Screen Time for your Toddler - What is the answer?

Screen Time for your Toddler - What is the answer??

Technology is everywhere and parents today are faced with real questions about how young and for how long children should be using devices such as phones, tablets, screen games, laptops smart TV's. 

What is clear is that the Early Years of a child's life is the time when there brain is developing the fastest, making connections and pathways that will be the foundation of future learning and curiosity. 

This special time of rapid brain growth is essential to development, and there are some things which cannot be learned on a screen. Creativity, imagination, texture, touch, weight, size, density, and many other aspects of early development can only be learned through play and physical interactions in the real world.

Even the CEO's and bosses of many high tech firms know this, and are sending their children to technology-free nurseries and schools. (see article below)

https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2015/dec/02/schools-that-ban-tablets-traditional-education-silicon-valley-london 

The answer is never straightforward, and for many of us parents trying to cut down on screen time with our kids is challenging. But its not impossible! A trip to a local park, going on a walk in the woods, or even setting aside some time at home for games that don't involve screens for even a short time will support the development of imagination, creativity, and problem-solving. Play is so important for your child to develop these skills, and supporting or playing with them is a way that as parents we can encourage it. 

If you would like more information on our Parent and Toddler Groups, which are a great way to encourage this type of play, contact 90601417. We have Parent and Toddler groups going on throughout the Colin Area every day, Monday to Friday.