If we want our children to be healthy and maintain harmonious relationships with other people, we need to change our approach to electronic devices. Learn more about how to introduce children to technology in this article.
Basic Principles
It is essential to explain to children that electronic media and various devices can help them have fun and keep in touch with people. For example, children of almost any age will understand the significance of video communication. Very young children, of course, will need the help of their parents.
Another great way to use electronic devices to help develop your children’s creativity is to teach them how to take pictures or record videos or songs. A wide variety of devices and gadgets can make your children’s education much easier and funnier.
Ordering devices, however, can be tricky — any electrical device can be damaged on the way to you. You have to choose a trusted carrier that will deliver what you order quickly and safely. Also, it’s important to track your delivery to be calm and sure that your device is on its way to you and your children. We recommend using lasership tracking.
Parents should also remember that various devices are only tools that help educate children and not a means to spend less time with them.
Advice for parents from the American Academy of Paediatrics
- Children under 18 months of age (or better yet, under 2 years of age) should not use digital media. Video calls may be an exception.
- If you want to introduce electronic devices to a child 18 to 24 months of age, choose your content carefully and be sure to watch everything with your baby, don’t let them use such devices alone.
- If your children are too young, you don’t have to teach them how to use electronic devices. Don’t worry: Kids will quickly get the hang of it when they get older or start using technology at school.
- For children 2 to 5 years old, limit screen time to one hour. Watch programs with your child, explaining what’s happening and helping them apply what they’ve learned.
- Avoid overly dynamic content, programs with many annoying images, and of course, any programs with violence.
- Turn off TV-sets and other devices when you are finished with them.
- Don’t use electronic devices to soothe your child.
- Test apps yourself before offering them to children, play together with them and ask them what they think of a particular app.
- When eating, talking, and playing with your child, turn off all devices.
- Make it a rule not to use electronic devices an hour before bedtime and remove them from the bedroom at night.
Conclusions
Parents always guide their children, explaining how the world around them works. And you need to take care of this in their early age, showing them, among other things, the pros and cons of technology in our time. If you want your children to grow up with the right idea about digital sources of information and know how to use electronic devices, but not depend on them, you need to teach them that. To do this, guide them with advice and inspire them with your example.
