Before becoming a Dad, I use to spend most of my time in front of a screen.
I was constantly transitioning from one screen to the next. My choice of screens was my smart phone, my laptop, my iPad, a TV, and one of the many monitors I had in my office.
Screens Can Drain You
For me I know how powerful a screen can be and how much it can drain us. Just to think that a screen consumed more time than the quality time I should have been dedicating to my loved ones, makes me a bit embarrassed.
Making the Best Use of Screens
Every day I seek ways to make sure that time in front of the screen is used with a purpose, aligned to business, or to clearly communicate with those I truly love.
We don’t spend much time in front of a TV. Last summer we decided to cancel Cable and we use Hulu + on occasions to watch some shows and movies.
My Toddler and her First Screen Experience
My daughter, who is a bit over 2 years old now, gets monitored with her screen time.
Her first screen interactions where with my iPad. It was useful since we where able to complement in teaching her colors, numbers, and the ABC’s. We made sure those interactions where balanced out with other learning exercises far away from the screen.
Toddler’s 1st Videos
Daniela’s 1st videos where seen on an iPad or computer monitor.
Most of the videos our daughter preferred watching were created by Payasa Agapita and her sidekick Che-Ché.
Payasa Agapita and Che-Ché have evolved over time. Their videos have become more educational and practical in nature. They are useful for parents and teachers when it comes to teaching them numbers, colors, or the vowels.
For bilingual families, there is an opportunity for you to have your kids watch videos in Spanish so they can understand and learn Spanish while having fun with these two creative and funny clowns.
Most of my screen time, when it is not tied to work, is watching something that is friendly enough for my daughter to watch.
How much time do you invest in front of a screen and how do you make sure your kids have a good balance with the many screens that surround them?