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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
How long should you let your child play on the iPad and how offen?
I have three kids and they all have iPads. Lately they have been wanting to play when they gets up and all day long. They get mad when it time to get off. How can I make a time for them to play. How long should they be on it?
Re: How long should you let your child play on the iPad and how offen?
You're the parent. You explain to them that they get X amount of time per day and after that, they shut it off willingly or you take it away.
How long they can play is up to you. And depends on their age and circumstances. I'd let an 8 year old have longer than a 2 year old but not if they were behind in school work etc.
Do it the way parents used to do it when it came to TV viewing time for the kids: permit them to have their iPads for only an hour a day.
Kids need to be engaging in play, in doing chores that need to be done that are geared to their age (pick up their room and put their toys away would be 2 examples) or reading or doing something constructive.
They shouldn't be excessively sitting on their tails and spending time with something electronic for more than an hour.
An hour a day for older kids, maybe a half hour a day if they are under 10.
And yeah, why do all of them have an iPad? You still need a way to monitor what they are doing. How do you manage that if all 3 kids have an iPad?
I vote you have only one iPad for all to access; let them wait their turn to use it.
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What would be wrong with each child having their own iPad? My 3 year olds each have their own iPad. We think it is fantastic. Our girls usually use them in the morning when they first wake up (they charge in our room so when the girls come in before 8am we pass them the iPads and get to sleep for another half hour or so, bliss!
Then they usually play with them for about an hour during the day and then another hour after dinner on some nights.
I think it depends on the age of the kids and what they are using it for. For us they have been brilliant with all of the learning apps for young kids. Fine, and funny cat videos on youtube, lol.
Chronically hilarious - you'll split your stitches!
I wrote a book! Bucket list CHECK!
http://notesfortheirtherapist.blogspot.co.uk
Judgey much?
Assuming I had the money for one, If I were to have have more than one child under the age of 10, each child would have their own.
First, I do not believe that making children share big ticket items is the way to go in teaching them to TAKE TURNS or SHARE period. Children are not born with patience or with the ability to tell time. But they are born with an ego and need to play with something cool right now.
The cooler the item, the more they are going to want it. And no matter how much you try, it will always be a fight over whose turn it is.
I would rather teach these lessons over the smaller, less attracting items, so they can actually get past the "MUST HAVE NOW" feelings to learn the lesson.
Second, I do not want my children fighting over something that costs that much. It is bad enough that electronics are made to fall apart easily (my personal conspiracy theory is that the manufacturers do this on purpose to make more money). BUt when you add squabbling 4 yo, you have a recipe for disaster.
Third, which goes with my first point. IF the whole point is to learn something while playing an educational app how is that possible while the kid in possession of the Ipad has to continually fight off his/her sibling or has his/her sibling trying to play for him/her?
Yeah, so before you judge (and yes you did. the qualifier "no offense" always proceeds a judgement statement) why not look at the reasons
Good lord, yes! I (as usual) completely agree with Illumine! We started out with one iPad (mine) and twin 2 year olds. It was HELL!!!!!
Now that they each have their own they still want to play their sister's, they get upset if they can't find the same game or same video their sister is playing / watching and god help us all if someone's battery dies.
But it's worth it. Long car rides? Not a problem? Sleeping in? Why not! They're both sick with the chicken pox right now - charge those suckers up, set the kids up on the couch with their iPads, juice boxes, a bowl of grapes and slowly back out of the room.
Plus, I think they are great in so many ways for young kids. We went camping the other night and, because of Puzzingo, they were pointing out actual star constellations. They're THREE!! I can't even do that. They know all of their shapes, including the obscure ones that we struggle with (heptagon is seven sided, right? ), numbers up to 20 and all upper and lower case letters of the English alphabet. We still read to them every day, we still play games, do puzzles and play math games, cook with them and do everything a parent should - we think of the iPads as a bonus for them learning wise, entertainment wise and for us, some much appreciated peace. Like anything with kids, if we let them use it for too long the appeal is lost.
