Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:13:52 +0000

Do your children regard math as irksome and tedious? Prove to them that math is fun and exciting! Especially when it’s applied online and with a cheerful crowd of peers! World Maths Day, an online educational event taking place March 3 at worldmathsday.com, may be of help with this.

This online project was created by 3P Learning for school students aged 5-18. World Maths Day allows participants to “compete in real time to correctly answer mental arithmetic questions in quick-fire 60 second games,” describes voxy.co.nz.

Last year, this online activity brought together about 2 million students from 204 countries. World Maths Day 2010 will try “to set a Guinness World Record for the Largest Online Maths Competition,” said a representative of the event’s creator.

Don’t worry if it is too late for your child to register this year: World Maths Day has big plans for March 2011. And keep in mind: kids are always welcome to improve their skills at fun and exciting math using a free educational online game… Driving Kids!

Young learners, especially, can benefit from direct interaction with foundational skills such as reading, math, and creative, artistic concepts. Multimedia computer games can provide an interactive experience for children. The following educational websites provide engaging games and activities which help learners establish a solid foundation of basic skills in a fun, enjoyable way.

Children's learning and action styles influence how readily they learn from various situations from sit-down listening to hands-on activities. Several models attempt to define learning styles, or multiple intelligences, thinking styles, or cognitive styles. In general, people tend to learn most easily and successfully through one of the following manners.

• Watching a visual presentation of information
• Listening to an auditory presentation of information
• Reading information and writing notes
• Touching and doing

Using knowledge of a child's learning style allows an educator to provide information in the most suitable form, i.e., video, print, audio, interactive, etc. Online learning can incorporate several media to reach a wider audience.

Action styles refer to a person's instinctive way of approaching activities. In the article, How to Be Wildly Successful (O Magazine, 2006), Martha Beck introduced instinctive styles of action that fall into the general categories: Quick Start, Fact Finder, Implementer, and Follow-Thru. Ms. Beck explained that schools were created mainly by Follow-Thru types, which can cause trouble for children who do things differently.

Online Reading Games

Books serve as only one of many types of reading material. Children who do not appear drawn to books might prefer other print media such as comics, magazines, or they may develop an interest in reading via on-screen television, video games, or educational websites. The following learn to read websites can help reluctant readers develop literacy.