What do you think of kids and technology today?
Don’t even get me started…this is a huge topic of discussion in all my CFS classes
1. Kids spend way too much time on technology today
2. Parents use it as a distraction mechanism which promotes bad habits and technology addiction. I know a mom who shoves an iPad in front of her 2 year olds face every time they’re in the car, at a restaurant, or when she whines. That’s such a bad habit because the child will never know how to deal with boredom, learn patience, and will expect to get what she wants instantly, etc.
3. So so so much research shows that technology is developmentally damaging for kids under 2 (not a tv show or movie once in awhile…moreso talking about kids glued to iPads or computers/TVs all day)
4. It obviously contributes to childhood obesity because children aren’t spending time running around outside or being active
5. It offers no social interaction. There are some apps and videos good for fostering development and learning, but they offer no two-way interaction, feedback, or positive reinforcement. Note: tv shows that ask children questions such as “what do you think the best tool to solve the problem is” and have a pause for children to answer (ex: Dora and Micky Mouse Clubhouse) are granted, far better for kids than non-interactive shows (at least, as “better” as kids tv shows can get). Still one on one and peer group social interaction (adult-child and child-child) is unmatchable in terms of learning educationally, socially, and developmentally
6. So much research shows that parents don’t need to spend a lot of time teaching their kids so much at a young age. It’s important to read to your kids and teach them things like colors, letters, and numbers but it’s getting too much with flash cards and educational apps too early. Let kids be kids and spend time playing. Research shows that kids who are “advanced” in preschool or kindergarten (due to their parents’ strong emphasis on an education focused childhood) tend to plateau around 2nd grade. Kids who do not have a largely education focused early childhood tend to rise academically around 2nd grade. Both kids (academic and non-academic early childhood focused) meet back up at the same academic level around 3rd grade (I’m summarizing an article here that I read awhile ago, therefore, this is the only reference that I am probably not 100% accurate on)
7. Most European and Scandinavian countries don’t even teach kids to read until age 6-7 because they believe children should learn basic socialization skills first; how to talk to adults, manners, mechanisms of conversation, proper behavior depending on the setting, etc.
8. And on the subject of toys, there is really no benefit of those huge colorful plastic toys that make a lot of noise. There’s so much research on nature based play and how beneficial it is for imagination and development. This includes Waldorf style, Montessori, nature based, open ended, and “organic”, basically the wooden, or natural material toys you see. The early learning centers at my university really focus on this. They have some traditional toys, but most of their toys are very simple. For example, the playground has tree stumps, a slide, a wooden amphitheater, a pile of boulders, a garden, a stream/pond, grass, dirt, and trees. There is no traditional playground equipment and this is so good for their imaginations.
9. Children should not be entertained 24/7. They should be allowed to feel bored, and come up with solutions for that boredom on their own. It is detrimental to their development and imagination if a parent comes up with a solution or immediately shoves a toy in their face when their child is bored
10. Also, kids should learn to be on their own. They don’t need stimulation and entertainment 24/7. It’s very important for them to have alone time and breaks from socialization/parenting
11. Kids really just need to get outside and experience nature. They need to use their imaginations and play around in nature, get dirty, and learn
12. When kids are playing with each other it should be child directed. Adults should merely observe and not step in. Research shows that play initiated and organized by children lasts longer and is more engaging/stimulating than if it were organized or initiated by an adult.
13. Children’s fights or disagreements should not be mediated by adults. Look at Dr. Tobin’s research if you’re interested in this, but basically children need to learn problem solving skills and come to solutions on their own without adult mediation or guidance. Of course in some situations adults/teachers need to interfere to prevent dangerous outcomes, but the majority of time they should merely observe and listen from a distance while children talk through a problem with their peers and come to a solution on their own. Side note: I despise tattle taling. When I worked at an elementary school and 2 kids would come to me with a problem/argument I would simply say “okay, I want you to look at each other and talk through a solution that you both agree on”. They literally would solve the problem themselves, walk away, and keep playing like normal
14. Books books books. Honestly you cannot get enough books for your kids. If it isn’t possible for you to buy your kids so many books get a library card. There’s literally studies that show children who had more books in the home growing up are more academically advanced later on in childhood. Note: the study also looked at parental involvement and encouragement in reading as a separate variable, but the researchers actually counted the number of books in homes and found children with more books or access to books (library card or computer) were better off in terms of literacy later on.
15. Kids need adult-child interactions and child-child interactions. This is based in Vygotsky’s social learning theory with scaffolding and the ZPD. A ‘more knowledgeable other’ (such as an adult) is beneficial for assisting the child with new or difficult tasks. However, peer interactions are great and necessary for imagination, planning/organizing games, sharing ideas, and developmentally similar stimulating activities
In conclusion children’s play should be:
3. Developmentally appropriate
I kinda went off the topic of technology on a child-play rant, but I could go on for days
Thank you for coming to my TED talk👏🏼
As always feel free to share your experiences, knowledge, beliefs, questions, or opinions on the topic. I enjoy hearing other people’s viewpoints!