They're very respectful with them, too. They both know how to turn the sound up and down and know to turn the sound off completely when we are in public. They are put away when a friend comes over or we are in a place to interact. In restaurants? Fantastic! We bring the iPads, they wait quietly and patiently for our food, we talk, chat, play, whatever, they eat faster than we do and often we will whip out the iPads for them once they are finished - this gives us time to enjoy our own meals without rushing because Fukishima 1 and Fukishima 2 are running hot and getting bored and we can even enjoy a drink after dinner with the kids sitting quietly and entertaining themselves / each other. Often other parents come up to us in a restaurant and comment on how brilliantly behaved the girls are and what a great idea it is to bring iPads.
We also feel that where we live it is important to have our kids keep up with changing technology and to be fully comfortable with what is going to be the future platform of the majority of their learning. We've got two old laptops for the girls to start toddling around with once they start nursery in September and are introducing them to a desktop computer because it struck us as strange one day that they've no idea what a traditional mouse is or how to work one. Bizarre when you think about it, really.
So OP - to me, as long as they are using their iPads appropriately (not watching porn), at appropriate times (not during dinner, not during family time, not when people are visiting them, etc.), safely (information sharing wise) and in a way that is at least somewhat educational (not just angry birds for 3 hours/day) and you feel comfortable with the amount used and corresponding behaviour / attitude of the children (iPads are not preferred over spending time with friends, going outside on a nice day, chores are finished, homework not behind, respectful behaviour, etc.) then find a way to work them into your family schedule and dynamic that works for you. "Nomal" and "Typical" aren't always the best ways to go about things.
Chronically hilarious - you'll split your stitches!
I wrote a book! Bucket list CHECK!
http://notesfortheirtherapist.blogspot.co.uk
I strongly agree!
Me too. I was lurking quite a bit with this thread and I think it's ridiculous for each child to have their own ipad, especially when they are under 5 years old. When I was younger, my brother and I had to share many things. Sure it caused disputes but that's what happens when you have multiple kids...They shouldn't be brought up thinking they can get whatever they want just because someone else has it, especially ridiculously expensive pieces of technology that can easily break in the hands of a two year old. Don't know how old OPs kids are though. I agree technology can be good and of course very educational, but it has negative effects as well. If I had a "family" ipad, I would let the kids use it but I can't even process buying them their own device.
I think I'm in this camp too. BUT I think the bigger issue is the fact that they get upset when you take them away. My thought is fine, let them be upset, that's how parenting works.
The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology came out with guidelines for screen time a couple years ago:
For those under 2 years, screen time (e.g., TV, computer, electronic games) is not recommended.
For children 2-4 years, screen time should be limited to under one hour per day; less is better.
For children and youth age 5-17, recreational screen time should be limited to no more than 2 hours per day; lower levels are associated with additional health benefits. For those with screen time levels in excess of 2 hours per day it is appropriate to start to progressively reduce screen time as a stepping-stone to meeting the guidelines.
Here is the link: http://www.csep.ca/CMFiles/Guidelines/CanadianSedentaryGuidelinesStatements_E_2012.pdf
These guidelines are meant to help reduce sedentary behaviour in children and youth, but there are also plenty of other negative effects associated with screen time. A review on infant media usage cited studies linking tv viewing (even education programs) to delayed language skills, attentional problems, and inferior reading and memory skills (Cristakis, 2009).
what you just described was letting kids play so you can sleep, a babysitter. that is not educational
Oh yes, and it is MAGNIFICENT!
Chronically hilarious - you'll split your stitches!
I wrote a book! Bucket list CHECK!
http://notesfortheirtherapist.blogspot.co.uk
This is just a few words from a childless 19 year old.
I have computer vision syndrome from growing up on a screen. I'm always on the computer, I don't go outside much if any at all. I think I only go outside to go to work or to do laundry, lol. (Apartments; on-site laundry stuff)
My younger brothers love the computer, the iphone, whatever. There are 4 computers in their house, and they fight over them, all of them. It's the same kind of situation that your kids are in, with the constant screen time and all.
My advice? Have them work for brownie points.
Clean up their messes? +5 pts.
Don't forget to brush their teeth? +5.
Memorized another multiplication table? +5.
So on and so forth. Make a cute little chart for them or something they can have to keep track and encourage them. I used to do that to help my brothers make sure that their homework was done, and the house was clean. I even gave them points for eating all their veggies. c:
Give that a shot, if you like the idea. Best of luck to you and your kids!