Schools across the globe will be closed for the foreseeable future, as COVID-19 takes its toll across the world. It’s a well-known phenomenon for school leaders that there is a fall back in progress that can occur when children are away from school for long periods of time.
So, what can parents do now to help ensure their child doesn’t fall too far behind in these extraordinary long absences from school? After listening to the concerns of teachers and senior leaders, Kaligo, the company behind the intuitive handwriting app wanted to help minimise learning loss.
“It’s a worrying time and particularly for children in the younger years for whom learning is at an important stage. We wanted to see how we could help support pupils, parents and teachers throughout this time and help to keep the children learning at home,” Said Faisal Hamid, Director at Kaligo.
Kaligo have decided to provide the practice version of their intuitive handwriting app for free to all schools closed for a period of one month, to help support schools, teachers, pupils and parents with handwriting whilst they are away from the classroom.
Talking about the generous initiative, Philippa Wraithmell, Head of Digital Learning at Cranleigh Abu Dhabi said: “The next few days and weeks will be difficult for those who are not used to home learning, which is most of us. Kaligo can give the confidence as a parent that they are supporting their child’s development in a positive and meaningful way which will enhance all their work.” 
Philippa added: “Handwriting is a core skill to every Child’s development and as a school we also have an expectation for children to be able to write as part of the broader curriculum. Over holidays and times where we are not practicing these skills children’s progress can slow or halt.
“Kaligo can allow the home-school support which is needed to ensure that children are still able to practice their writing skills. Kaligo also sets writing tasks which are suited to the child’s age and ability, then supports them with direct reflection on the letter formations which they need to practice. It’s a brilliant thing for the company to do and will really help provide continuation of learning at home and help to minimise learning loss.”
Kaligo is a handwriting app which combines years of neuroscientific research with the latest AI technology. Children use a stylus and tablet to trace letters through colourful and intuitive screens, which most children are already familiar with. This makes the task of handwriting more exciting, Kaligo then stores the data so parents can easily monitor their child’s progress.
“It’s great that we can help the education community during these difficult times. We hope they enjoy using Kaligo and come back to school ready to share their wonderful handwriting skills. Initially it’s free for a month, but if that needs to be extended in line with school closures we will review it.” added Faisal
To download the practice version of Kaligo for free on iPad or Android visit kaligo-apps.com
