The Learning Success Blog

Australian kids are more than halfway through the school term, and it's likely that most of them are already tired and stressed over homework and revising for exams. According to a recent survey, over 30 percent of students said that their homework workload is their biggest source of stress, while more than 25 percent said that tests like NAPLAN are causing them anxiety in school.

Being worried over grades and performance can cause a child to lose interest in their school work. This is why parents should take active steps to ensure that their kids stay engaged during the school year, and have a love for learning that goes beyond the classroom.

Here are some simple yet effective ways to keep kids interested in learning.

There is no denying that the Covid-19 global pandemic has disrupted just about every aspect of our lives, including our children’s education. By the end of March 2020, interruptions were experienced at schools in every state. Although the extent and timeline of the closures differed from one region to the next, the Australian education system as a whole was impacted greatly.

Even now, a year later, great uncertainty still remains, with lockdowns being enforced and lifted without much forewarning. Although Australia has managed to avoid much of the large-scale devastation the pandemic caused elsewhere in the world, the country’s education system remains vulnerable.

There are actually a number of ways in which the pandemic is changing education across the world. 

Financial literacy is a skill that is vital for us all to learn, particularly considering the fact that many young adults seek their first loans soon after leaving school or when they are at university.

Recent research by the University of Western Australia has found, however, that around 45% of adults in Australia lack financial literacy. When it comes to investment, budgeting, and other financial matters, it is never too early.

To ensure children feel confident about making money and managing it well, teaching them vital skills in investment may be the first, crucial step towards financial literacy and expertise.

More than 3.8 billion people use social media, making it a powerful tool for businesses to market themselves and for anyone to reach a large audience. For those looking into a career in the field, such as a position in social media marketing or management, knowing where to start your education journey can be daunting.

However, by taking a few courses and simply gaining your own first hand experience, you can effectively learn the basics of using social platforms, all the while gaining valuable skills that can kickstart your dream social media career.

Artificial intelligence and other machine learning principles may be taking over a plethora of industries, but there will always be room for design. Within this industry, there are a few future creative roles, including those of augmented reality designer, fusionist, and intelligent system designer. 

Creativity, originality, and vision are three elements that are usually present in youngsters with a flair for arts-related topics but when it comes to design, there are key principles children can learn so they can aim to create quality work with a real value from the time they are very young.

After all, ‘design for life’ - lasting design that has value in the real world - is considered a universal aim for designers from a wide array of industries.

Australians are struggling to cope with recent world events, with around 13% reporting high or very high levels of psychological stress. In New Zealand, the situation is also somewhat worrisome, with around 31% reporting some level of stress. It isn’t only adults who are affected. Even prior to this year, teen stress rivalled that of adults, with issues such as academic and sporting pressure weighing on their minds.

Parents wishing to help their children improve their mental health often look to natural yet effective ways to lower stress levels. Some of the most powerful methods studied to date include mindfulness based activities like meditation, time spent in nature, a healthy diet, exercise and music - both as a hobby and in the form of therapy.

Today’s entrepreneurs are starting businesses at a young age, and some have managed to establish their own companies while they’re still in primary school.

There’s Maya Penn, who successfully launched a sustainable jewellery business called Maya’s Ideas when she was just eight years old.

Then there’s seven-year-old Ryan, who reportedly made $31 million online due to the success of his YouTube channel RyanToys Review. These kids prove that age doesn’t equal success as they were able to turn their ideas into thriving businesses.

If your child is thinking about launching their own business venture, you’ll need to teach them how to properly plan and manage it so their efforts will be rewarded in the future.

Moreover, they’ll need to develop certain skills in order to make it in the competitive business world. Here’s a guide to teach children about entrepreneurship.

Since most learning is now moving into the digital age, teaching your kids about cybersecurity is a must. Here are some very real reasons why!

Identity Theft

Over 1 million children had their identities stolen, and that number is growing exponentially, according to a Javelin Strategy & Research survey. Children are often specifically targeted by hackers and identity thieves, since kids tend to have clear credit records compared to adults.

Once criminals obtain enough information to open up a bank account in your child’s name, they go on to rack up mountains of debt. To prevent this from happening to your child, it’s critical that they are taught basic cybersecurity protocols that prevent identity theft by not talking to strangers online or giving out sensitive personal information via email or text.

Malware and Viruses

Australians are enamoured with video games and a recent survey has shown that more than two thirds of the population are avid gamers. While some people believe that gaming is just a shallow way to pass the time, 60 percent of those who were polled say that playing video games can be beneficial for students.

And over 50 percent said that their children use games for school purposes. Apart from being an interactive and fun way to learn, video games can also have surprising benefits for kids as they can pick up positive values and develop new skills from gaming.

Here are the valuable lessons your child can learn from playing video games.

A lack of financial literacy can have major consequences that last a lifetime, yet around 50% of Australians struggle with financial literacy as reported in a Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey. The problem is more pronounced in women than in men.

In the survey, 50% of men obtained a 5/5 score when asked five basic financial questions, while only 35% of women achieve this score. Financial literacy is not something that should be left until after school or university, since many Australians will have to make decisions on aspects such as student loans when they are young.

How can you help your child build a good financial base so they can be aware of the consequences of issues like the type of loans they take or the importance of paying taxes when they are due?