Positive Screen Time: Making the Most of your Child’s Play
Every parent can relate to the struggle that comes with setting boundaries between our kids and their screens. How much time are they allowed? What type of apps can they access? Are those apps mental stimulators or gray matter melters? The list goes on.
And while we believe everything is best in moderation, including screen time, we also believe in making the most of that screen time by creating an exciting, engaging, and stimulating learning experience.
With that in mind, here are a few key traits our Crayola Create and Play team keeps at the forefront of development to help you find what’s best for your child:
Active Engagement
It’s all too easy for kids to fall into the habit of mindlessly staring at their screens as they're drawn to apps and activities that promote a passive player experience.
The best way to combat this is to find apps that support active engagement; ones that encourage your kids to think creatively, make their own decisions, ask bold questions, and experiment with new tools or ideas. With practice and moderated repetition, this can foster a natural love for learning and exploration.
In Crayola Create and Play, kids can put their young minds to the test as they tour the digital Smithsonian Museum. There, they’ll experience the wonders of scientific discovery, archaeology, natural history, and much more.
Skill Development
Any amount of time our kids spend practicing a new or developing skill is time well spent. And while studies have already shown that apps and video games can improve both coordination and fine motor skills, this is just the tip of the iceberg.
With the right app, kids can practice basic letter, shape, and number recognition, widen their vocabulary skills, learn the importance of teamwork, test their problem solving skills, and much more.
In Crayola Create and Play, a wide variety of activities support color, letter, and number recognition, each presented in fun and engaging ways that keep kids coming back to practice again and again. There’s also the fan-favorite, Code to the Target, where kids are encouraged to actively test and hone their problem-solving skills.
Empathy and Emotional Intelligence
On the other side of the educational coin is emotional intelligence. Just as certain apps can enforce teamwork and coordination, they can also enforce the development of empathy and EQ.
When an app finds the right balance between challenge and encouragement, it helps kids develop a sense of confidence and a willingness to express themselves, all while positively impacting their self-esteem.
In Crayola Create and Play, everything is built to be an open-ended experience; one that encourages young minds to explore, create, make new pet friends, and then help those pet friends engage in fun tasks and activities. What feels like play quickly becomes a perfect way to reinforce positive social skills.
A Growth Mindset
As their children develop and begin to navigate the world on their own, more and more parents hope to cultivate what’s known as a “growth mindset.” American psychologist and researcher Carol Dweck describes this idea as the “most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.” (Dweck, 2015)
More plainly, a growth mindset teaches us that honing a new skill is a matter of hard work, encouragement, and perseverance, not one’s innate or natural ability.
In Crayola Create and Play, there’s no right or wrong way to navigate this bright and colorful world. Every activity you try and every pet you meet is there to cheer you on and help you along your journey, no matter where your colorful journey takes you!
Life is about progress, not perfection, and if we instill the idea that it’s better to try, stumble, learn, and then try again, we can give our kids the tools to accomplish anything they set their minds to.
We believe Create and Play captures the perfect blend of fun, learning and creativity for younger audiences. But don’t just take our word for it - start your free trial to explore the magic and join the Crayola family!
Published on November 26, 2024
