Parents often wonder how they can promote independent study in their children. This is a challenge not only for working parents but also for stay-at-home parents who find themselves at a loss on how best to go about it. Spoon-feeding or the practice where parents do practically everything for their children has been proven to be counterproductive in learning goals. The key is to teach children to eventually study on their own so they will take responsibility for their own studies. Parents’ participation in their children’s studies is expected to be limited to minimal supervision and guidance which is how it should be.

K5 Review

 

In my own search for finding online study tools that can be used by my own children at home, I found the K5 Learning Program. My children were given the chance to try this program for free for six weeks. My children are in grades 4 and 8. It had been made clear from the very start that the program may no longer be suitable for my grade 8 son as the K5 Learning specifically focuses on learning for Kinder to grade 5 students only. Never the less, I chose to have him try it just to get his opinion as well. For purposes of this review, my observations will be focusing on the experience of my grade 4 daughter.

Here are my observations in relation to the features promised by the program:

1. Easy Enough for Independent Study

The K5 Learning Program promised to be easy enough to handle so that children will be encouraged to study independently. Based on my observation, that is true. Children who are reasonably adept at handling computer tasks are not expected to encounter any significant problem in using the program. It is accessed by the child through a personal log-in while parents retain their own log-in so they can check the progress of their children.

The directions on what to do for every phase are very clear. The lessons are presented in a logical manner, providing options to stop when necessary. This allows children to work at their own pace thereby reducing the pressure often burdening the child during study. This has encouraged my own child to gain confidence as she felt she has her learning tasks within her manageable control especially after a particularly hectic day in school.

2. Curricula Based on Education Rather Than Games or Entertainment

Again, this promise proved true. I have some concerns with supposed to be “educational” programs that proved too entertaining to count as academic learning. Although I do not totally disapprove of such games and entertainment, there needs to be a time for them and they should not be a hindrance to more formal learning.

I wanted a learning program that will support or complement my child’s classroom learning. The assessment made at the start of the program ensures that the child will be able to start at the right level. Parents can request for change of level, depending on the performance of the child.

 

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3. Emphasis on Child Safety

The K5 Learning site does not expose children to external links, advertisements, chat, and other similar potential risk factors associated with Internet use. Children can easily navigate within the site. They are allowed to go to at least 4 Reading and Math programs including K5 Reading, K5 Math, K5 Math Facts, and K5 Spelling.

Parents can easily access comprehensive reporting of their children’s progress. They can even request specific spelling words for study. There is no time while using the site will the children be short of using their time productively. The program is available 24/7 and will not require downloads to be made.

4. Reasonable Program Costs

For $25 per month or $199 per year with substantial discounts for siblings , the K5 Learning Program is available on a subscription basis. A 14-day free trial period is available to allow potential subscribers to determine if the program will be suitable for their children’s needs. The cost is expected to be offset by the reduced time needed by parents to prepare home lessons for their children.

 

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My Say

The most important thing that my children got from using the K5 Learning Program is that they learned to take responsibility for their study time. They selected the time which they felt was best for them and there was no need for me to remind them every so often. This is especially useful now that their school is slowly but surely paving the way for all-out e-learning. The only thing I noticed that kind of confused my children sometimes was the pronunciation of the spelling words. As the program is of foreign origin, the way some words are pronounced sounded a little different. I just advised them to read the accompanying meanings to guide them in determining the words being asked for.

Other than that, I can say that K5 is a good learning program to be used to complement traditional school learning. It encourages consistency, responsibility, and fun learning.

For more information about the K5 Learning Program, visit their site at: www.k5learning.com