While children’s screentime should always be closely monitored, spending time online is not something that we, as parents, should demonize. After all, it’s something that you’d struggle to go without yourself, especially as it becomes an increasingly important part of our daily lives. Furthermore, spending time online can be good for children, provided they spend their time wisely (and are monitored by a parent). Read on to find out more!
Spending time online can reduce their stress. While we often remember our childhood as a time when stress didn’t factor into our daily lives, roughly two-thirds of children report feeling stressed on a regular basis. Playing games online can be a great way to combat this, providing them with a distraction while also allowing them to have fun.
While you have many options to choose from, pinball is a great choice. This is because it allows you to share with your children a game you enjoyed as a child, and could even provide you with a fun way to compete against each other as you battle it out to see who can get the best score!
Spending time online can reinforce lessons covered in class. Whether they’re learning independently or researching to tackle their homework, spending time online can help to reinforce classroom learning. This means that your child will have a better grasp of what they are learning in school, increasing the chances of them performing well in tests and examinations. For example, you may want to help them find YouTube videos that cover topics they find hard to understand, or those that they simply want to learn a little more about
Spending time online can teach your child more about the world around them. Spending time online can also help your child learn more about the world around them. For example, a wide range of museums across the world offer virtual tours, including the Louvre and the National Portrait Gallery.
They can also watch a wide range of documentaries or educational videos online, covering just about every topic you can think of. This is a great way to expand their knowledge, especially if they’re particularly interested in a topic that is not often covered in class. You could take this one step further by asking them to share what they have learned with you over the dinner table, being sure to ask the kind of questions that get them thinking.
Spending time online can prepare your child for a digital world. As mentioned above, we’ve become incredibly reliant on technology. There are very few careers in which they will not need to use it at least once a day. As such, by allowing your child to become tech-savvy, you’re ensuring they’re prepared for the ever-evolving digital world.
Spending time online can help them bond with their peers. No matter how much time they’ve spent together on the playground, one of the first things your child will want to do when returning home is play with their friends. If it’s not possible to do so outside, online games or child-friendly messaging sites can provide them with similar bonding opportunities. Of course, you should be sure to vet any websites or platforms they are using ahead of time, while also blocking any websites that are not age-appropriate. You should also avoid letting your child use social media until they are old enough to do so.
Spending time online can help your child develop a wide range of skills. Spending time online can also help your child develop a wide range of skills that they will use in multiple areas of their life. For example, they could play games that teach them the basics of coding or how to speak a different language. That being said, sometimes, they’re allowed to just have fun, too.
Final thoughts. In short, there are many benefits associated with spending time online as a child or teen. It can help them develop a wide range of skills while also ensuring that they are able to relax or unwind after a busy day at school. Not only that, but it can also be a lot of fun – which is something that children should always have a lot of.
As such, while you should be mindful about the amount of time they spend online (and the sites that they are visiting), don’t make it seem like a bad thing and give your child the chance to experience the benefits listed above.
