Easy Screen Time Ideas That Are Actually Educational

Screen time doesn’t have to be something that’s deemed negative, especially when it comes to youngsters who will no doubt be brought up on screens during their childhood and beyond.

It’s a given that technology is everywhere and will need to be embraced to a certain extent, even if you don’t want to expose your children to it.

There are plenty of easy screen time ideas that are actually educational and it’s more so the amount of screen time that you give to your little ones that really matters.

With that being said, here are some easy screen time ideas that are actually educational and how to make screen time more effective for both kids and adults when it’s everywhere. 

 

What are the problems with too much screen time?

Too much screen time can certainly be a problem and it’s important not to give yourself or your children too much of it. Let’s take a look at some of the physical, mental and cognitive impacts, as well as behavioral and social development issues too.

Physical health

Dry eyes and blurry vision can come from prolonged focus and glare, as well as light sensitivity and headaches in more extreme cases.

There’s a higher risk of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol due to inactivity and prioritizing screen time over physical play or exercise. Pain is also an issue when it comes to too much screen time, from poor posture that impacts the neck, shoulders and back.

Sleep problems can occur when you’re exposed to too much blue light as it can suppress melatonin, disrupting circadian rhythms. This make sleep difficult whether you can fall asleep quickly or not. 

Mental and cognitive health

The overuse of screen time can lead to training the brain to need constant stimulation. That hinders focus on complex tasks and also potentially mimicks attention disorders as a result.

Overuse of screen time can also be linked to increased anxiety, irritability, depression and angry outbursts. It can also impact brain structure and critical development stages within children.

Behavioral and social development

Now let’s take a look at some of the behavioral and social development issues that can arise with too much screen time. Social skills take a knock as that reduced face-to-face time can hinder learning non-verbal cues, which are all crucial for interaction.

Increased aggression and emotional regulation difficulities can occur, as well as eating into the time that could otherwise be spent being creative, active and having imaginative play.

What are the benefits of screen time?

So what are some of the benefits to screen time and why provide yourself and your children with it, in moderation?

Educational and cognitive benefits 

Screen time can help you boost your learning efforts. From educational apps, to interactive platforms and videos improve language, literacy, skills and school readiness. You can make use of games and apps in order to develop critical thinking as well as cognitive skills.

Digital tools also encourage artistic expression through storytelling, drawing and music creation.

Social and emotional benefits

With screen time, you can improve your socialization skills, especially as these online platforms help to foster collaboration, communication and helping build relationships.

It also provides connection with others, helping to maintain long-distance relationships as well as those who need support with social difficulties they may have.

Skill development 

Having an ample amount of screen time helps to develop motor skills, improving hand-eye coordination. It also helps to teach new skills through the use of apps and the internet.

Interactive and educational games that are worth playing

There are plenty of interactive and educational games that are worth playing in order to get educational opportunities out of your screen time. These include:

Design-based gaming

Planet Coaster and Cities Skylines are great for teaching physics, city planning and 3D design for example.

Simulation games

The Sims 4 is a good one for all to improve their architectural design and storytelling skills, making it useful for both adults and children to play.

Creative coding

Apps that are able to introduce coding basics, are useful for those who might be looking to venture into a career in tech and IT.

Cognitive stimulating games

There are plenty of games online that you can play that help with your cognitive skills, whether it’s improving memory or boosting focus and attention. Whether that’s a simple word search or a game of solitaire, these cognitive stimulating games are certainly a good way of using your screen time wisely. 

Active gaming

The use of AR/VR games or dance/fitness apps are great when you’re looking to encourage movement amongst your little ones and yourself of course too.

Educational streaming and virtual tours

There are lots of things to watch on television and through smartphones nowadays, making access to screen even more addictive. 

However, there are plenty of educational streaming and virtual tours you could be utilizing to help make this screen time more worthwhile.

Documentaries

Documentaries like Walking With Dinosaurs and Blue Planet are incredibly educational and highly engaging for all ages. It’s a great one if you’re looking to boost your children’s minds with education and to learn everything there is to learn about the world.

Educational TV

Shows like Monster Machines and Blaze are great for helping to teach math, logic and patterns. Shows like Ms. Rachel are also great if you’re looking for something that your child can watch that’s both fun and educational.

Virtual field trips

More recently online, you’ve got the opportunity to explore places you might not have visited before or may ever get to visit. Google Arts & Culture offers tours of museums, the Great Wall of China and even Mars.

Interactive storytelling

There’s also plenty of interactive storytelling through stonies and stories that can help promote active participation, rather than it just all being about passive viewing.

Active learning integration

To help with making sure screen time is beneficial, it’s always good to ask questions and encourage them to predict what happens next or to answer what’s being asked via interactive shows.

If they ask questions, search for the answers together if you’re not sure of it. Make sure to mix media too by putting screen time with hands-on activities, like coloring while listening to a radio show or audio book.

These tips will help you improve your relationship with screen time, both for you and your little ones.