How a hands-on mom allows her kids to use gadgets

Gadgets are neither good nor bad, it's how they're used that matter. Here's how a hands-on mom allows her kids to use gadgets in a good way.

Maximize your children's screentime

I grew up surrounded by technology: my dad created his own software company on the year I was born (long before start-ups were popular), I had my own website before I turned 12 and spent hours chatting in a 3D-rendered community called Cybertown.

So when I had children of my own, it was challenging to keep them away from gadgets. I was so happy when the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) updated its guidelines on screentime for children! I missed the memo when it was released late last year but I had not been good at implementing the old no-gadgets-before-the-age-of-2 guideline anyway.

I consider myself a hands-on mom and agree with the new guidelines so I definitely curate their gadget experiences. Click Start Gallery to learn how you can maximize your children's screentime as well.

1. Memorization, spelling and typing

It was an experiment: I changed our tablet's password to my firstborn's name. She memorized the letters of her name so quickly, I knew I found an effective way to teach spelling.

I now change our passwords regularly, names being my favorite. This requires them to memorize a pattern of at least 7 characters. It familiarizes them with the location of different letters on the keyboard too.

2. Penmanship

I asked my daughter to choose a stylus (It only cost P125 for a Tokyo Finds stylus from Fully Booked) and voila! A fun way to improve fine motor skills and penmanship. The Little Writer app (free from the App Store) even allows you to add words (like your child's name - one level up from just being able to spell it!).

The strokes for the letter y is not the conventional method but the Little Writer PRO version allows you to customize the sequence for just $1.99. I decided not to upgrade but it's a small price to pay. My toddler gets frustrated with some of the shapes but he loves tracing the checkmark over and over again.

3. Imaginative play

Imagine a dollhouse without all of the easy-to-lose and painful-to-step-on parts - that's My PlayHome (Lite is free; $3.99 on the App Store; $2.99 on Google Play). Children, pre-teens (and even adults like me) enjoy moving the different characters around the house. It allows kids to rehash their everyday experiences and come up with unique situations for their dolls. It helps in building vocabulary as well.

You can have the dolls sit on chairs, feed the fish, and even pour beverages into cups. The paid version makes all rooms (the dolls can go potty and take a bath!) and more dolls available. Stores (supermarket, fruit stand, ice cream parlor) and school are great companion apps ($2.99 each on the App Store and Google Play).

4. Sharing

For $2.99 on the App Store, the Sharing with Duckie Deck (don't judge an app by its name) helped my kids understand the different ways to share: dividing something equally among the group, taking turns, exchanging items or being flexible about one's choices. Design a cake and share it, too!

Yes, my kids fight over the gadgets (who gets to hold, what to watch) but I get the gadget away from them and tell them to let me know when they're ready to share. They either agree to share or decide to do something else.

5. Vocabulary (identify... anything!)

The best app in my book: Alphababy (free on the App Store). It is a high-tech version of flashcards. Touching the screen will prompt the app to reveal an image and say what it is. It has a game mode that challenges the user to choose which of the objects on the screen it is asking for.

The paid version (just $0.99 to upgrade - great value!) allows you to add as many items as you like. I use this to familiarize my kids with faces and voices of family members and friends. On our tablet, I use letter sounds (phonics) instead of what the letter is called. Some ideas that I have yet to implement include sight words, learn what objects are called in other languages and telling time.

6. Music

I'm not a tiger mom (really) but I got the kids started on piano "lessons" at the Hoffman Academy, which provides free online lessons! And Teacher Joseph Hoffman gives very clear and easy-to-follow instructions. It is completely optional to buy the materials (activities, MP3 files, etc.) so I haven't yet but maybe I will when they're older. We also just got an ukulele and plan to find online lessons for that as well.

Aside from instruments, singing and dancing is definitely part of our online experience. Kidz Bop Kids is a favorite performing group - kids who cover the latest popular songs but change the lyrics if they're inappropriate. We also enjoy singing and dancing to Hi-5 songs.

7. Exploration

Children are very curious so they like asking questions that my husband and I don't know the answer to. Enter: Google. Now we all know what causes thunder. The internet is an amazing repository of educational material. To me, it is books in digitized format, and then some.

Through YouTube, my kids have also watched ballet and folk dances, how a chick hatches from an egg, and how to bake and decorate a variety of cakes. Yes, they love egg surprise and toy unboxing videos too - I make sure they watch the narrated ones.

BONUS: Sleep training

When my toddler doesn't want to sleep yet, I call on the powers of favorite characters: Barney, Mickey Mouse and Elmo. I mention that they're asleep already and we search for images of them sleeping. "See, Barney is sleeping already, we better go sleep too!" Worked like a charm for my eldest, works like a charm for him too.

Gadgets are neither good nor bad

It was William Shakespeare who wrote, "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." Gadgets are neither good nor bad, but how they are used that matters. I believe that everything in moderation is the key when it comes to allowing my kids to use gadgets.

How have gadgets helped your children? If you have any insights, questions or comments regarding the topic, please share them in our Comment box below. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Google+ to stay up-to-date on the latest from theAsianparent.com Philippines!

Written by

Daphne

Englishscreen timekids screen time