CThere is scientific evidence but we often lack alternatives. We now know very well that the early use of tablets and smartphones is harmful to our children but we often find ourselves, as parents, without much to suggest in their place. “But There are alternatives for raising children without “support” tablets and smartphones», assure the neuropsychologists Chiara Dallatomasina and Elisa Riboni, better known on the web as the Bebicons. Here is a roundup of ideas: to understand what exactly is wrong with the devices, to what extent screens can be turned on in our living rooms and what educational games they can really constitute a valid alternative.
Children without tablets: why are screens bad?
Apart from the risk of vision and sleep disorders and the excessive sedentary lifestyle they induce, Screens are problematic especially from a neurological and cognitive development perspective. «The screen is often used as a sort of digital babysitter: the child uses it in a totally passive way. And, mostly, without control and within a flow in which there is no interaction with an adult person who can mediate and stimulate more active use”, explains Dallatomasina.
Not only that, the time spent in front of devices “is time taken away from other more stimulating activities, which consider relational interaction”.
Better TV: the advantages of television compared to smartphones and tablets
In this sense, the old television has some cards to play, compared to smartphones and tablets. «TV is a tool that invites sharing», explain the Bebicons. First of all because it is usually in front of a sofa, and the family, even if they don’t watch it with the child, rotates around the sofa, moves around the room and still interacts with the little spectator. Tablets and phones are designed for individual and passive use. And, above all, they can be moved anywhere, even in the bedroom (strictly prohibited!).
Not only that. «Devices provide rapid, intense stimuli that constantly change: this limits the possibility of waiting and imagining. And then they feed a system, which is that of rewards, for which videos, cartoons and songs never seem to be enough. While the mechanism of scrolling it means that you can spend hours in front of a screen without seeing entire content but only infinite fragments.” At that point, turning off the screen is infinitely more complex.
What to watch on TV
Clearly, the choice of content to watch on TV also matters and makes a difference. For example, in the series of their favorite cartoons, which are often fast and tight, you can also propose Slower and longer cartoons: they may appear more difficult but are useful for improving their ability to concentrate.
The vision of a classic Disney film but also of an episode of Bluey it can become “active” with little effort. «The parent can stimulate the child with questions tailored to his age. We ourselves are used to simple communication and it may cost us effort to communicate with our children but it is worth it.”
Listening vs watching: this is how the imagination is activated
But what if, instead of watching on TV, the contents were watched? The use would be immediately active. When the child listens to a story, he builds mental images and actively participates in the storyunlike what happens with the screen, where the images are already defined.
«In this process the symbolic thinkingthat is, the ability to represent reality through symbols, words and mental images. The child learns to use a story to talk about himself, to recognize himself in the characters and to transform experiences and emotions into narration”, explain the experts.
But when listening, “auditory attention, necessary for understanding”, is also activated. As the child learns to stay focused: a skill that is increasingly difficult to cultivate in our hyper-fast times.
Naturally, Stories read by dad and mom are fine, real spaces for parent-child relationships. But the most obvious and necessary is not the only possibility.
Many families know this: this is demonstrated by the sales data of Faba Storytellers, among the best-selling toys in Italy in the 0-6 year age group, with over 2.4 million sound products sold. And by sound products we mean devices without screens that children can use independently.
Storytellers and sound devices: autonomous management and child-friendly technology
Compared to parent reading, storytellers (and of course there are not only those from the market leader Faba) have several advantages. While the reading of the book is managed by the adult, at his own pace, i sound devices can be managed by the child in total autonomy. Even from a very young age, he can experience the thrill of relating to a technological device and choosing the times and ways of listening on his own. Even reproducing the same content ad nauseam? Also. The parent naturally retains his reading space but, for a few pleasant half hours, he can relieve himself of the honor of entertaining or finding a “good” pastime for his child (and there is nothing wrong with this).
