6 essential tools to develop skills in kids

A list of awesome free software and services that help kids develop essential skills ...

Scratch 

Scratch is a visual programming language developed by the MIT Media Lab for children, ages eight and above. It teaches kids coding concepts such as conditional statements and loops with the help of 'objects' that can be dragged, dropped, and joined like Lego blocks to create animations and games.

Signing up for an account means children can post their creations onto the website for everyone to see. And if they like what other 'programmers' have created, they can also check out that code by clicking on a "see inside" button; members can even "remix" the code to add their creativity.

Scratch is a great tool that fosters logical and creative thinking among kids, and also creates an ecosystem that lets kids watch and learn from others around them. Parents can download a Getting Started Guide in PDF format to get acquainted with the system that promises hours of fun activity for the entire family. Scratch also has a section for teachers who might be interested in introducing the concept into their computer classrooms.

scratch.mit.edu 

Rapidtyping 5 

Learning to type properly is an essential skill. And RapidTyping is a superb free software that teaches children how to do it right. It starts off with 'Beginner' lessons where students get acquainted with the basic key and finger placements - and then gradually moves onto the usage of special and numeric keys.

After each lesson, the software presents a word per minute report that encourages kids to do better. The free software boasts of an attractive user interface with up to 14 colour themes for the keyboard. Users can later add further courses - Experienced, Advanced, and even Testing where you have to type predefined texts.

After each typing exercise, the software gives you a detailed report of speed, number of characters and words typed, percentage of errors - along with graphical charts that plot a child's progress.

www.rapidtyping.com 

Lego Digital Designer 4.3 

Almost everybody has grown up playing with some form of building blocks. This simple activity strengthens hand-eye coordination, motor skills, and gets kids to use their imagination. Lego Digital Designer does the same thing, but in a digital space on your PC or Mac.

The software helps kids learn how to use the mouse better and improves their perception of 3D space as they play with virtual Lego bricks, and view their creations from different perspectives.

All they need to do is use their imagination to build whatever they want with the limitless number of pieces at hand. Choose a brick from the left pane and drop it in the 3D space in the right pane. LDD also lets parents create a step-by-step building guide. Kids can then refer to this to rebuild the model from scratch.

ldd.lego.com 

Sumo Paint

Ok, so we're cheating here a bit. Sumo Paint is not a photo-imaging software that's specifically built for children. But this online tool - accessible through your web browser - boasts an extremely intuitive interface that lets kids use some simple tools to draw, and even edit photos and images.

This online app requires at least a 512kbps internet connection, but allows kids to save their creations onto a local computer.

If you like the online version, you also have the option to buy the installable version for your PC for $19 ( Rs 1,200 approx).

www.sumopaint.com 

OOO4Kids 

Most of us tend to use MS Office, but if you're looking for something simpler for your children, you might want to try out OOo4Kids - a productivity suite that has been built for students between the ages of 7 and 12 by the non-profit EducOOo.

Based on the free OpenOffice software, this suite comprises 'Writer' (a word processor), 'Draw something' (a simple drawing tool), 'Impress' (to create slideshow presentations), and 'Calc' (for basic spreadsheets). Given its target demographic of 'pre-teens' , the suite's menu system is devoid of clutter that could pose a distraction, while also being extremely intuitive to use. In OOo4Kids, you get a fullfledged productivity suite that can be used for homework, to create charts, and even presentations. What we like is the absence of Auto Correct and Spell Check to ensure that children themselves pay attention to spelling, punctuation and grammar.

wiki.ooo4kids.org 

Zoodles 

Zoodles is a kid-friendly zone for your children when they are online. Through this interface , they can play games, watch educational videos, and even sketch and paint. As a parent, you need to first create an account on the service, before using your dashboard to add your child's profile - nickname, picture, date of birth. Zoodles uses the child's age to line up appropriate content, and you get access to this curated list from the dashboard as well. Parents can add more than one child from their account; kids just need to click on their pictures in the Zoodles browser to enter their "playground" . Each activity develops skill sets like handeye coordination, creativity, reasoning, memory, physical development and more. Through the dashboard, you can adjust how much of each subject you want your child to focus on. For Zoodles to run on your computer, you will first need to install Adobe Air. And there's also a version available for Android and iOS devices.