How the iPad can improve your child's learning

The iPad has become something of a global revolution. The expensive price tag put people off at first, with many saying it was just an oversized iPhone. But its power and sheer volume of software has since convinced people of its worth.

The iPad was a real first in the tech world; most people hadn't even heard the word tablet before it came along. But now we have a whole range of tablets from all the big manufacturers, as companies try to take some of the market back from Apple's monopoly.

It is fair to say that most people do not use the full force of the iPad's capabilities, with many using it simply to send emails, play games and browse the web.

But the diverse range of apps and software available on the iPad can make it a vital tool in all sorts of industries.

For example, British Airways recently introduced the iPad to its entire fleet. Specially developed software now enables BA cabin crew to access data on passengers, improving customer service dramatically.

One council even splashed out on an order of iPads to help bin men coordinate their pick-up route, improving efficiency and speeding up the process.

And now the iPad is being used for education purposes. There are all sorts of apps and software available to help children learn, mainly by improving and developing key skills like literacy and numeracy. These apps can also be used to teach them about the world around them. So how can the iPad improve your child's learning?

Reading
There are several apps that are designed to help children develop their literacy skills. These come in the form of interactive books and reading games designed to help children enjoy reading.

Interactive books are a great place to start. These will get your child reading, while at the same time offering tips and guidance to help them improve. Many of these apps are linked with popular children's characters, so your child can learn and have fun at the same time.

Writing
Learning to write and spell can be a boring process for your child, making it harder for them to master these key skills.

So turning the process into a game is great way to engage your child. You can both sit down together and develop your child's spelling without it feeling like homework.

The iPad's touch screen technology means that children can also practice writing. While nothing beats pen and paper, the iPad will help your child learn the shapes of letters.

Numeracy
Like the reading apps, the iPad can take the boredom out of learning basic maths. There are all kinds of maths apps available, from the basic to the highly advanced, and everything in between.

Counting games are a great place to start, giving children the building blocks to develop their maths skills further. As your child grows up, you can introduce increasingly tougher games to challenge their skills.

Other school subjects
As well as the basic key skills, the iPad offers a wealth of information on every school subject. Games will get children interested in subjects like history and geography, while more informative apps will help them with their homework.