The key to raising digitods is maintaining a healthy balance.
Today’s
toddlers are growing up in a very different world than their parents did: a
digital world.
Most
families today own at least one touch-screen device — whether it’s a smartphone,
handheld device or tablet — and toddlers are instinctively drawn to them. The
lights, the sounds, and of course the considerable amount of attention parents
give the devices turn them into compelling magnets for little children.
This leaves
today’s parents with a new crop of questions: Do we embrace toddler apps with
open arms? How developmentally appropriate is this technology for our little
ones? What are the benefits and disadvantages of this digital era when it comes
to our toddlers?
Patti
Summers, an early childhood educator for more than 30 years and the head of the
parenting program at the Mandell School in Manhattan, was inspired to write a
book on this very topic when she started to notice big differences in the children
entering her toddler program.
The result,
“Toddlers on Technology,” is a collaborative effort between Summers, neuropsychologist
Dr. Ann Desollar-Hale, and economist Heather Ibrahim-Leathers —combining their
experience and knowledge in early childhood education, clinical neuropsychology
and practical parenting.
The book
serves as a guide to help parents navigate the raising of these
digitally-influenced toddlers — or “digitods.”
What makes
these “digitods” different from previous generations?
“Digitods
are extremely enthusiastic about learning,” says Summers. “They are training
themselves to learn at a very early age because they can learn without
pressure.”
As Summers
notes, a device like the iPad doesn’t care when
you get the right answer. Instead, a child receives praise whenever he or she gets the right answer.
READ MORE: Preschoolers and apps - what every parent should know
“That can
make learning a lot of fun,” she says. “I’ve seen 2-year-olds who may not be
able to speak in complete sentences yet, but can name their colors, shapes and
some of their numbers and letters. And that is an enormous change.”
There are
countless educational apps designed specifically for very young children — 10 of
which are reviewed in depth and recommended in the book.
Digitods are
certainly learning basic technology
skills when using a touch-screen device, but they are also exposed to everything from traditional numbers and
letters to foreign languages and animals through fun, interactive games.
Amanda
Rushkowski, a mother from Round Top, says her 2-year-old son loves spending
time with her smartphone.
“Charlie has
learned about various animals and bugs from an app that names different animals
and bugs for the letters of the alphabet and gives a piece of information about
each,” she says.
In
Lagrangeville, Isabel Dichiara’s 3-year-old son, Sebastian, is learning to spell thanks to her
smartphone. “He absolutely loves Endless Reader and Endless Spelling.”
Just
like anything else, quality matters when it comes to educational children’s
applications. In “Toddlers on Technology,” Summers identifies three categories
to keep in mind when determining an application’s effectiveness: navigation,
content and rewards.
Immediate
access, ease-of-use, visual attractiveness and exciting rewards are all part of
what appeal to young users and will keep
them coming back for more playing and learning.
Aside from
the educational benefits, most parents also admit that allowing their children
to use touch-screen devices makes their own lives a little bit easier.
We can all
relate to those times when we’re trying desperately to keep a toddler quietly
entertained against all odds — in waiting rooms, restaurants, during baby’s
nap, long car rides, etc. There’s no doubt that handing a child a device can be
an easy solution to grabbing a few moments of much-needed peace.
“I don't
like to rely on screen time a lot during our day, so I tend to limit it to only
when I'm getting the baby to sleep or need to get something done quickly,” says
Rushkowski.
Jennifer
Bredin, a Beacon mom to 3-year-old Lena, allows her daughter to use a device
while they’re waiting patiently at her older children’s weekly Taekwondo classes. “Sometimes it’s a lifesaver!”
Regardless
of the benefits, many parents are still hesitant to put technology into the
hands of their toddlers — and not just because an expensive device it may end
up cracked or in the toilet. Their concerns are generally related to its age
appropriateness or the possibility of it creating lack in other important areas
of development such as empathy and curiosity.
Erin Spak, a
Highland mom of 16-month-old Bryce, says of her son: “He is a young toddler who
learns by exploring his environment and I think that introducing a device would
take away from that. We feel that starting technology reliant habits now will
encourage him to value those activities over reading books, playing outside,
building with his blocks, and all of the things that he loves to do.”
Roxanne
Ferber, a mom of twin 3-year-old girls living in Saugerties, says she and her
husband made the decision not to introduce technology to their children just
yet.
“I know this
isn't typical of every family, but we decided we wanted our kids to be plugged
into each other and life around them verses a virtual world,” she says. “We
both did some research and found articles that made us feel like our decision
was justified.”
At this
point in time there is very limited scientific evidence on toddlers’ digital
play and its effect on development, mainly because not enough time has passed
since the proliferation of touch-screen devices for most studies to be
completed. However, “Toddlers on Technology” offers information from a
neuropsychological point of view and also summarizes some of the studies that
have been done. This is a valuable resource for parents who want to dig deeper
into this topic.
The key to
raising digitods, according to Summers, is maintaining a healthy balance.
“Too much
screen time isn’t good for anyone, including teenagers and adults,” she says. “What
a child needs is a balanced day, filled with physical activity, playing with
friends and engaging in imaginative play.”
Summers goes
into much further detail on this subject in the book, including offering ideas
for “see-saw activities,” or activities that complement what was learned on the
digital device with real-life learning.
For example:
“It’s fine to let your child play with an age-appropriate app for a while (we
recommend 20 minutes for a 2-year-old). But then make sure you put down the
iPad and do something in the real world that is related to the topic your child
has just been learning about. If your child has looked at ‘Wheels on the Bus,’
for example, why not go out and look at buses, or go for a ride on one? If
that’s not a possibility, why not build a bus in your living room with chairs
and dolls for passengers?”
These
activities help children make connections between the digital world and real
world and expand on their learning.
Local
parents are handling this issue of balance in different ways.
“I don't set
specific limitations, but I have the tablets and they have to ask for them,”
says Kayla Bradford, a Poughkeepsie mom to 4-year-old Chloe and 2-year-old
Xander. “After a while, I take them away and tell them it’s time to play with
toys instead.”
“We don't
take the iPad with us outside the home,” says Dichiara, “and he doesn't play
with our cell phones.”
The issue of
toddlers and technology is just one of the many modern parenting issues that
simply didn’t exist 20 years ago. For more information on digitods, visit
digitod.com. The site also offers reviews on recommended apps for young
children, and practical tips on navigating this new and often perplexing aspect
to parenting in a digital world.
Sarah Coppola lives in Port Ewen with her husband and two daughters.