Electronics are a great way to keep your kid quiet and entertained for hours, but too much screen time is not good for your children. Setting limits on how many video games your child plays or how much TV they are allowed to watch isnβt an easy task, especially with how many different electronics kids in todayβs world have access to. The best way to reduce how many hours your child stares at a screen is to offer them a better option and to be creative. Today, we will be giving you some inspiration on how to reduce screen time.
Set a Limit
Setting limits and telling your kids the dangers of spending too much time behind a screen is essential when it comes to reducing screen time. When you set limits, then your kids will feel like screen time is a privilege and will make the most out of it. If your kids understand the importance of internet safety and danger, then the chance of them breaking the rules will diminish, and they will understand why the rules have been put in place.
Obtain Passwords
Depending on the age of your child and your own values, obtaining passwords for your childβs online accounts is advisable. This gives you an opportunity to establish important rules and boundaries. It also lets you control what your child participates in online. Many children donβt have the level of maturity to deal with online issues, so you should take responsibility for keeping your child safe.
Model Healthy Use
You are a role model to your children and they will follow your actions. Modeling the healthy use of electronics will teach your children good habits and will stop them from spending too much time behind a screen. Before you binge-watch anything on TV or scroll through your phone during family time, know that this will teach your kids bad habits because it will make them think that it is okay. If you want to reduce screen time, you need to start with your own!
Educate Yourself
Children in todayβs world are extremely tech-savvy. Many of them can use technology better and more efficiently than adults. This is why you need to do what you can to keep up-to-date with the latest social media, apps, games, phones, and games consoles. Educating yourself will give you the chance to teach your children about the dangers and risks of certain aspects of technology.
Push Other Activities
Encouraging your children to participate in other activities will reduce the chances of your kids becoming dependent on technology to have fun. You can do this from the comfort of your own home by improving how entertaining your home is. To save space and increase efficiency, you can purchase multi-game tables that allow you to play up to 12 different games.
Create Zones
Creating technology-free zones where electronics are not permitted is a good idea. The dining room is the ideal place to ban technology, as it is an area to enjoy food and socialize with the family. You should also keep technology out of the bedroom. This will keep the bedroom a rest and recuperation zone and makes it easier for you to monitor the amount of screen time your child has each day.
Give Them Time
A great way to reduce screen time is to give them the time and resources to stay away from the screens. You can provide this in the form of resources to improve their academic skills or their general talents. However, your time, dedication, patience, and motivation are worth more than anything else.
All kids are different and have something that works for one may not work for another. The best way to reduce screen time is to find something to distract them away from the screens but still grabs their interest.
