goyal Sharma (Head of Strategy and New Initiatives, Klay Prep Schools and Daycare, Bangalore), Dr. Seema Negi (Principal, Sanjeevani World School), Dhruv Bhargava (VP of Data Science & Software Engineering, Square Panda, California).
Appreciating all the efforts made in the education sector, the following people were awarded a special Square Panda trophy:
especially when Guest of Honour Andre Agassi walked in.
Panel Speakers (from left to right): Bhavin Shah-Moderator, (Director-CEO, Education World), Vani Shastri (Director at SEED & Seed Academy, Chennai), Nitya Ramaswami (Executive Mentor, Alfa Group of Schools), Bhargavi Ajit (Adapt India).
