{"id":60683,"date":"2022-11-25T13:35:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-25T10:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.twinscience.com\/?p=60683"},"modified":"2022-11-25T13:35:00","modified_gmt":"2022-11-25T10:35:00","slug":"how-to-use-screens-to-build-a-better-toolkit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.twinscience.com\/en\/blog\/how-to-use-screens-to-build-a-better-toolkit\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use Screens to Build a Better Toolkit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
One of the biggest challenges for parents today is how to effectively engage their kids in activities that are fun and educational at the same time. As a result, many parents have started using technology as a means of engaging their kids \u2014 and they\u2019re doing it in ways that we never expected! Today, it\u2019s not just video games or YouTube videos that we use with our children; there are now virtual reality platforms, computer programming programs, and more that we can use as tools to help engage younger ones in things they\u2019ll enjoy. The good news is that there are both pros and cons to using screens when it comes to kids. On the one hand, for example, computers and smartphones have given us access to entertainment that was previously only available to adults. On the other hand, digital media has also made it easier for children to access inappropriate content while spending too much time playing video games or watching TV shows.<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\nWhat are the benefits of using screens?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\nScreen time has its drawbacks too, but overall, it can be a really useful part of the lives of kids. Kids who use screens can often learn faster, because they\u2019re surrounded by lots of new information. Many screen-based learning activities can also help kids build problem-solving skills, increase their creativity, and increase their confidence. Kids who spend time using screens also often have less behavior problems than those who don\u2019t use digital media.Kids who spend a lot of time on screens are more likely to have poor sleep, because screens often emit light and may also cause kids to feel anxious about missing out on everything that\u2019s happening in the real world. Additionally, the blue light that screens emit may make it harder for kids to fall asleep and have a restful sleep.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nScreen time has its drawbacks too<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\nKids who use screens also have higher rates of obesity, because they may be less active than those who aren\u2019t on screens. Additionally, kids who use screens are more likely to have behavioural problems, because they may be more easily frustrated and less likely to exert self-control.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nHow do you know when it\u2019s time to unplug?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\nAs a rule of thumb, you should unplug when your child starts to look bored, or if they complain of headaches or feelings of stress while they\u2019re using screens. If your child regularly complains of feeling down while they\u2019re using screens, it\u2019s probably time to take a break!\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n3 Strategies for Developing a Better Digital Toolkit for Kids<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\nVR for Virtual RealityVirtual reality is perhaps the most exciting digital tool available today, because it allows for incredibly realistic experiences that weren\u2019t possible before. Virtual reality systems let users \u201cwalk around\u201d and explore a computer-generated environment, just as if they were actually in that world.VR is especially useful for helping kids with developmental transitions, like helping kids with autism transition from a routine of a single activity, like a special diet, to a routine of multiple activities. VR can also be used as a tool for helping kids with anxiety, like helping kids who have social anxiety overcome stage fright.Computer Programming for Robots and AnimatsonsComputer programming could soon go from being a luxury to being a necessity \u2014 if governments and companies start requiring it as part of the job application process. Technically, children as young as eight or nine years old can start learning programming \u2014 but with the right guidance, most kids will find it much easier to learn if they start when they\u2019re around 11 or 12.Kids can use programming as a way to explore topics like science, math, ethics, language, geography, and more. For example, there are many programming challenges that explore geometry, such as \u201chow many squares are in an 8×8 grid?\u201dKids can also use computer programming as a way to develop creativity. Some of the easiest ways to do this are to teach kids to create games and to build robots.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nVR for Virtual Reality<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\nVR is perhaps the most exciting digital tool available today, because it allows for incredibly realistic experiences that weren\u2019t possible before. VR systems let users \u201cwalk around\u201d and explore a computer-generated environment, just as if they were actually in that world.VR is especially useful for helping kids with developmental transitions, like helping kids with autism transition from a routine of a single activity, like a special diet, to a routine of multiple activities. VR can also be used as a tool for helping kids with anxiety, like helping kids who have social anxiety overcome stage fright.Computer Programming for Robots and AnimatsonsComputer programming could soon go from being a luxury to being a necessity \u2014 if governments and companies start requiring it as part of the job application process. Technically, children as young as eight or nine years old can start learning programming \u2014 but with the right guidance, most kids will find it much easier to learn if they start when they\u2019re around 11 or 12.Kids can use programming as a way to explore topics like science, math, ethics, language, geography, and more. For example, there are many programming challenges that explore geometry, such as \u201chow many squares are in an 8×8 grid?\u201dKids can also use computer programming as a way to develop creativity. Some of the easiest ways to do this are to teach kids to create games and to build robots.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nConclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\nWhether you use screens or not, it\u2019s important to keep in mind that screen time is not the same thing as screen viewing. Screen time is when kids use screens, especially when it takes up a lot of their time. Screen viewing, on the other hand, is when kids simply look at screens, either for entertainment or to get information.The good news is that we now have more tools to help us engage young ones with technology than ever before. As parents, we just need to use them wisely and proactively \u2014 and most importantly, not to replace face-to-face interaction with people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the biggest challenges for parents today is how to effectively engage their kids in activities that are fun and educational at the same time. As a result, many parents have started using technology as a means of engaging their kids \u2014 and they\u2019re doing it in ways that we never expected! Today, it\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":61380,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-teacher-advice"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.twinscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.twinscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.twinscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.twinscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.twinscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60683"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.twinscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60683\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.twinscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.twinscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.twinscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.twinscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}