The next time that you walk past your child’s room and you see them typing on their laptop, before assuming that they are “killing time” on Facebook or Twitter, you may want to actually walk into their room and check out their computer screen first. The reason is because you might be pleasantly surprised to discover that they are actually blogging…for class.

Although blogs are all the rage in cyberspace when it comes to entertaining and informing us about the different kinds of things that are going on in the world, it has also been proven that it’s a really effective tool for kids when it comes to their academia success as well.

Therefore, whenever your child tells you that s/he is blogging for school, here are five beneficial things that they are getting from that practice:

It makes them more proficient writers. No matter what you do for a living, there’s a pretty good chance that you’ll need to use your computer to do it. This means that you’ll need to be able to know how to communicate effectively through the power of the written word. For developing a young person’s writing skills, blogging is a perfect exercise.

It helps them to become better readers. Every time that a book store closes, it reminds us that (unfortunately) hardback and paperback books do not hold the same kind of value that they once did. But, to assume that technology has replaced them to the point that kids don’t need to read as much is a bit extreme. Every time a child gets on the internet, they have to read things, even when it’s simply for social purposes. So, in blogging, they are not just becoming better writers when it comes to their work, but better readers of other student bloggers and editors of their own work (via proofreading) too.

It encourages peer-to-peer mentoring. Most blogs have a comment section at the bottom of it. When students and teachers make comments on your child’s blog, it’s a great way for them to learn how to receive constructive criticism as well as encouragement. Sometimes, it’s easier to make a recommendation to someone (and for them to receive it) when it’s over the internet rather than in person.

It provides them with the opportunity to showcase their work. Before email, whenever a child did well in their classes, they had to actually make a copy of their papers or report card and then mail them to their family members. Those days are long gone now. If a child wants their grandparents or aunts and uncles to see some of their academic progress, it’s simply a matter of emailing them a scan of their work or, better yet, a link to their student blog. Plus, if they are doing any kind of international travel (such as a couple of internships in London or somewhere else overseas), they can keep people updated on their activities at a moment’s notice.

It is a lot of fun to do. One of the best ways for a student to learn is to make what they are doing seem fun to them. Blogging is an good way for them to do work and research while still feeling like they are participating in something that is not a chore, but an enjoyable online activity. It’s social media meeting academia in a really effective way.