Supporting Your Child’s Technology and Media Use: Media Resources for Families

Early high quality experiences play a huge role in children’s developmental and academic success. Children’s experiences and tools may look a little different from when you were growing up, but there are so many ways you can ensure your children grow up healthy and happy. Below, TEC Center put together a list of tips to keep in mind while supporting your children’s digital media use. Following the tips are a list of additional readings where you can learn more about children’s technology use. Finally, we included some suggested media and resources to use with your children. While there are many more resources, we hope this list will help you feel a little more prepared to support your children use technology and digital media.

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Tips

• Relationships are crucial
• Technology is a tool; Use it when it is the right tool for the experience
• Consider why, when, and how you use technology with young children
• Adult involvement and engagement is important when using technology with children
• Intentional, age-appropriate use is important
• Think about technology through the eyes of a child, not an from an adult’s perspective
• Be consistent and transparent with your rules around technology use
• Examine your own technology use and how you are modeling technology use in front of your children

Readings

1. Technology in Early Childhood Center at Erikson Institute provides blog posts about recent research results, industry updates, resources for teachers and parents.
2. Sesame Street: Ready for School!: A Parent’s Guide to Playful Learning for Children Ages 2 to 5. By Rosemarie Truglio is a book from Sesame Street to help parents prepare their children ages 2-5 for developmental and academic success.
3. PBS Parents provide resources for parents around child development and media use.
4. American Academy of Pediatrics: Family Media Plan is a template and guide for you to establish your own rules and habits with your family.

Suggested Media and Resources

• Sesame Street: Tools Kits for Parents and Caregivers provides ideas for parent and child engagement.
• PBS Kids Games is an app where you can access top PBS shows, games, as well as parent resources.
• PBS Kids Video is an app where you can access full episodes and clips from top PBS shows.
• ABCmouse includes games, books, and curriculum for children ages 2-8 focused on reading, math, science, and art.
• Common Sense Media provides reviews or all types of technology by parents, experts, and children as well as research on children and media use.
• Scholastic for Parents has articles for parents and book sales including activity books.
• Circletime is a platform of on-demand and live videos demonstrating activities to do with your child, birth-6 years old.
• Wow in the World is a podcast for curious children and adults, leading them through stories about science, technology and innovation (Grades 4 to 6).
• Carmen Sandiego | Fearless kids around the world is a SEL video series online (Grades 4-8).

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Suggested citation: Herdzina, J. (2020, March 30). Supporting your child’s technology and media use: Media resources for families. Erikson Institute’s Technology in Early Childhood Center. https://www.erikson.edu/news/supporting-your-childs-technology-and-media-use-media-resources-for-families