Educators in the primary grades understand how important, and often challenging, it can be to keep young students focused, interested, and engaged in the learning process. Because of this, teachers nationwide are implementing the use of multisensory, interactive learning experiences such as listening centers, videos, and games, into lesson plans. These interactive activities are shown to increase focus, comprehension, and engagement in school-age children, along with greater development of critical thinking skills and collaborative, peer-to-peer interactions.
Of course, proper equipment and technology are one of the must-have ingredients for developing a learning plan that keeps young minds busy and generates excitement and interest in their interactive lessons. This includes headsets, such as school Chromebook earbuds, for classroom use. Here are some essential features to look for so you can be sure that your young learners have headphones designed for their unique needs.
Volume Control
Because kids’ ears are much more sensitive than adults, it’s critical to protect their hearing by keeping them from elevating the volume to dangerous listening levels. Headsets designed expressly for younger listeners, like the AVID Education AE-25 Early Learner Headsets with Safe Volume, help provide a safer listening environment. This top headset model is popular among teachers in grades preK-2 because of its speakers that are designed to keep sound levels below 85 decibels, which is the recommended limit for young children.
Comfort
If you’ve been teaching for a while, you already know that young students are far less likely to keep headsets on during a lesson if they don’t enjoy the way they feel. Our vote once again goes to the AE-25 Early Learner headsets, which are designed with comfort as a top priority. Featuring soft, padded construction to minimize fidgeting and give young ears a soft, cushiony feel for listening during lessons, these lightweight headsets are an ideal choice for primary-grade teachers to use in interactive learning activities.
Durability
They might be small, but young children can cause big damage! Headsets like the AE-25 Early Learner model are made with small, busy fingers in mind. They are built to last, with improved strain relief to help protect against damage to the wires and cable due to pulling or stress. Also, the proprietary SideKick microphone is designed to clip neatly into the headband clip when not in use, protecting it from tampering and damage. The included travel pouch also helps protect the headset when it is not in use.
We know that our youngest learners can benefit just as much as older students from interactive, multisensory lessons. It’s critical that primary teachers have the right equipment to make their young learners’ experiences safe and fun. By investing in the best headsets with your young students’ comfort and safety in mind, you can provide them with the tools they need to succeed!