From the expert: 5 tips to help manage technology and screen time with your kids this winter
Nov 15, 2022
Photo courtesy of Pok Pok—a mom-founded company redefining the way kids learn and play on devices.
From our 2022 resident scholar and digital play expert Melissa Cash of Pok Pok.
Technology plays a central role in almost all of our homes and lives, but it’s still really hard to find balance for ourselves (hello Instagram!), let alone navigate it with our kids! With winter around the corner, travel back in full swing and flu season upon us, we’ll all be cozying up with our devices a little more over the next few months.
Here are my top tips to help you use technology as a wonderful tool to enrich your little one’s life, and make yours just a tiny bit easier!
Use Visual Timers
Most young kids have trouble understanding time, so it can be really upsetting for them to hear “five more minutes” and then have the device they’re using removed from their hands. Instead of abstract time, try showing them using a visual timer. This helps them picture the time they have on their device in a tangible way, making stepping away from it much easier.
Use Guided Access
If you have an iPad or iPhone, you can switch on Apple’s Guided Access before handing your device to your child to make sure they stay locked into the content you set up for them, instead of “accidentally” ordering a $500 Lego set on Amazon! It takes 30 seconds to set up, and you’ll be glad you did it.
Pok Pok Playroom is a preschool app filled with mindful, creative toys that are inspiring to the next generation of creative kids. There are no rules, instructions, menus or language, so kids can play and learn all on their own.
Choose Child-Led Activities
When it comes to apps and games, try looking for activities that put them in the driver’s seat. Most young kids spend all day following the rules or suggestions of an adult, but it can be very empowering for them to make discoveries on their own, guide their own play, and walk away from an activity feeling accomplished and proud. Open-ended activities are intrinsically more calming and are best for fostering independent play and creativity. The best part? They’re less likely to need your help so that you can take a few minutes to yourself! Try Toronto-made Pok Pok Playroom, Khan Academy Kids or TinyBop.
Sound, Speed and Visuals Matter
The louder, faster and visually busier a show or app is, the more likely it is to overstimulate your little one. This can lead to sensory dysregulation in kids who, at no fault of their own, are simply overwhelmed. Children’s fast-growing brains are meant to absorb content at a slower pace than we’re used to seeing as adults, which is why it always feels like Mr. Rogers was talking so slowly…he is! Look for soft visuals, gentle sound effects and slow-paced transitions or animations in shows and games. The slower, softer and quieter, the better.
Safety is Different in Different Places
Trust your gut when it comes to safety. If it smells fishy, it probably is. YouTube, Netflix, Disney+, the App Store, the Google Play Store, etc., all have different standards for quality and safety surrounding kids' content. Take some time to figure out which platforms and brands you trust so you have safe content queued up for your kids. Common Sense Media is a great gut-check tool for parents to look up all kids' media and see how it ranks in different safety and education categories.
No matter how you approach managing technology with your kids, you’re doing great! Parenting is extremely hard, and you’re doing it surrounded by devices, technology and content that’s never existed for previous generations before ours. The best you can do is follow your instincts and use technology as the incredible tool that it is—there are some truly wonderful, magical opportunities for your kids out there (and subsequent breaks ahead for you)!
For more tips and hacks about screen time and all things digital learning, follow along at @playpokpok!
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