VTech Canada | Jeux et Jouets Educatifs pour enfants, console de jeu educative, jouets d'eveil

What parent today isn’t aware of the massive change in children’s play, compared to our own childhoods? Sure, our parents may have worried that we were watching too much TV, but that was just a drop in the bucket compared to 24/7 digital world our kids are growing up in.

Technology is everywhere, and just as most adults have become inseparable from our smartphones, laptops and tablets some children as young as infancy are getting similarly swamped by electronic interaction in ways that monopolize their attention and crowd out other forms of play.

This challenge is important for parents to get a handle on. No one knows what the long-term impact of children’s digital immersion will be, but we can assume there will be both benefits and deficits. Just as learning a second language is effortless in the first few years of life, early immersion with technology fosters a fluid understanding and intuitive navigation that older folks often struggle with. The term “digital native” has been used to describe this fluency that must reflect real changes in the way their brains interact with technology, just as children who grow up in a bilingual home develop lasting expansion in their brain circuits for language.

On the down side, we can also assume that digital play is compromising children’s development by out-competing other types of recreation and exploration. In another VTech article, I’ve discussed ways for parents to balance children’s technology time with physical play. Here are some other tips for using digital toys to their best advantage, and making sure we continue to nurture cognitively well-rounded children.

‧ First, remember that “real reality” beats “virtual reality,” every time. For example, playing with building blocks develops a child’s tactile, kinesthetic, fine motor and 3D visual-spatial skills far more completely than digital building games, no matter how great the computer graphics.
‧ Keep their digital play educational with products like the InnoTab® MAX where you can download content from the Learning Lodge™ that will engage your child’s literacy, math, science, history, geography, and social-emotional skills.
‧ Limit children’s use of tablets and other digital toys to a specific time and place. Since our habits are powerfully shaped by physical context, including the time of day, this will reduce children’s expectation to be constantly engaging with electronic devices.
‧ On a similar note, don’t allow electronic devices at meal time when kids should be learning to engage in conversation and social interaction.
‧ Have an alternate (non-electronic) activity or toy available when their time limit is up such as VTech’s Go! Go! Smart Friends™, Wheels™ and Animals™ playsets.
‧ Prioritize physical exercise, trips to the park, and other outdoor play throughout your child’s day.