Tips for kids starting primary school, preparing for boarding school, and strategies to thrive in year 12 are just some of the back to school updates for parents on the Coalition’s popular Learning Potential app, as around 3.8 million students start the new school year.
Minister for Education and Training, Senator Simon Birmingham said the free Learning Potential app is “filled to the brim” with more than 160 hints and ideas for parents to help get their children ready for the year.
Minister Birmingham said there’s plenty parents can do to help give their children the best possible start.
“Beyond the essentials of sorting out books, bags and school uniforms, a new school year is a great time for parents to engage in their children’s education, and Learning Potential can help with a range of useful information, tips and advice,” Minister Birmingham said.
“The new content on Learning Potential will help parents set their children up for a great start to the 2016 school year, whether they are starting preschool or about to tackle Year 12.”
Useful content updates include:
• five tips to get your little one ready to start preschool;
• ways to get your child excited about primary school;
• helping teenagers plan for success in year 11 and goal setting for life after school with useful links to career planning websites.
Minister Birmingham said the app will be expanded throughout 2016 with regular additions of new content and continual improvement of functionality.
“It’s great for busy parents, covering everything from boredom-buster games, to shopping with maths, to computer coding, managing cyberbullying and much more,” Minister Birmingham said.
“We all lead busy lives, but taking just 15 minutes each day to learn with your children can make all the difference in the long-term.”
The free Learning Potential app is available to download on Android and Apple devices. It is packed with informative articles and videos, tips and suggestions to help parents make the most of their time with their children.
The app, launched in August last year, has been a big hit with parents with more than 111,500 downloads to date. It was listed as #1 and #2 best free app in the Education category in Google Play and App Store following its launch.
For more information visit: www.learningpotential.gov.au
Minister Birmingham’s media contact: James Murphy 0478 333 974
Nick Creevey 0447 644 957
Department Media: media@education.gov.au