How Your Children Can Learn From Online Games

As Grandparents, we are in the enviable position of being able to spend time with our Grandchildren doing nice, enjoyable things like playing games.  We can leave the ‘parenting’ stuff to their parents!

My Grandsons were at their most interesting when they were sucking up knowledge like a sponge. Asking question after question, who, why, what, when, and although it drove me bonkers, I enjoyed combining fun times, with a touch of education too.

As soon as they were old enough, car journeys were always spent spotting specific colours and animals, then counting cars and singing songs, and of course, good old I-Spy, always a winner, and always good for lots of laughs when the youngest ones couldn’t spell and chose completely the wrong initial for the thing they had ‘spied’.

For the older ones it was always very competitive and usually accompanied by lots of groans when the object was, shall we say, a little bit debatable.

When my Grandsons got older and were able to grasp the concept of board games, I spent time teaching them the good old-fashioned favourites that have stood the test of time, such as Snakes and Ladders, Ludo, and Guess Who.

Naturally, back in the day, we played them on a cardboard ‘board’ that folded in half and came out of a box, along with all the necessary bits and bobs, like dice and brightly coloured counters.

But now you can play these games online with your children or Grandchildren, or, they can play by themselves.  Obviously, children always prefer to have company and to play their games with someone, rather than alone.  But the option is there.

I think we automatically assume that anything that children are viewing on their handheld devices such as iPhones, or iPads is not going to be very educational, and indeed, many people feel that it’s lazy parenting to simply let their children get so absorbed in their technology.

But that isn’t always the case; online games for children can be entertaining AND educational at the same time.

Online Math Calculators

As well as classic board games, and classics like chess and draughts, there are now a lot of educational online games available that can really help children with their maths, algebra, and geometry.

There are also a host of word games to help with spelling and reading, the difficulty levels range from pre-school to harder levels such as crosswords, and even multilingual word search!

If a child is struggling a bit with their lessons, it’s so much easier to persuade them to play a few educational online games, than it is to sit and study books for hours on end around the kitchen table.

Whilst this shouldn’t be used as the only form of a teaching tool, it certainly can be seen as a valuable form of support, and shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand.

I’m really pleased that such progress has been made that enables children to enjoy their screen time, but also to learn at the same time as playing.

And at least with online Snakes and Ladders, there’s no risk of losing the dice, and that must be a good thing!

 

 

 

 

How To Find Financial Freedom In Your Golden Years

The journey of achieving financial independence will help you to find your passion in life and what you want to do with your life.

The first step towards achieving financial independence is to figure out what kind of lifestyle you want to live. Once you have figured this out, then it’s time to start saving money for the future. This will require working hard on reducing expenses, saving more money in a bank account, and investing the saved amount wisely.

What is Financial Freedom and How to Achieve it?

Financial freedom is the ability to be financially independent and free from financial constraints. It is the freedom to do what you want with your life and money. Financial freedom can be achieved in different ways, but it usually involves saving a significant amount of money for retirement, early childhood education, or buying a house. If you want to retire at a certain age, you need to start saving money now.

How to Reduce Your Expenses Now so You Can Retire Early

To retire early, it’s important to make sure that you’re thinking about it and taking action today. The first step to reducing your expenses is to take a look at what you’re spending. You might be surprised by how much you’re spending when it comes to things like food, entertainment, and other lifestyle expenses. You should also consider making a budget for yourself and sticking to it religiously. This will help you avoid the temptation of splurging on something unnecessary or going over budget in the future.

How to Build a Side Income By Investing in Real Estate or Starting a Business

It’s also a great idea to have an additional income or replace your career with a business. This could be something like Franchise Direct or even building up a property portfolio. Investing in real estate or starting a business is not the only way to build an income for yourself. You can also invest in stocks and other investments that can provide you with passive income.

The key to building your portfolio for future income is to diversify it. This means that you should have funds in different types of investments like real estate property investments, stocks, and bonds.

If you are unsure about which investment to put your money into, start small and experiment with different strategies until you find one that works for you.

The Retirement Planning Tools You Need

Planning for retirement is a big decision and it can be overwhelming. There are so many tools to choose from and it can be difficult to find the one that will suit you best. Here are two to help you.

Retirement calculators: They offer a variety of different features, such as the ability to calculate your monthly spending, what you need to save up for, as well as how much time you have left before reaching certain milestones.

Retirement planning software: It helps people manage their investments and see how much they have saved over time.