With our busy lives, children often find a lot of time on their hands. Gadgets and apps have become an easy way to kill time. But you don’t want your child to get caught up in the vortex. Of course, you can child lock your television and smartphone. But children today are smarter than we would like to believe (my three-year-old nephew can crack his mother’s passcode, every time, trust me!). Read on to discover solutions that will help you balance your child’s screen time without having to face a tantrum every single time.
Even before you think of monitoring your child’s screen time, take stock of what is taking up most of their time. Are they watching movies or are hooked to the latest cartoons? Or have they discovered the latest gaming fad? If you don’t the extent of the problem, you can’t find the right solution.
Once you have figured out what they watch, find what you can alter to balance their screen time and give them a more fruitful upbringing. If they like playing games, why not introduce them to educational games that will help them learn while they have fun. This way, they won’t feel deprived and you won’t have to worry about their browsing habits.
You may have an easier task if your child enjoys outdoor activities. If not, then the challenge is bigger when it comes to their interaction with the outside world. Find learning apps that will encourage them to complete tasks in real life and feed results in the app before they proceed to the next level. This will ensure that your child puts to practice what they learn and, in the process, will reduce the time they spend in front of a screen.
All of the above is possible when you are home. But what about the time when you are at the office? How can you ensure that your child is not distracted by gadgets? Educational apps today allow time restrictions. Find an app that will automatically switch off after a set time limit. You can also incentivise your child by encouraging them to fulfil daily chores like school work in lieu of additional play time on their favorite learning app once you get home.
The real world is always the best teacher. Find activities that you and your children can enjoy together. You can also find activities that are related to the environment of the learning apps so that your child can easily relate to the surroundings and enjoys the app even more. Encourage them to find and relate objects from the educational games to objects around them. This will enhance their learning process and divide their time between the screen and the outside world.
Get started with the right learning apps here.
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