Are you worried about your toddler or preschool kid getting addicted to smartphones? Certainly, it is too early for them to get glued to the mobile screens. After all, there are a lot more to watch through their naked eyes. In psychological term, they call the amount of time spent on mobile, TV or laptop as Screentime.
What are the cons of high screentime?
- It creates a higher risk of childhood obesity.
- It makes them more aggressive.
- It kills their energy and makes them lazy.
- Expose them to advertisements and propaganda leads.
How to limit their screen time?
1. Be an Example
Children will always learn by watching the behaviours of their parents. If they see you reading a book, they are more likely to read. And if they see you engaged with the mobile phone always, so will they. Let us start with the toughest one, but there no other best way start.
2. Be the Parent
It is your job to encourage healthy way and limit unhealthy ones. Sometimes this means making unpopular and tough decisions. You must always go ahead explaining why you have made the decision and what are the pros of it. This will help them follow through and someday accept it for themselves.
3. Limit Viewing Times
If you are not going to block access to gadgets completely, choose the appropriate viewing windows for your kids. It is much easier to limit their viewing habit if they understand that they can only watch one hour in the morning and one hour after school (for an example).
4. Encourage Other Activities
Provide kid with necessary resources like books to read, board games, art supplies, sporting equipment or some highly engaging activities like Inkmeo Colouring Rolls.
5. Play with Your Kids
Sit down with your kids and pick up a doll, truck, or ball. It takes intentionality and selfless love when they are 6. But when they turn 13, you’ll be glad for what you did.
6. Be Involved in Their Lives
For many parents, it is just easier to engage the kids with mobile than to actually be involved in the lives of their children. But those intimate life details are required for successful parenting. So observe, listen, ask, and parent.
7. Child’s Behavioral Changes
Playing certain type of games has an immediate impact on your child’s behaviour. After too much of games, children may get irritable, aggressive, selfish, and impatient. Be on the look-out for these behavioural changes always. When you notice them yourself, you’ll be less inclined to allow them to play games on Mobile.
8. Miss Out on Parts of the Conversation
Your child’s friends may talk about the games they have on their mobiles. They will compare notes about how they have played. You may feel that you are depriving your kids of friendships because they can not join in on those parts of the conversation. But don’t worry. If they are engaged in some interesting indoor or outdoor activities, you will have successfully prepared to your child to enter into far deeper, richer conversations than their top score in Angry Birds game.
9. Value Family Meals and Car Rides
About two-thirds of young people say the mobile is usually accessible during meals. Your family’s richest conversations will always take place during meals and in the car. Value those times with your kids. So don’t read texts or check the notifications during these times which steals attention from you.
10. No TV’s or Gadgets before Bed
Screentime before bed with refrain you and your kids from a deep sleep. So not only your kids but you should also avoid watching TV, Mobile or laptop screen on the bed.
11. Find your mantra
Consider a mantra, which could be a sound, word or group of words that are considered capable of creating transformation. The consistent use of the mantra can only make magic. Every parent should have them and use them effectively. For example, “too much mobile” mantra goes like this, “There’s been too much screen time in this family.” And every time your kids hear you say it, they know what it means "we are about to spend some quality time together without watching any gadget screens".
12. Augmented reality
Use the Augmented reality technology on your mobile to shift the focus of your kids from mobile to the real world. Fix the Inkmeo Wall Colouring Roll on the wall as mentioned here. Install the Inkmeo AR App on your phone and let your kids scan the pasted sheet with the mobile. By seeing the colourful images of the character, the will get curious to colour it themselves with Crayons. Now hand over the crayons to them and let them colour the sheet on the wall.