Kids nowadays spend more of their time playing games, watching online videos, and other online activities that can be done through their gadgets such as tablets. This is not surprising for parents like us. But as much as possible, we want them to play real toys, build relationship with their playmates or neighbors, and not with their virtual friends. Yes, our generation is pretty much different to theirs, and so we need to watch over them. Anything that is too much can be alarming, especially when our kids are involved in it.
Have you ever experienced this scenario where your kid just woke up from bed and the first thing that he or she was looking for is gadgets? Or should I say a gadget? The worst thing is that they couldn’t also eat their meal without a gadget on hand. This is not a good thing, we as parents has the power to control passive screen time with our children. As much as we are responsible for their well-being.
Since digital consumption of our kids affect the way they think and socialize with others, we as parents should make some move on this alarming issue. There are now plenty of ways on how to manage passive screen time with our kids, and yes, we as parents will be able to do this. We can’t remove the involvement of gadget in their childhood since we are in a techie era, but at least minimize their usage.
Just stick with 1-hour usage per day
An hour is enough, we don’t need to give them hours on screen – unless they it is a school related activity. They can enjoy playing games and surfing the net within an hour, kids can watch movies on TV anyway. This is strictly advisable for pre-schoolers to preserve a good eyesight as they grow old.
Play physical activities at least once a day
Getting involved in physical games can enhance our child’s memory and health. If you will set and encourage them to have a physical activity at least a 1-2 hours per day, they would not ask for more hours of screen time using their gadgets. One great idea is playing with their friends or neighbors outdoor, cos this can also develop how they interact with other people. This one is advisable for ages 6 and up.
Put a charging station inside the house
To manage your kids, screen time usage, you need to put a charging station inside the house. You shouldn’t give them a reason to prolong their gadget usage just because of a low battery gadget on hand. The kids shouldn’t use their gadgets while charging, not only it can damage the battery, but also because it can rise the eagerness to use the gadget longer than the set period of time that it can only be used. Charging station must be placed outside the bedroom with a drawer where you can keep all your gadgets before bedtime.
Make sure they are virtually safe online
One of our goals in managing our kids’ screen time is to make sure they are browsing safe sites and avoiding violent games and malicious games online. It is important to filter all unnecessary websites that are not suited to their age. When downloading games, you should be the one to download the game your kids want to play, and scan it first for violence and brutal scenes. Nowadays, there are many games online with concept that really goes around on fighting, as well as malicious games from that can be found on different websites. We can’t avoid using the internet but we can keep our kids safe online.
Set as a good example to follow
Giving command to others is very much impossible if you can’t apply it in your own. As a parent, we need to be a great example for our kids. A child will do whatever he/she sees, especially if it comes from their parents, this can start as soon as your child reaches 1-year-old. In order to manage your child’s passive screen time, you as a parent should also put down your gadget while eating, playing with them, watching TV, and of course when going to bed. Yes, we do have important things to check online, especially our emails and messages from sort of people, but once we start eating or enter the bed room all gadgets must be out of our hand.
We need those gadgets, and it can give our kids enjoyment and knowledge at the same time. But we should always remember “anything too much is bad.” Set as a good example to your children, so that setting rules to them would be easy.
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