The BrainSpark Elements of Brain Fitness
BrainSpark products increase “brain fitness” by strengthening the foundational skills that support overall learning success. Our scientists understand how kids learn and we integrate that knowledge into the patented technology behind every one of our brain fitness products, creating an optimal environment to “SPARK” learning.
Developing children’s cognitive skills allows them to develop the basic language and reading skills they need to succeed academically:
Speed
Think of speed as the CPU time in a computer or brain. It is the rate (or speed) that information travels through the different parts of the brain. Improved speed means the ability to read a text accurately and quickly. Fluent readers can recognize words automatically and understand their meaning at the same time.
Processing
In the context of reading, processing refers to distinguishing individual speech sounds and associate them with their corresponding letter and word forms. Improved processing supports a child in identifying letters and words to create meaning.
Attention
Attention is the ability to focus on information and tasks, and ignore distractions. Improved attention supports fluent reading, as fluency requires sustained and focused attention.
Recall
Recall (both short-term and long-term memory) is the ability to store information and ideas. Improved recall supports better word recognition, better comprehension of complex sentences, and the ability to remember instructions.
Knowledge
Knowledge refers to the overall cognitive and learning benefits that a child receives from working on a BrainSpark product. Increased knowledge means a child understands more words, enabling him to read and communicate more effectively.
Children with improved brain fitness have experienced benefits that support academic work and achievement.
How Kids Learn with Brain Fitness
Neuroscience research has demonstrated the importance of four key principles for child learning. These research-proven techniques are built into each BrainSpark Learning exercise:
Frequent and Intense Schedule
Brain plasticity research demonstrates that completing a set of learning tasks in a frequent, intense timeframe accelerates learning. Children are strongly recommended to work on the products for 30 minutes a day, five days a week.
Adaptivity
Interactive exercises automatically adapt to each child’s skill levels and responses. This keeps the child motivated, yet challenged. This feature helps improve a child’s self-esteem. For example, exercises modify the challenge level to keep the child at 80% correct at all times. This adaptivity is also great when a group of children (for example, siblings) are working on the product at the same time. Children feel successful, yet challenged, and parents receive a weekly reports that identifies strengths and weaknesses.
Cross-Training on Core Thinking, Memory and Reading Skills
Brain fitness, just like body fitness, is most efficiently enhanced by cross-training. BrainSpark Learning exercises embed cognitive tasks designed by leading brain scientists to build memory, attention and mental speed into fun game-like exercises focused on language and reading skills. In this way, each BrainSpark Learning exercise targets one or more of these major cognitive skills and simultaneously exercises capacities essential to reading skills, such as phonemic awareness and comprehension, to produce lasting improvements in learning.
Motivation
For the brain to learn, children must be active, attentive, and engaged. Tiered rewards are designed to maximize motivation throughout the product.