Even young kids these days are so into electronic gadgets. One day they are using iPhone 6s and the next thing you know they are begging you to buy them the latest iPhone model and more. They play with PS4 or Wii at home and when you ask them to go out, they are glued to their iPad or other portable gaming consoles. This can be alarming sometimes especially when they are starting to attend school. As parents, you worry that they will not have time to study because they spend too much time on their gadgets. Well, it is important that you monitor the time they spend with their gadgets and guide them accordingly.
Here are some tips for many parents out there who can surely relate to this situation.
- Make sure they finish homework before they can play with their consoles –kids usually want to play once they go home from school. As much as you want them to have a good time, you should not easily give in to their whims. Make sure to ask them to finish their snacks, change clothes and of course do their homework before they can finally play with their consoles. This way, you can be sure that they are not neglecting their homework. Also, they will be more eager to finish their school work first so they can finally play.
- Do not allow them to bring iPad in school – most schools do not allow students to bring their phones or other gadgets but there are children who still want to sneak in their iPads or other gadgets. Make sure to forbid them from bringing any gadgets in school. You do not want the kids to be spending time with their iPad instead of playing with other kids or enjoying their spare time in school.
- Always check the browsing history to see what they are looking at –as parents, you should also make sure to monitor the things they access on their gadgets like the websites they check, photos, videos and games they play. Do not allow them to play too violent games that are not appropriate with their age.
- Do not put a TV on their room –another way to monitor them is by not allowing them to play in their bedroom on their own. Thus, it is best not to put a TV on your child’s bedroom. Ask them to play in the living room instead.
- Set bed time that they should follow –lastly, set a bed time that they should follow. Do not allow them to play until midnight most especially on a weekday night wherein they need to go to school the next day. It is best to explain to them how important it is to obey the rules.
It is indeed a proud moment for any parent to see their kids excelling at something like new technology. It’s just amazing how on such an early age that they can operate those machines. However, it is still important to guide them so they know when to stop so they can still do other things like socializing with other kids, household chores and most importantly their studies.
