Accessibility Resource CenterSkip to main content
About UsCareers
Support
Our Company
  • Our Company Overview
  • Who We Are Who We Are
    • Overview
    • Our Culture
    • History and Timeline
    • Headquarters & Contact Info
    • Verizon Fact Sheet
    • Leadership
  • What We Do What We Do
    • Overview
    • 5G
    • Innovation Labs
    • 4G LTE
    • Broadband & Fiber
    • Internet of Things
    • Managed Security
    • Verizon Ventures
  • How We Operate How We Operate
    • Overview
    • Code of Conduct
    • Management Governance
    • Open Internet
    • Policies
    • Retiree Information
    • State Government Affairs
 
News
  • News Center News Center
    • News Center
    • Networks & Platforms
    • Products & Plans
    • Responsible Business
    • Financial
    • Public Safety
    • Noticias
  • News Releases News Releases
    • News Releases
    • Media Contacts
    • B-roll and images
    • RSS Feeds
    • Emergency resource center
    • Verizon Fact Sheet
 
Responsibility
  • Responsibility Overview Responsibility Overview
    • Responsible Business Report
  • Digital Inclusion Digital Inclusion
    • Overview
    • Verizon Innovative Learning
    • Verizon Innovative Learning HQ
    • Small Business Program
  • Environmental Responsibility Environmental Responsibility
    • Disaster Resilience
  • Human Prosperity Human Prosperity
    • Overview
    • Reskilling Program
    • Employee Volunteers
  • Sharing our Success Sharing our Success
    • Overview
    • Giving and Grants
    • Employee Giving
  • Product Responsibility Product Responsibility
    • Overview
    • Accessibility
    • Account Security
    • Privacy Policy
  • Parenting in a Digital World Parenting in a Digital World
    • Overview
    • Digital Parenting 101
    • Young children 3-8
    • Preteens 9-12
    • Teenagers 13-18
    • By topic
    • Meet the editorial team
 
Investors
  • Investor Relations overview
  • Financial Reporting Financial Reporting
    • Overview
    • SEC Filings
    • Annual Reports
    • Quarterly Earnings
    • Stock Information
    • Dividend History
    • Tax Information
    • Fixed Income
    • Asset-backed Securitization
  • Corporate Governance Corporate Governance
    • Overview
    • Board of Directors
    • Board Committees
  • Shareowner Services Shareowner Services
    • Overview
    • Cost Basis Calculator
    • Shareowner FAQs
  • Responsible Business Reporting Responsible Business Reporting
    • Overview
  • News & Events News & Events
    • Investor Events & Webcasts
    • Investor News
    • Investor Calendar
    • Email Alerts
  • Contact Investor Relations
 
Support
About UsCareers
end of navigation menu
  1. About
  2. News
  3. Responsible Business
  4. Parenting in a Digital World
  5. A parent’s guide to back-to-school tech for kids
News Center
  1. Menu
    All News
    Networks & Platforms
    Products & Plans
    Responsible Business
    Public Safety
    Financial
    Noticias
    News Releases
    Media Contacts
    B-roll and images
    Verizon Fact Sheet
    RSS Feeds
    Emergency Resources
    Cable Facts
08/15/2023|Responsible Business|Parenting in a Digital World

A parent’s guide to back-to-school tech for kids

By: Jaime Donally
Author

An ed tech consultant and former teacher shares her experience to help parents find the best back-to-school gadgets for kids.

Español
Mother Helping Son Pack For School | Back To School Tech

In my daughter’s first year at elementary school, we discovered she has dyslexia.

As an ed tech consultant specializing in learning with technology, such as augmented and virtual reality, I remembered an app called Catchy Words AR. Think Pokèmon Go, but for spelling words. The letters virtually floated around the room as my daughter virtually grabbed each letter, one by one, to spell a word.

An hour after she first learned to spell the word, she was still able to spell it. The next day, I asked again, and without delay, she spelled it correctly.

How had this app made such a difference? It was a personalized learning experience. My daughter is a kinesthetic learner and loves to be active in her learning experience. The app incorporated spatial learning, moving the material from two dimensions into three dimensions. And she was encouraged to be successful through fun play and was celebrated at the completion of the activity.

Students can be more successful when using technology that aligns with their own learning styles and interests. But it can take time to find the right tech, even when you’re an expert. Below, find a few tips on the ways tech can help support kids as they head back to school.

‘Students Can Be More Successful When Using Technology That Aligns With Their Own Learning Styles And Interests.’ By Jaime Donally, Ed Tech Consultant | Back To School Tech

The best gadgets and tech accessories for going back to school

Gizmo Watch 3

The Gizmo Watch 3 is a great gadget for kids who are kinesthetic, or active, learners, like my daughter. With timers and alarms, a Gizmo Watch can help kids stay on track with homework and chores at home. Plus, a built-in step tracker can make active play part of the after-school routine by setting step goals for free time. And two-way calling and text make it easy to coordinate pickup after school.

Smart speakers  

Kids are finding this piece of advanced technology to be a cool gadget for school, too. Smart speakers can support homework tasks, read a story, or create music for an ambience that fosters concentration or wholesome sleep routines. Not only are these gadgets for kids delightful, these child-friendly smart speakers also have more security settings that lets your child call an approved set of contacts from the device, and kid-friendly responses to their questions.

Tablets

Most kids get Chromebooks or school-issued laptops, but tablets are a great addition. Tablets use our natural gestures for interaction, making the technology especially adaptable for young learners. Depending on your child’s age, look for  tablets with good parental control features built into the device.

