Guilt-free screen time habits for Kids during Pandemic
COVID-19 has changed the way everyone interacts, from where we work and how kids are learning. Children are engaged in virtual learning -an approach to education where assignments are uploaded online and class discussions are held over video calls, and teachers Livestream lectures.
Children are getting more screen time than ever before. Which leaves many parents wondering including me, how much screen time is healthy?
Screen time comes with so much parental judgment! But you are not parenting your kids to meet other people’s expectations. You are doing what works for you, your family, and the goals you have set for them.
Limiting screens for kids was easy enough before coronavirus. They went to school, had playdates, spent time with grandparents, and went on trips to the playground and vacations.
BALANCE IS A KEY
It is absolutely critical that we balance the positives and negatives of technology for our children.
Being a parent I feel that technology provides incredible opportunities to enrich us and it's a great medium of education. The internet helped me learn how to blog, and I get a lot of great parenting inspiration online. However, I have also wasted valuable time streaming pointless television shows and scrolling through the Facebook feed.
Introduce a 2-hour limit for screen time. Whether they are watching TV, or playing educational games, they should not be using screens for more than 2 hours a day. If they want to go over the time, it will come off their next allotted time.
FOLLOW A SCHEDULE
Due to COVID19, we are stuck at home more, it's still important to follow a routine and schedule. I would recommend parents to follow the same routine Have your meals at a set time and get outside at least once every day.
The same goes for screen time. Even if it’s happening more than usual, build a schedule for it to set expectations. Kids respond better when there is structure and daily routine. My kids usually have screen time after lunch or dinner.
FOCUS ON QUALITY
There are significant academic, social, and skill-building benefits to screen time. Children can learn better from game-based lessons and when engaged with technology in general.
Encourage them to select activities that stimulate their brains, such as creating movies, drawing, working on photos creatively, or designing an app or a game. There are many amazing creative things they can learn from the internet.
SCREEN TIME IS EDUCATIONAL
Your kids can definitely benefit from fun educational programs. There is a lot of wonderful educational content online that encourages children to participate rather than just being observers. They can learn a lot of new things-
- Using photo editing software to edit pictures they have taken themselves.
2. My kids love playing games on their Ipad. Here are few educational games-
Reading Eggs, Phonics Ninja, Starfall-learn to Read, Sesame street go, My very hungry Caterpillar, Teach your Monster to Read.
3. Learning new skills from Youtube- such as knitting, drawing cartoons, or origami.
4. Writing a blog about their daily life.
CONCLUSION
Just as we are responsible for our children's wellbeing, we play the key role in balancing their screen time with other activities, setting effective and respectful limits, modeling appropriate technology usage, keeping them safe online, and being actively involved in their digital lives.
Thanks for Reading!!
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