Bluelight-online forum for those with substance abuse / addiction

                               BLOG THEME 2: Children and digital media

Introducing preschoolers to digital media

Before introducing the digital media to pre-school, we must first analyze thoughtfully the positives and negatives of digital media, its short-term and long-term impact on children’s creativity, focus, exposure to screen time. Following are some key steps to guide them:

Exposure to age & developmentally appropriate, engaging content

 Expose to apps which are child friendly, rich in educational value and triggers cognitive development like puzzles, building blocks, drawing, interactive storytelling. Go for content which are thought provoking embedded with positive message and moral having colorful and attractive visuals. Include games like matching games, solving puzzles that help them to explore

Right mix of digital and physical activities

Wisely blend healthy physical and outdoor activities with screentime, Prompt them to build a different version of story that they have seen on the app to foster an environment of creativity. Post viewing the coloring video, give them the exercise to color on the paper. Asking them to narrate the story they have watched in their own words or ask them to act out it. Show them movement based videos like exercise and dancing which they can repeat in their real life

Introduce basic digital hygiene &etiquettes

Children should seek permission before using any kind of digital media, The screentime should be limited so that it does not affect their eyes, No screentime before going to sleep, Regular break and blinking of eyes while on screen to avoid eye dryness. Use tech in shared spaces and never alone . Create tech-free zone where children can interact with each other

Monitor and guide kids digital experience

Do not expose them to apps with advertisement, it can create distraction. Tell them that digital media is not only for entertainment but its primary purpose is to learn and explore. Do not let them use the app for shopping . Keep an eye to check if the content they are viewing is not objectionable.

Make the digital experience fun and interactive

 Introduce digital media literacy in a step manner teaching basic useful functions like pressing enter, dragging, selecting colour, swiping etc. Give exposure to beginner apps to introduce to the concept of numbers, letters, colors, problem-solving, music making tools etc. Exposure to digital media should be in a way that promote overall development, cognitive skills, curiosity towards learning, knowledge, and exploration. We should enable an environment in the preschool which encourage children to use the digital media responsibly and judiciously by understanding its strengths and negative effects. The goal is to foster creativity and learning through a balanced approach.

Daycare activities should be a right mix of activities that foster creativity, logical reasoning, comprehension, social interaction, physical and mental development yet fun and playful for an overall growth.  Encourage them to scribble on paper and experiment on painting wall with colors, crayons, paint to help them bring out their creativity Show children different educational stories on digital platform and ask them to act or retell the story in class.  Encourage the children to pick one interesting character from the story and do basic research about it. Ask questions about the moral depicted in the story, why and what they have liked about a specific character mentioning strength and weakness of that character. Motivate to retell the story with modification as per their own desire. Ask them to develop and enact a play based on story they have viewed. Give kids some photos and ask them to create a simple digital story using apps like Story Creator.

Increases Learning by making it fun and interactive ,Digital media like apps, games, audios and videos make learning fun and playful. This interactive way of learning helps children grasp concepts more easily and conveniently. Digital Tools allow children to unleash their creativity and develop their own digital content like stories, games, videos etc. Animations, pictorial images, and interactive books help children whose visual senses are more active. Storytelling apps and music-based activities help those whose auditory senses are more active. Touch-based, movement-focused digital activities help those whose sensory perception of movements are more active.

Disadvantages- Continuous and overuse can reduce the time of outdoor physical activity. Children gets addicted and start spending most of their time in front of the screen which further reduces social interactions. Due to limited social interaction further weaken the communication , social skills and replaces the face-to-face interactions. Excessive indulgence in digital media takes away the joy of real life games, play like playing with sand, or experimenting with colors. Learning by interacting with teachers, peer group, friends also get reduced. Active engagement gets replaced by passive consumption Excessive screen time can lead to dry eyes, eye strain, headache, postural issues, and erratic sleep behavior. Children get impatient and want everything to be available and happen at a click of a button which leads to anxiety, stress, mental fatigue and irritation. Continuous sitting in front of screen without break add up to sedentary lifestyle which further leads to obesity and related complications. Blue light emitted by the screen can hamper melatonin production, making it difficult for kids to sleep.