TV’s, computers, mobile devices…screen time is an abundant commodity these days. While there are so many cool apps and programs for kids, how do we limit their screen time while still getting the benefits of what technology has to offer our children? Whether you have strict screen-time rules, or are just looking for more ways to bring some cool technology into your child’s life, here are 5 things that have worked wonders for us:
PODCASTS: Wow In the World
The beauty of podcasts, is the storytelling element where the child has to listen and visualize the rest on their own. My son has been a big fan of Wow in the World since their first episode in May 2017. Every week, they release a new episode covering topics ranging from astronomy, to medicine, to marine biology, social well-being and so much more. We listen every morning on our drive to school, and it’s been a great companion on family road trips. With the wonderful slogan, “Eyes up. Screens down. Jaws Dropped,” Wow in the World encourages listeners to discover the wonders of the world. These shows often spark wonderful conversations between my son and I, long after they’re over. It’s a gift that keeps giving and a perfect show for the curious mind. Plus, the hosts, Mindy Thomas & Guy Raz are hilarious!
ALEXA Skill: Outer Space Alice
If you have an Amazon Alexa, you should definitely activate the Outer Space Alice skill. Ok, full disclosure here: my husband and his partner made this. It was inspired by our son’s love of space. Outer Space Alice is a teenage astronaut on board the International Space Station with her robot Pierre. When you tell Alexa to ask Outer Space Alice where she is, Alice will tell you the real-time location of the International Space Station, and interesting facts about the area it’s over. Children come away with facts about geography, language and culture around the globe. They can ask Alice more about her, and her story will unfold the more they interact with her.
CAMERA: Fujifilm Instax Mini 9
What started as a fun exploration in photography and giving our son control over capturing moments, turned out to be an extremely revealing and fun experience for the whole family. A Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 is a nice, big, plastic camera that is easy for children to hold, and runs for about $40-60. The child gets the opportunity to capture moments important to them and have the physical artifacts, while learning the basics of photography we have all forgotten about with our rapid fire phone photography. We also realized that this gave us, the parents, the perspective of how our son views the world. We added a small photo album so he has a place to collect his photos and revisit great moments he captured. Film comes out to about .60 per picture if you buy the film in three packs on Amazon.
CODING: Cubetto
There are a lot of great games, toys and tools out there for teaching kids programming and logic skills, but few simple enough for younger kids to enjoy. Cubetto is a simple wood robot that children can control by creating programs for it to move around on a map. Kids learn the basics of computer programming and logic such as instructions, sequencing, looping and nesting while exploring the different parts of the map and telling a story. There are multiple maps available, and they have recently introduced a drawing kit allowing children to draw pictures with their programs on reusable washable play mats. This gives kids the freedom to explore programming basics freely, without the use of a screen.
Kids App: Drawing Pad
Drawing on the iPad is a great creative use of a screen, especially when you look at the pile up of paper and wonder how to keep it clean and organized. Drawing Pad is a simple drawing app geared towards children, and keeps the features to a minimum to ensure children can use it on their own. They get the tools they are used to: crayons, paints, markers and stickers, without all of the complex features such as layers that children do not need. Putting the iPad in guided access mode ensures the iPad becomes a digital canvas and nothing more, allowing them to express their creativity without worrying about what other apps they are getting into.
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Lucy Kalantari is a local mom and musician, always looking for ways to feed the curious and absorbent mind of her 5-year old son. She makes jazz age inspired music for kids and their families.