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Health & Fitness

To Plug-in or Playin': Question of the Week for Preschool Parents

Technology has become a part of every child's life. There isn't one child that has never seen or used a computer. Technology does expose children to a lot of information but when is it too much?

As summer comes to a close and August presents unpredictable weather the options of activities that are available indoors are very minimal. Parents find themselves trying to figure out the best activities for their child. The easiest solution: grabbing a technology device to keep their child occupied with “educational” software.

The important question here is: Is it better to have your child plug-in or good old fun playin’? As our schools and home environments become enriched with technology, a parent has to wonder when is it too much computer time? Is my child using his/her imagination like I did when I was a child?

The truth is computers are now engulfing children’s attention so much that it may be the cause of hyperactivity. The computer gives the child instant answers and responses which then is learned and then spirals into any personable encounter expecting the same results. With overstimulation of the computer the child may also have social problems not learning how to interact in a social situation or use problem-solving skills. The computer is not a negative tool for young children but it should be used wisely and supplemental to a child’s learning experience.

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Always remember children are products of the environment they interact in, if you expose them to imaginative, interactive play using their senses, chances are that learned experience will have a better affect on the child in all areas of cognitive, social/emotional development and visual-spatial skills. The more interactive activities a child has with adults and other children build vocabulary and language to create stories and tales as a result of his/her experience. Children master language through spontaneous interactions and invent stories, fantasies, and adventures while displaying a give and take to regulate their emotions.

So before handing your child a Video Display Terminal, think about the goal of allowing them to use the device and only use it minimally. The time spent with your child visiting museums or local events will create a well-rounded child being exposed to more than just one way of learning: the computer. Remember, a video display terminal is only two-dimensional, real-life experiences are three dimensional supporting the needs of your concrete/symbolic preschool learner.

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Some easy pointers:

  • Children under five should only use a video display terminal for one hour a day with eye breaks every 15 minutes.
  • A computer should be used to add to an experience not supplement it. Any new experience should be hands on incorporating all five senses since preschoolers are concrete learners.
  • Preschoolers need to learn how to be divergent thinkers, which allows them to begin to problem solve in given situations. A computer only provides convergent thinking not allowing a child to explore or be inventive with their answers to problem or question.
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