Technology is virtually everywhere today. Ever since kids are born, they’re exposed to so many different types of screens, starting right from smartphones to smart TVs at home.
According to statistics, children aged between 8 and 18 years spend about 7.5 hours a day for entertainment, which adds up to 114 days a year!
Excess screen time not only harms your child’s eyesight but also creates problems in the sleep cycle, cognitive development, and attention span.
So, how do you balance between screen time and healthy playtime for your children? Let’s find out in this think piece!
1. Have a Well-Organized Schedule
The first tip to balancing screen time and playtime is to create a well-defined schedule that clearly outlines particular timings for different tasks.
The time slots and tasks should be specific. For example, you can further divide the screen time into educational screen time in the form of online classes or programs and entertainment channels.
Make the same for playtime, too, and be specific about what playtime activities should be played when.
If needed, you should also have a clear conversation on why you’re setting boundaries for screen time, which will help them stick to the schedule. Explain the harmful effects of excessive screen time and how having a balance is important.
2. Create Tech-Free Zones
Another effective way to balance screen time and playtime is to designate certain areas of the house as tech-free zones, such as the living room and the children’s bedroom.
You can also have specific time slots where your kids are encouraged to play verbal games but not interact with electronic devices.
For example, when the family is having dinner or preparing for bed, teach them a new word or phrase in another language, which can also be one of the great learning activities for 5-year-olds.
Encouraging small games throughout the day teaches them not to be too dependent on electronic screens and also promotes better sleep hygiene.
3. Be With Them During Playtime
One of the best parenting styles for kids is to be with them during their playtime. If you simply take away their tablet or phone and ask them to go outside and play, they won’t listen to you. Instead, show them that playtime can be a great bonding opportunity for the entire family.
Ask everyone in the household to participate during the playtime and be as involved as possible. You can also ask everyone to set their phones on DND or vibrate to eliminate further distractions.
Come up with fun ideas on how to make your children’s playtime more interactive. For example, when you’re playing Scrabble with them, ask them to define and use the word they’ve just spelled out in a sentence.
4. Emphasize Digital Literacy
At some point, your children might be exposed to internet content that you haven’t approved of or you haven’t taught them about.
If these sensitive situations aren’t handled well, it can increase screen addiction and reduce the quality of playtime.
Therefore, warn your children about age-inappropriate content beforehand and encourage digital literacy.
For example, if your child frequently watches misleading videos and subscribes to content creators or channels that contain false information, this can be dangerous.
Help them understand that not all information on the Internet is accurate and teach them ways to factually check information before believing anything.
5. Choose Good Content
Remember, children follow by example. What you watch and listen to will determine the kind of content your kids consume.
For example, if you place importance on educational content on different social media platforms, then your children will see and learn which channels to follow.
Most importantly, you need to draw the line between how much screen time you consume and how much time you allot to other tasks.
If you encourage your children to watch less TV or videos but don’t follow the principle yourself, then your kids won’t follow what you preach. Show them good, creative content that they can put to good use, and make sure you consume good content, too.
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Conclusion
Trying to create the perfect balance between screen time and playtime is essential, which is why many parents often use screen time as a reward. So, when your children complete certain tasks on their to-do list, you can offer a bit of extra screen time. This will not only create a balance but will also reinforce the fact that rewards have to be earned through responsibility.
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