Nowadays screens are everywhere. Mobile phones, TV, tablets and laptops are part of children’s daily life. We as a parent cannot completely avoid it. Children see screens at home, in public places and even when they are taken out for a joy ride. Because of this, many parents and teachers worry about children’s screen time and how this would affects their overall development.
But I feel the problem is not only with screen time children have. It is also about what they watch and how much time they spend in real activities like playing, talking, and interacting with people.
As an Educator, I can clearly see the difference between children who spend more time playing and children who spend more time on screens. Children learn more when they are active. They learn when they play with blocks, draw pictures, run outside, talk to friends, listen to stories, and ask questions. Small children especially learn by doing things, not by only watching a screen. And that’s for Sure!!
I remember thing that my son did not talk much, but slowly he started talking, sharing toys, and laughing with friends. This showed me that children change when they get more chances to play and interact.
At home, we parents have many responsibilities. We have to cook, clean, work, and manage the house. So sometimes giving the phone to the child helps them finish their work. This is very common and we cannot blame any of us for this.
One of my friend told me that she gives her phone to her child every evening while cooking. Her child sits quietly and watches videos. But later the child keeps asking for the phone again and again and does not want to play with toys. Then she started giving small activities to the child like sorting vegetables, arranging spoons, drawing, and watering plants. After some time the child started enjoying these activities and asking for the phone less.
So screen time is not completely bad, but too much screen time is not good for children. Educational videos, rhymes, and story videos can be useful if children watch for a short time and if adults talk to them about what they watched.
Sometimes children do learn from Youtube videos, and stories. Especially when they watch for a short time. But more than screens, children need people around them. They need someone to talk to, play with, listen to stories, and spend time with them. These small daily moments help children learn to speak, share, think, and become confident. So instead of only worrying about stopping screen time, we should try to create a balance between screen time and real life activities would work better for sure.
When parents and teachers work together, set simple limits, encourage play, and spend time with children, screens will not be a big problem. They will just be one small part of children’s life.
In the future, children may soon forget the videos they watched, but they will remember who played with them, who talked with them, and who spent time with them. That is what really matters in childhood J
Nandini M A,
Academic Coordinator
LETTER Academy