Today, let us explore the role of parents in maximizing their children’s development in the use of technology and how to set guideline to give children the freedom to seek information and become independent learners.
Most parents are afraid of letting their precious little ones being exposed to the computer and the Internet. Their reasons can be summed up in two distinct areas:
- There is a health issue
It can damage the eyes with the prolonged staring of the computer screen. It can cause bad posture, with kids slouching in their chairs and of course, the most common being, it promotes anti social behaviour.
- The content is not suitable for children
The Internet exposes kids to a world without boundaries. As much as there is so much to praise, the amount of violence and sexual content o the web is definitely frightening and parents strive to protect their children from this.
So, let us see what we can do as parents, to get past the above and focus on how parents can introduce children to the world of computers and the Internet without any negative results.
- Set rules
This has to be done as early as possible. The sooner the rules are put into place the easier it is to enforce them. Let is realize that the problem is not with the technology but with parents not being able to set rules and stick to them! For a young child of the kindergarten age, I would allow the child to use the computer for half an hour and not a minute more. I would set an alarm if I have to just so the child knows when to stop. For older children, I would give them a slightly longer period depending on their age.When there are two or three children involved, set a simple timetable and there will be no quarrelling in the near future. Parents need to understand that children need rules like this. It gives their world some form of structure and security. They know what they are entitled to and this gives them some for of control of their life.
- Make sure your hardware is child friendly
These include not only the computer but also the table, chair and the lighting. The table and chair has to be suitable for the child’s height. Do not allow young children to slouch on the bed or the couch. Practice discipline early and you will be screaming less in the future! Try to have a study area in your home if you can. I would strongly discourage the dining table for this purpose unless there is no other space available.In my home, I have delegated one room as the Study Room where I have shelves for books and my husband, my children and I have individual tables for ‘work’. This was the best decision I made. Today, this is the most used room in our home and a lot of quality time is spent here. We are also closer to the children because of it. Computers/laptops are not allowed in the bedrooms and are only used here. If your children are young, do not spend too much on hardware. State of the art laptops and computers will be a waste as children can be careless and can damage things. Instead, ensure that the children sit at a proper distance from the screen and if they are using a mouse, make sure it fits their little fingers. If you are going to up grade your computer, give them your old one. Let them trash it and no one will be upset!
- Check content
Most systems today come with some form of parental control. Check your system and get this one running. Look at the settings and the preferences on your computer and change this according to your needs. When it is your child’s turn to use the computer, you have to be with them. Never leave the child alone. Giving a child a task to do and then disappearing into the kitchen or running off to have a bath is wrong. To help you child achieve the best you have to make sacrifices. This is a fact. From my experience as a teacher for more than 27 years, I can state with confidence, that the most successful children are those whose parents invested their Time on them. It is easy to invest money on our children but are you willing to invest your Time on them? Think about it. Make time to be with your children during Study Time. You will have to have done some form of ‘homework’ on your end to know what you want your children to do. Let us not forget that the computer and the Internet is not merely a source of entertainment but information as well. There are many web sites that cater for this and there are CDs for different age groups and different purpose. Do your research.
Next week let us explore the software and activities that parents can do with their children using the Internet.
This article was written by Madam Kalai Lingam. Madam Kalai has 27 years of teaching experience in government secondary school. She opted for early retirement in 2013 to pursue her love of writing, and is currently writing a book. Madam Kalai is well versed in the Malaysian Education system, having been a senior English teacher and school administrator for many years.