You may be questioning whether it’s a good idea to use a Kindle in your homeschool or not? I can show you How to Homeschool Using a Kindle. It’s not difficult, and it won’t cause your children to spend unnecessary time online. In fact, with a Kindle, you can set the parental controls to your own specifications. It’s one of the great things about the Kindle Fire. Kindle can bring in a new world of possibilities to your homeschool classroom. Homeschooling with Kindle is a great way to supplement your homeschool curriculum and, in a way, bring some things to life!
What type to buy
Are you not sure which Kindle would be the best option? While all of the available options are great, the best one for homeschooling, in my opinion, is the Kindle Fire. For a couple of reasons; long battery life, bright screen, works as a color e-reader, reliable wi-fi, good audio, and parental controls. If you are going to buy a Kindle for younger children, I will suggest the Kindle Fire Kids Edition. It comes with a protective case.
E-Reader
Using it for what it’s intended for, an e-reader. The Kindle is exactly that, an e-reader, and your student can use it for reading books. Downloading books from Amazon is quick, cheap, and takes up less space on your bookshelves. The Kindle can also house PDF books which means that some textbooks can be downloaded onto the reader.
Another fabulous feature is that you can get books from your local library straight from your Kindle! I LOVE that feature. You don’t even have to drive to the library or worry about late fees if you forget to return them on time. Now that is amazing. The books automatically disappear from your library after the two-week loan time.
Kindle Unlimited is a monthly membership that you can get for $9.99 per month. It is a service that allows you to read as much as you want, choosing from over 1 million titles and thousands of audiobooks. You can choose new authors, books, and genres from mysteries and romance to sci-fi and more. You can read on any device. There is a free 30-day trial.
AudioBooks
Using the Kindle as an audiobook is perfect for students who might have a reading disability. I use audiobooks all the time in my homeschool as 90% of my students have some sort of learning disability. Your Kindle would be the perfect opportunity to utilize this feature. It will also allow you to assess if your child retains information better verbally or by visually reading the material.
Audiobooks have several benefits in the classroom, traditional, or at home. In this article by Scholastic, we read that students who listen to books via audio recordings hear the fluency of words and how it’s supposed to sound. They hear the animation in the character’s voices. Audiobooks also offer a way to learn new vocabulary and a way to ease word decoding anxiety.
Access Online Resources
Kindle has a built-in browser called Silk, but you can download the one you prefer to use, allowing for access to online homeschool resources. This feature opens up a world of opportunities for your homeschool. Finding videos and additional content on whatever topic you might be covering could go a long way in helping the idea stick.
Educational Apps and Games
Apps and Games can make school time fun and entertaining, all while learning. Amazon had a ton of educational games and apps for the Kindle Fire. You can find apps for anything from Math to Geography and anything in between. Games that teach are also available, and kids won’t even realize they are learning. Now that’s a win-win!
Homeschool Subjects
Use the Kindle to have your children work on specific subjects during the day. Not only does this free you up to possibly work with a younger child or get lunch started but it gives the student a sense of responsibility and ownership over their learning.
This is something that you can use apps with or websites. Kindle apps are available in every subject; students can even learn foreign languages using the Kindle. Interactive globes can teach Geography along with apps for Grammar and multiplication facts. Reading Comprehension with Social Studies aligns reading passages within the historical content. The possibilities are almost unlimited.
Some of the apps and games are free, some have in-app purchases, and some are paid. As with anything you download from the internet, I strongly suggest that you view any and all items before assigning these to your children.
Homeschool & Household Schedules
Add an app to the Kindle Fire that provides your family with a schedule. This will keep your family on track, and many of them can be linked to several devices at once. One great example is Trello. Trello is a task management app that gives you a visual overview of what is being worked on and who is working on it. It is free, and you can have unlimited boards, lists, and cards. The free version also allows for one power-up(additional feature). You can purchase some upgrades if you choose to, but it is fully functional without them. Another digital blank slate many people use is Evernote. I am not as familiar with Evernote as I am with Trello, but I know it is widely used with the Kindle as well.
If you are ready to get techy or add some heat to your homeschool, I would highly recommend the Kindle Fire. I don’t think you will be disappointed. With all of the parental control features available, you can rest assured that you can control what your child has access to. Finding educational apps and games is a breeze on Amazon and will make supplementing your homeschool curriculum easy. Let me know how you use the Kindle in your homeschool and which apps work best for you and your children. I would love to hear from you.
Check out my post about using Instagram and Youtube in your homeschool!