Technology has made everything possible with just a click of a button. From shopping to studying, playing games, and more, you can do everything on a digital device. Technology has become a critical part of our routine life. Naturally, kids growing up in this age are exposed to it a lot more than usual.
However, too much of anything is bad. If not given due attention, children can become addicted to their devices. It has a negative impact on other aspects of their lives, such as making them socially isolated and distant from their loved ones.
Parenting in the digital age, thus, requires you to follow a careful approach. You must set certain boundaries that help your kids to develop healthy tech habits. Keep reading to learn what you can do to inculcate these habits in your child.
1. Set Specific Screen-Free Activities
One of the first things you can do to forge healthy tech habits in your kids is to demarcate the use of screen time. Set certain activities to be done screen-free. It is best to set specific routine activities to be done without using technology of any type.
For example, you can make a rule to not eat in front of a screen or a device. Instead, use this time to sit together with your child and ask them about their day. Besides, you can also tell them to engage in play activities that do not require the use of a device. Encourage them to spend at least 30 minutes outside daily without any device.
Likewise, you can set a few routine activities to be done without the use of a digital device. It will go a long way in fostering healthy tech habits in your child.
2. Teach Them Through Physical Games
Parenting in the digital age requires you to think innovatively. For example, if you are teaching your child language, instead of using online videos, teach them through a physical board game like Scrabble. In this game, your child will form words with the help of the letter tiles. Scrabble is a great game for both young and old kids. Every game session will force them to think critically to form words with their set of letters. It significantly boosts their vocabulary and creative thinking skills.
But if they are truly unable to form words with the letters or have a particularly challenging set of letters, you can allow them to use a word finder tool. Try this Scrabble Word Finder from Word-finder.com in which your child can type the letters and hit ‘Search.’ The tool will instantly generate meaningful words with those letters. Your child can use it to discover new words and enhance their vocabulary while maintaining a healthy tech balance.
3. Educate Children About the Danger of Media Overuse
Children at a growing age take the advice of their parents seriously. You must take time to educate your child about the dangers of media overuse. Discuss with them things like bullying, financial risks, cyber-attacks, and other such things. Show them relevant documentaries that help them to understand these problems.
Encourage them to only use social media platforms to talk to people they fully trust. These things will open their eyes. They will take steps to use digital devices responsibly themselves.
4. Make Them ‘Earn’ Their Screen Time
This is a great tip for parenting in the digital age. Let your kids earn their screen time. It means setting rules that allow them to use their devices only after a certain period. For example, you can create a rule of no video games until the weekend. Another example is not surfing the internet without finishing homework.
5. Pay More Attention to the Quality of Screen Time
Kids can use technology to do right and wrong things. So, it is essential to pay attention to the quality of their screen time. For example, you can let your child spend more time in front of a tablet if they are using it to read something useful on Kindle. Contrarily, designate less time for playing video games.
Not every tech activity is the same. If you think that something is benefitting your child, you can let them spend more time on it.
Wrapping up
Kids in their growing years mimic the behavior of their parents. So, parenting in the digital age requires you to be aware of your own tech-related attitudes. The tips mentioned above will help your child use technology healthily. They will also help you forge a better bond with your child as they become proactive users of digital devices.
