New technologies are essential to increase the learning capacity of the little ones and promote the development of their cognitive skills. Making responsible use of them is essential for an education in values.
New technologies have arrived in homes and schools to stay thanks to the benefits they bring to the development of children and adolescents.
According to a study carried out in England by Clark, Osborne and Dugdale in 2009, two thirds of children and adolescents read electronic content weekly, these being their favorites. Haugland, for his part, had already demonstrated years ago that by being in contact with materials on appropriate electronic devices, children show an increase in the development of their cognitive skills, both verbal and non-verbal.
However, the impact of new technologies at younger ages creates some concern and uncertainty in parents about their use by the little ones.
Tips for educating at home about new technologies
1. Locate electronic devices in common areas
Placing the computer or game console in a common room with human traffic is the best way to control both the time children spend playing online and the type of content they access in a non-invasive way. In the case of cell phones and tablets, it is recommended that children use this same location to be able to observe their actions.
2. Set a time for the use of technology
Balance is key when planning the time that children dedicate to technology to avoid excessive use of it. It is essential to strike a balance between online leisure and other alternatives to occupy your free time such as social relationships with family and friends, sports and activities that develop your creativity.
3. Share time between technology and children
Knowing new technologies is an essential pillar to be able to guide children in a positive and educational use of different media. In addition, it is convenient to share the time that the little ones spend playing with these types of devices to learn about their difficulties and learning abilities in different subjects.
4. Select games adapted to your age
Each age entails a differentiated educational development that can be motivated through different types of games. In educational toys, the packaging contains more information about who the product is intended for, but in online games there is sometimes a kind of void. It is important for parents to select pages or applications where there are games adapted to the age of their children . There are many quality educational applications that reinforce children’s skills in the most fun way.
5. Make responsible use of technology
Children’s learning through imitation makes adults a role model for the little ones. Parents must be the first to use technology responsibly in order to serve as an example for their own children. Spending excessive time, using the cell phone during food or performing other inappropriate actions should be prohibited actions so that children do not want to repeat them.
6. Ask about their experience with technology
The ideal is to share the use of technology with your children, but in many cases, especially as they get older, achieving this is a real headache. At this point it is important to ask what they have been doing, how much time they have spent and what their experience has been with the different devices to stay alert.
7. Bet on pedagogical games
It is possible that educational games are sometimes not the most attractive on the market for the little ones, but they are the most recommended to be able to better develop all their functions. Introducing this type of technological toys from childhood is essential so that the little ones feel a certain inclination towards them. An example is Miniland Grow&Fun , the Miniland application for the little ones that manages to combine the real world with the digital world and stimulate both sight and speech.
8. Implement parental controls on technological devices
Parental controls are a fundamental help tool for parents on different technological media, especially if they are connected to the Internet. Using these programs you can limit access to certain pages and keep track of which ones are being monitored . These types of tools are a non-invasive way to limit access to inappropriate content for children and facilitate responsible use of online educational games .
New technologies have certain associated consumption risks, but the benefits they provide to children undoubtedly increase the need to implement this type of devices in the education of the little ones . Miniland Educational is concerned with creating new educational toys adapted to the needs of the little ones to facilitate their learning and education in values ​​from their first years of life.
