Welcome to the Kids’ Screen-Time Club
Is your kid a participant or a consumer?
For a long-time, we have been told by almost everyone that screen time is bad for kids. I am no different. I spoil my child but I set boundaries for myself and for my kid. Many of you might be doing the same or even better.
Give your child some screen time ensuring that there is some learning value. Giving them some screen time is not wrong, it all depends on how long and what they are watching.
Technology can be your best friend or worst enemy, use it wisely.
We have all read about Masako Wakamiya, a Japanese woman who not only learnt to code at an age of 81 but also developed a traditional Japanese game all by herself on the iPhone.
That is how technology should be used, to learn something good.
Mindlessly consuming content does no good.
Watch your kid watching TV or sitting with a phone.
Question yourself: Is he a participant or a consumer? Is he just consuming content that has zero learning value? Or is he learning something valuable?
“One can either be ‘participant’ or a ‘consumer’ when it comes to screen time. Skype and FaceTime are great examples of “participating” with screens (rather than mindlessly consuming YouTube videos). Making and uploading a video, writing a blog post, engaging in a group chat about school work are all great examples of participating with media in ways that are positive and productive. The point is, not all screen time is ‘bad.’”
— Diana Graber, Author, Raising Humans in a Digital World, and Founder of Cyber Civics/Cyberwise
If he is a consumer, then it is time to think to transform him into a participant and here is how you can do it, as there is no point in debating the pros and cons of screen time, many have already done it.
There are many free educational resources on the internet. I hand-picked a few of them that I have been using for a long time.
Khan academy kids:( ages 2–7 )
I must give 60% of the credit for progress in my child’s literacy and math to Khan academy kids. It made my life easy. Not just as a parent, but as a teacher, I strongly recommend this wonderful learning app to all my fellow parents.
It is fun, interactive and very engaging. All of the learning content is designed in the form of games that the kids will love and thus develop a positive attitude towards learning.
Learning just happens if they have fun. This is the first step toward becoming an independent learner.
For older children, there is a website and app with the name Khan academy which has content related to the major branches of science and Math.
Arvind Gupta toys:(no particular age group)
An Indian inventor who creates toys from trash. Most of his toys are a kind of mini science project that kids will love to try on their own. Almost all the equipment he uses to design his projects is easily available and cost-effective.
He explains the underlying scientific concepts of his models. He runs a youtube channel and has a website that has so many resources and e-books in English.
Teachers can get ideas from his channel to engage kids in the classroom. The children can bring their materials, share with each other, and collaborate, thus not only learning science but also learning to be team players.
Topmarks :(3–6)
Topmarks has activities designed in such a way that it grabs the attention of a child and retains it. Learning is effortless.
This website is mobile-friendly too. There you can find lots of math games that strengthen the math skills of kids. From counting through sequencing to ordering numbers, it teaches almost everything that a kid of that age needs to know.
Numberblocks:
This youtube channel glues my child to the TV. It helped my kid a lot in understanding the concept of addition and subtraction. Why 2+3=5? Why not 6? All such basic math is so beautifully explained, thus aiding in good retention as well as comprehension.
You can ask your child to use building blocks as number blocks. Encourage them to start applying the concepts shown in the videos to different numbers. Critical thinking!
Learning should never be tiresome and monotonous. It should be challenging and addictive, which should make a person crave more. The responsibility of providing such a nourishing environment is on the shoulders of parents and teachers. Let us do our job and the rest follows.
Let us not create doctors, engineers or scientists. Let us create humble, but curious minds that are hungry for new learning.
Please let me know in the comments how your kid prefers to learn, the resources you use, the challenges you face etc. I want to read and take inspiration from your ideas so that I can implement them in my home.