Headphones

We live our lives in a continual state of distraction. Using headphones helps kids shut out noises that keep them from being productive and staying on task. Headphones can also help reduce stress and anxiety by limiting overwhelming sounds. Kids can play classical music to keep their focus and attention on learning, or they can listen to an audiobook while following along with the textbook. Also, consider on-ear noise-canceling headphones, as they can protect a child’s developing auditory system.

How to help kids get the most out of learning with technology

Learning how best to support my daughter didn’t come easily, and I often found solutions through trial and error. When I noticed her interest in active learning through play, I tried to include more activities that got her up and moving. And we got the best results when I pointed out the times she was having fun learning—and why it was fun. Your child’s school may also have some insight into children’s learning styles, or you can see if your child is naturally drawn to one of the three listed below.

Understanding children’s learning styles

  1. Visual learner: These learners usually have a knack for drawing, can easily grasp the concept of maps and would rather watch than read something.

  2. Auditory learner: These learners can pick up on sounds in the background, love to talk things through and may have an interest in music.

  3. Kinesthetic learner: These learners display good eye-hand coordination, use a lot of physical gestures when they talk and could be described as fidgety when they’ve been sitting too long.

Tech to support children’s learning styles

Tablets and laptops: Visual learners can use videos and tutorials to learn more about a challenging homework assignment.

Smart speakers: Auditory learners can listen to recordings and podcasts.

Games and apps: For kinesthetic learners, consider online games in a subject they might be struggling with.

How to find online learning resources

When I first noticed the Catchy Words AR app, I discounted it as a hangman-type game in augmented reality. I didn’t see the value until I saw it in action with my daughter. Finding the right app begins with understanding your child’s strengths and interests and how they can use those talents to tackle their struggles.

Tips

  1. Figure out where your child is struggling. Talk with them about what is difficult in class and where they want to be more confident. 

  2. Identify a resource that uses your child’s interests, such as art or sports, to help them through a learning struggle. When a child feels confident in a skill, they are more willing to take on a new challenge. 

  3. Keep the resources changing, as children will get bored with the same activities.

Finally, back-to-school tips for parents: Keeping kids safe online

Now that you know how some at-home tech can help support your child, it’s also worth taking a closer look at the parental controls on these devices.

Smart speakers

Consider occasionally changing up the wake word for smart devices, so your child starts to understand there are limits to using it. Consider connecting these devices to a family account and using tools such as Amazon Kids for Alexa devices or Digital Wellbeing for Google smart speakers, which will pull from a library of kid-appropriate content.

Tablets

Tablets may have parental control settings on the devices themselves. You can limit screen time for kids, or Wi-Fi access—for example, you might allow access on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3 – 3:30 PM. You can also control whether kids can make in-app purchases and are designed with a child’s safety in mind.

VR and gaming

Even with educational apps, it’s important to review the parental controls and dismantle chat options if applicable. Keep in mind, the recommended age for using a VR headset is 13 and up.

Today, my youngest daughter has learned how to voice her individual needs to perform at her best. While not every circumstance will always fit her exact preference, she is aware of her strengths and how to use them. She still reaches out for support if she can’t solve issues on her own, but we’ve walked this journey this far together, and I know we are in a great place for the future.

Get unlimited data and save on everything kids stream for school—and after school—with myPlan.

About the author:

As a former classroom teacher turned educational technologist, Jaime Donally has inspired innovative teaching strategies to schools and organizations around the world. Driven by her passion for augmented and virtual reality in education, she supports learners and ed-tech companies to effectively implement immersive technology in the classroom. Donally is the founder of ARVRinEDU and Global Maker Day.

 

The author has been compensated by Verizon for this article.

Follow Me:
Tags:
Children ages 3-9, Preteens ages 9-12, Teens ages 13-18, Schools & Learning, Tech Trends

Related Articles

Using Deep Nostalgia in the classroom
07/27/2021
Is Deep Nostalgia just a viral moment? Or a teachable moment? AR and VR edtech expert Jaime Donally says it’s here to stay. What parents and educators need to know.
Aspiring Content Creator With Parent
How to set realistic expectations for your aspiring content creator
07/19/2023
Are you wondering how to help your young content creator find success? Here’s how to set up expectations and screen time boundaries for video creation and sharing, from a parent who’s been through it.

Whether you are raising a concern or have only a question, we want you to know it’s important to us. You are about to visit a third-party website, and the information you provide will be submitted directly to Verizon Ethics. If you have any questions about how the information you share will be used, please view our Ethics Privacy Notice.

Proceed
Services & Solutions
  • Verizon.com
  • Mobile Plans
  • Mobile Devices
  • Home Services
  • Small and Medium Business
  • Enterprise Solutions
  • Verizon Connect
  • Public Sector
  • Partner Solutions
Support
  • Mobile Online Support
  • Home Online Support
  • Contact Customer Support
  • Sign in to your Account
  • Store Locator
  • Account Security & Fraud Claims
  • Accessibility
Innovation
  • Innovation Labs
  • Verizon Ventures
Network Technologies
  • 4G LTE
  • 5G
  • Fiber Optics
  • Multi-Access Edge Compute (MEC)
Careers
  • Welcome to the #VTeamLife
  • Life at Verizon
  • Culture & Diversity
  • Search Open Roles
  • Careers Site Map
Follow Verizon News
  • twitter
  • instagram
Follow Inside Verizon
  • twitter
  • instagram
Follow Verizon Careers
  • linkedin
  • twitter
  • instagram
Follow Customer Support
  • facebook-official
  • twitter
Follow VerizonGreen
  • twitter
  • Privacy Policy
  • California Privacy Notice
  • Health Privacy Notice
  • Your Privacy Choices
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility
  • Open Internet
  • Important Consumer Information
  • About Our Ads
  • Site Map
© 2025 Verizon