Screentime Can be Wise (GASP!)

I am not an advocate for screentime under age four unless in times of desperation like an aiplane ride, a long road trip, an ER visit or maybe a funeral you think your kid may laugh during as they lower the body into the grave if she/he is not glued to Frozen. However, a Waldorf-y mom I hiked with in Asheville confirmed what I've been thinking for years after she consulted with a former Waldorf teacher, and spiritual guide- Screens can be seen as another entity we interact with. This entity can be used for goodness or evil. It's up to the end user, the consumer, to decide.

My boys were screenfree until at least age two. Then they were allowed animal planet, or a nature show maybe on a rainy day, but never ipads and they certainly were never sat infront of a show for entertainment. Play and boredom encourage imagination. Some parents say, "But, my child gets so frustrated and then they throw tantrums" to which I will politely, and with love, respond, "So what?" How else can you develop the will if you rob your child of the opportunity to be frustrated?

Now that they're school aged, we utilize online resources and YouTube for learning. Sure, they do what all kids will do when left to their own devices and watch a mindless lego building show or diorama construction, but I encouraged them recently to use their screentime wisely and find things that help them improve self, others, or the world. I left a list of keywords and topics to search and channels that "other kids" say are rad. I fibbed a bit because I can't say "mom found" these channels...that's so lame...I'll take it to my grave, but this list worked like a charm! CAUTION: You must have your parental controls on if you leave kids unattended and please limit screen time to 30-1hr a day.

Search:

• Visit (X) country)

• World's most beautiful _______ (houses, natural wonders, architecture, birds, waterfalls, countrysides, art museums)

• Science topics such as magnets, physics, chemistry experiments gone wrong, space, engineering, DIY science at home, electricity, severe weather

• Life hacks

• Workouts for kids

• Historic events (life stories, cultural festivals worldwide, biographies, major battles, weaponry advances, industrial revolution, history of medicine and herbalism, farming practices worldwide)

• Olympic moments, amazing humans

• Prehistoric toold, houses, farming, weapons, people, animals

• Folklore and legends from (X) country

• Chess tricks, card games, magic tricks and how they're done

• Exotic foods and dining customs

• Spelling bee finalists

• Time period docuseries like (medieval, renaissance, Georgian, colonial, Elizabethan)

• Ancient civilizations

• Drawing tutorials

• Great compositions, symphonies, tips for piano

• Behind the scenes, making of X movie

• Bloopers (I allow them to watch bloopers because I think it prevents starstruckdom and heps children see that their favorite celebrities are not flawless gods, but they're humans who make mistakes and are able to laugh at themselves and their colleagues)

I also found out there are hoards of mom-approved channels out there geared towards specific interests your child may have. Here are a few kid-friendly channels:

• Nat Geo Kids

• PBS Kids

• Minute Physics

• BBC Earth

• Space X, Space Rip, Space with Sarah

• History Civils

• Steve Spangler

• Epic Wildlife

• Smithsonian Channel

• Crash Course

They are NOT allowed to watch other people playing games, unwrapping toys, other other people watching and reviewing videos and I squashed Mr. Beast. I told them I cannot support them watching someone make money by shocking other people with gimmicks that require no talent, ingenuity, intelligence, or empathy. Screens in our home will stretch our mind, body and soul only.

Avoid using screens as entertainment and allow your child to entertain self. Exhaust all other resources first, but screens have a time and a place and let's be real...you don't want your kid to be the weirdo who has never seen a movie and is computer illiterate in today's world. A little exposure with modeled limit setting can prevent addiction because it's not kept from them so tightly that they're obsessed when they finally have an opportunity.

Good luck!

Chelsea