Why 10 Minutes a Day Beats 2 Hours on Sunday
The science of learning is clear: short, daily practice is dramatically more effective than long, infrequent sessions. Here's why — and how Sodafom's Daily Challenge is built around this principle.
Most parents intuitively feel that regular practice is better than cramming — but the science behind it is even more compelling than you might think. The phenomenon is called 'spaced repetition', and it's one of the most well-replicated findings in cognitive psychology.
When we learn something and then revisit it after a short gap, the act of retrieval strengthens the memory trace. Each time we retrieve a memory, it becomes more durable. This is why a child who practises times tables for 10 minutes every day for a week will outperform one who does 70 minutes in a single sitting — even though the total time is identical.
The 'forgetting curve', first described by Hermann Ebbinghaus in 1885, shows that we forget roughly 50% of new information within an hour, and 70% within 24 hours — unless we review it. Daily practice interrupts this curve at exactly the right moment.
Consistency also builds habit. A child who plays one Sodafom game every evening before dinner doesn't have to decide to do it — it just happens. Habits require no willpower, which is why they're so powerful for children (and adults).
This is exactly why we built the Daily Challenge. Every day, a new featured game is unlocked — and children who complete it earn 5 bonus stars. It's a small, achievable goal that keeps the habit alive and the learning consistent. Ten minutes a day, every day, is the most powerful educational investment a parent can make.
The Sodafom Team
Making maths, spelling & reading fun for ages 5–13