7 ways to introduce mindful screen time to your kids
Mindful screen time is a habit and here are 7 ways to help your child engage with screens more mindfully
What would your emotion be when your child hands over the tab after they have finished watching their favorite show for say 30 minutes?
You didn’t have to remind or warn them!
No, there is no tantrum either!
Wait, what? Is this even possible?
I’m not being flippant here! Let’s agree that our children are part of the world, which is more digitally-thriving than ours. They are the ‘digital babies’.
This means that they are introduced to screens earlier than we were. Screens are everywhere from homes, schools to public spaces.
Then, it shouldn’t be a surprise that your little one can quickly open their favorite game app or take a selfie without your help!
Now, excessive screen time in our children is a big worry for us.
But, let’s look at it differently — let’s empower them to treat technology as a conscious option and not as the easy way out!
In this article, we will delve into mindful screen time, why it is important, and a few quick suggestions.
What is mindful screen time?
When a child consciously chooses to use technology and consumes content for the time span chosen or decided upon without any fuss.
This is my definition or perhaps my understanding of mindful screen time.
It sounds calming, doesn’t it?
When you allow your child to make a choice of using technology with an agreed-upon timeline, it is putting them in the position of responsibility.
Wait a moment, can this happen with children as young as 1 or 2 years?
Why not?
Let’s shift the focus on us, parents, for a moment.
How often do we stay away from the gadget?
How often do we consciously engage with your child without a gadget?
How often have we said to ourselves: “Maybe 10 minutes more, and I will put my phone down?”
When we struggle with technology, what do you think children see in us?
This is something we need to understand: children see, hear, and do exactly as we do — meaning they learn from us.
So, do you think children as young as 1 or 2 years can be mindful of screen time if we choose to be mindful?
I believe they can with our help.
How does mindful screen time help?
When you enable your child to be mindful of their screen time, their development becomes more wholesome.
Essentially, they become their own screen monitors:
- become more aware of their responsibilities
- understand that screen time is like any other activity time
- are comfortable with being away from screens
- look for screen-free ways to keep them engaged
- their creativity and imagination soar
- better sleep and emotional growth
- are calmer and happier
When we enable children to think of screens as an option they need to consciously choose, they wouldn’t equate it with boredom.
Boredom means your child is craving to learn more and so kindle their curiosity.
So, let’s enable them to be more mindful of the screen!
7 ways to enable mindful screen time in kids
1) Schedule for screens
Your child and you can choose when they can use the screen and for how long. It is preferable to choose some time between their playtime and dinner time. Ensure the time span is decided by your child. You can use the screen at the same time as your child so that they know that you are following this along with them. Choose one day to be a screen-free day or choose a few hours where you can put the screen away together.
2) Choose family screen time
Your child and you can choose programs that you can watch as a family. Even if it’s your child’s favorite show, settle down and watch it. If it is a movie, watch it is only for the time span agreed upon. Say if it’s an hour, then you can pause the movie at 1 hour and engage your child in a discussion about the movie, create curiosity about how the movie would progress, you can draw or doodle the characters, etc. Ensure the screen is switched off and you shift to another space to do other activities. Yes, you can prepare activities ahead of time.
3) Create tokens for screens
How about using tokens to use the screen time? Agree on a time span for which the tokens will be created. Depending on your child’s age, you can choose this. Make this a family activity where all of you create the token. Whenever your child chooses to watch the screen, they must hand over the token for a specific gadget. This is ideal for children who are 3 years or older.
4) Make the bed a screen-free zone
It is a healthy habit to avoid screens in your beds. You may also keep this as bedrooms. This enables conversation with your child at nighttime that can be a sleepy storytime or lullaby time. When your child is allowed to take screens to their bed, they don’t register that the bed is for rest. Also, using screens before bedtime impacts a child’s sleep quality. Ideally, keep the gadgets away for at least 1 hour before bedtime.
5) Have fun screen-away time
Create a fun game where each day your child chooses an activity that doesn’t involve screen time. This could be as simple as gardening, reading, painting, running, biking, walking, playing indoors or outdoors, going to a store, etc. This helps them understand that there are ways to keep themselves engaged, independent of screens. This is quite motivating and you can include exercises, yoga, meditation as part of this.
6) Consistency & talk of boredom
Yes, there are going to be days when your child throws a tantrum for extra screen time. Remain calm and ask them questions about why they want the extra time. Be kind to yourself and your child if there is a miss! When you talk to them about boredom, need for extra screen time, and not chide them, it allows them to express themselves in a healthy manner. Boredom is not equal to screen time but provides avenues to do different things.
7) Put away your gadgets
Children see and do what they see us do. So, if we sit down with our smartphones and laptops all the time, chances are children will have a tantrum. Put your screens away and let your little one follow you. You can choose more mindful activities instead such as reading aloud, singing aloud, exercising, cooking with your child, dancing together. There can be some cherished moments that are gadget-free.
To conclude: Mindful screen time = healthy screen time
Habits are nurtured from a young age and through consistent practice. There will be days when your child needs that extra time and both of you can negotiate through that.
Ensure that the kind of media content your child consumes is age-appropriate and promotes learning through fun. There are multitudes of apps and programs that promote interesting curiosity-evoking content.
We cannot avoid screens in this everchanging digital landscape, however, we can enable our children to make more mindful choices.
A child’s brain can process only so much per day and too much screen time does impact a child’s learning and development!
