Can Technology Benefit Young Children?
Yes, it can! Technology has a variety of applications with young children, from motorized cribs, to television shows that focus on learning. Interactive technology is especially useful for young children, and provides benefits such as improved:
- Hand-eye Coordination
- Cognitive Development
- Visual Attention
- Motivation in Completing Tasks
- Language Skills
- Problem Solving Skills
- Artistic Skills
- Writing Ability
Technology also has the ability to expand a child’s horizons, well beyond what they would normally see or have access to. On https://pbskids.org/, children have access to a multitude of fun games to play and challenging puzzles to solve. As a learning resource, children also have access to https://wiki.kidzsearch.com/, which is a child-friendly version of Wikipedia. This website allows them to interact with and discover hundreds of thousands of things they could never have learned about in their home environment. It’s highly recommended that you check out the links above, and see if your child(ren) would be interested in the games and articles they have to offer.
What About Older Children? Can Technology Benefit Them?
Most definitely! Technology can allow children, especially older children, to socialize. While the initial item that comes to mind is social media, there are plenty of other avenues where technology (namely: the Internet) can help form bonds between children. These avenues can include:
- Video games
- Mobile apps
- Hobby forums
- STEM, science, and coding camps
Videos games can range from games such as League of Legends, which requires a high degree of communication and interactiveness with other players, to building their own video game through a service like Buildbox. Buildbox allows you to build with other friends, so if your child has an interest in coding, it’s definitely worth looking at!
Mobile apps and hobby forums are both excellent ways for a teenager or older child to communicate and interact with peers of the same age. Your child(ren) can download mobile apps on sports, technology, and many other interests from the Play Store or App Store. A popular forum is https://reddit.com, which hosts a massive selection of forums on hobbies, interests, and news. For some insider knowledge, a forum page on this website is called a “subreddit”. It’s important to mention, hobby forums can vary widely in their appropriateness. If your child finds one they like, it’s worth reviewing it to make sure it’s good for their age level.
How Much Screen Time Should My Child Have?
For much younger children, around 2 – 5 years old, they should have at most one hour/day in front of a screen. For older children, two hours/day is recommended as the maximum limit. Both of these recommendations are from the American Heart Association.
While the exact amount of screen time will vary from age to age, it’s important to note that a few things that stay true regardless of age:
- Screen time should be in moderation, and broken up into chunks instead of one long streak whenever possible.
- Make sure they’re still doing physical activities that don’t involve a screen, like reading a (paper) book or exercising
- Don’t have them use a screen right before going to bed, as the blue light that’s emitted by LCD screens interferes with the human body’s ability to produce melatonin, which is essential for sleep.
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Sources:
https://www.idtech.com/blog/benefits-of-technology-for-children
https://swgfl.org.uk/magazine/what-are-the-benefits-for-my-child-of-using-techno/