These days, technology is so portable that kids can take their favorite streaming movies and television shows with them to the park. The problem is that, while portable technology is great for watching videos and learning, it is not so great for developing physical and social skills. Parents need to strike a balance between tablet use and interactive activities to make sure their children are getting the right mix of developmental skills.
Control The Time With Tablets
Tablets are great educational tools when it comes to reading, learning math skills, and identifying colors and shapes. But there is only so much of that type of development your child needs each day.
Parents should limit tablet use to a certain amount of time each day. When tablet time is over, then take your child outside to play, or if it is raining encourage your child to find their favorite card game or puzzle. You can also use extra tablet time as a reward or motivation to get your child to do their chores such as cleaning their room or putting their clothes away.
Encourage Play With Friends
Parents can make play outdoors with friends more appealing by taking their children to safe and clean playgrounds a couple of times a week. It would be a good investment to have playground equipment installed in the backyard so your children can have an outdoor play day in their own yard. Parents should get creative on finding ways to make outdoor group play enticing and fun for their children.
Lean Towards Educational
As you and your child look for apps to add to their tablet, be sure you encourage educational apps over standard video games. The educational apps that are designed for children try to appeal to kids on many different levels, and your child will get a lot more out of their tablet play time if they are playing educational games.
Be Careful With Videos
Children’s videos get billions of views every year on popular video platforms such as YouTube, and those same videos are also available on tablets. Many of the most popular children’s videos are also educational, which is good news for parents. But videos can also be the kind of thing that your child will want to watch over and over again, which drains the effectiveness out of tablet time.
As you give your child time with their technology, try to monitor their video watching time. You don’t want all of their tablet play to consist of watching the same one or two videos over and over again.
The visual and interactive aspects of tablets make them very popular educational tools for people with autism. But it is important that parents avoid making tablets the focal point of their child’s developmental process. There needs to be a balance between time on the tablet and time spent interacting with other children in a variety of health developmental activities.
Eden II Programs helps the autism community by providing programs and services combined with lifespan support to improve the quality of life for individuals with ASD and their families. Eden II has the greatest ability to help individuals with ASD reach their highest potential for independent, self-sustained living through high-quality ABA services, educational programs, adult day programs, group residential care, family support, respite, and a number of other services. Eden II Programs uses the evidence-based practices of ABA to develop skills, promote independence, and change lives for the better.
For information on programs and services available at Eden II, please visit us online at eden2.org or email us at info@eden2.org.
