The countdown to Christmas has well and truly begun, and for many parents this means the search is on for suitable gifts, both for your own children and for others. Choosing the right gift can be a difficult process, as we want to make sure our children don’t just accumulate endless piles of stuff, that either never get used or are used once and then pushed back to the back of the closet.
The good news is that there has been a shift in recent years when it comes to gift giving. Educational Christmas gifts have been increasing in popularity, with the global edutainment market worth AU$3.4 billion in 2018, and investment in the Edutech sector increasing by 30% to AU$14.1 billion in 2017. As children grow, it’s important to provide them with educational toys which allow them to learn, develop and grow as they play.
With the rise of technology in our everyday life it’s important that children’s screen time is nourishing and educational, rather than just mindless play. Educational online games promote key skills, important for life both online and offline. Specifically, online educational games encourage your child’s growth.
Online games reinforce the growth mindset through their treatment of failure. A child who fails at a game immediately tries again and eventually succeeds, so the idea of growth through practice is reinforced.
Alongside learning a beneficial life skill, educational gifts can illuminate a future career path. With STEM jobs growing 1.6 times faster than the growth rate in non-STEM jobs educational games can play a role in opening this pathway for your child’s future. Researchers have suggested that improvements in spatial skills predicts achievements in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Online educational games such as Matific Galaxy develop your child’s spatial skills through interactive episodes fostering an environment to understand and remember relationships between objects and maths concepts. Matific Galaxy is an innovative game-based learning program, designed by education professors and curriculum experts, which features creatively engaging situations, so children are taught maths skills without fear or anxiety. Parents and children can download Matific Galaxy on desktop and via android and iOS devices, so it’s super easy to use.
Gifting an online educational game to your child won’t only be beneficial for them, but also for the environment. Typically, during the Christmas to new year period Australian households will generate 30% more waste contributing to our 125,000 tonnes of plastic packaging waste every year.
These days there are many great educational gifts on the market to choose from, many that promote good screen time. So, when looking for a tech related gift that you can feel happy about and that your child will love, take time to explore the market.
ENDS
- Educational Christmas gifts
- Global edutainment market worth US$2.30 billion in 2018
- Investment in the Edutech sector was estimated to be US$9.5 billion with an increase of more than 30% as compared to 2016
- https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190906005198/en/Global-Edutainment-Markets-2017-2018-2019-2027—ResearchAndMarkets.com
- https://www.workingmother.com/stem-toys-teach-kids-to-code
- https://www.businessinsider.com/best-educational-toys/?r=AU&IR=T
- Future of STEM careers
- Benefits of educational gifts
- What Matific Galaxy app offers