Further good reasons to try to see the effect it has are those revealed by research by the Department of Life Sciences of the University of Trieste (Fairytales and Audios for Boosting Attention and Scholastic skills: FABA–School). It emerged that actively listening to the storyteller contributes to a increase in linguistic and cognitive skills in preschool children by 46%.
A little girl with a storyteller (Faba press office)
And songs and videos from your cell phone? Aren’t they equally good? «The child only listens anyway», or not? Psychologists raise doubts: «Children rarely resist the temptation to watch, they will look for the screen. And, if the smartphone is left next to them while they listen, we will easily find them glued to it.”
Educational games: active or passive? How to choose the right ones
The distinction between active and passive is important to generally guide the choice of games and pastimes to offer to our children. Very beautiful, very loud, very bright games are immediately “hooking”, but, the experts explain, they determine a use that is like a passive flow, which proceeds almost independently of the child. The little one presses a button and lights come on, sounds explode, the little robot moves, sings, dances. What the child does in the meantime is not important.
«The attention we want to cultivate is of another kind: it is less automatic, less easy. It is what stimulates the brain, for example, to try to understand how that game works, how you can play or interact with it.”
In essence, games that appear passive to us, that do not immediately attract attention, make the child become the protagonist. They push him to implement “high-level cognitive functions, the so-called attentional-executive functions», explain the Bebicons. That is, “problem solving, planning and concentration, channeling motor energy into structured cognitive activation”. It is the child who studies his game, imagines and plans what to do with it, tries, makes mistakes, tries again.
Examples? Here they are.
Elisa and Chiara, the Bebicons (press office)
Educational games for children: advice from the experts
Bebicon neuropsychologists recommend first of all, for children of all ages, setting up an activity corner or materials that are always available. And to push them to alternate free play and structured play. Then, based on age:
Children 0-12 months
Contact and closeness: to support the relationship
Rattles and rings: for fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination
Sensory games (e.g. different sounds and textures): for sensory exploration.
Motor games on the floor (on your stomach, it’s the so-called tummy time): freedom of exploration with cushions and soft tunnels
Putting/removing objects from a container: hand-eye coordination, object constancy, cause-effect,
fine motor skills.
First constructions with 2–3 blocks to stack: fine motor coordination and attention.
Children 0-2 years
Quiet book with velcro, zip and laces: to train fine motor skills, attention and hand-eye coordination
Tactile books: tactile-visual sensory integration and language
Treasure basket with different materials: sensory exploration.
Music and dancing (motor activity) but also motor paths at home or outside: gross motor development, emotional regulation through movement and coordination.
Racking: bimanual coordination, fine motor skills, self-control
Children 3-6 years
Board games: executive functions (such as inhibition and planning), theory of mind (what the other person is thinking), attention and emotional self-control
Trips and walks: motor development, vocabulary, flexibility
Kinetic sand: fine motor skills and sensory exploration
Magnetic Books: Create stories on the table, ideal for restaurants
Modeling clay: fine motor skills
Erasable slates: grapho-motor development
Car and train tracks, which leave room for the imagination to create: planning, symbolic play
Seek-and-find books: Selective visual attention
Games that tell stories (such as “storyteller torch” or illustrated cards to create stories): narrative ability and expressive language, cognitive flexibility and emotional expression
Puppets: emotional projection and relational problem solving
Recycled material (magazines, cards, pompoms, wooden sticks) and glue: to create
Children 6-10 years
Books chosen for interest: broaden language and narrative understanding
Lego-type constructions: develop planning, spatial organization, problem solving and flexibility
cognitive
Puzzles and board games: all attentional-executive functions such as working memory, attention, inhibition, planning, but also respect for rules and social skills
Outdoor drawing (e.g. with a painter’s kit): stimulates creativity and observation, integrates visual perception and symbolic representation. It promotes emotional regulation, concentration and connection with the natural environment
Children without tablets: crafty pastimes for critical moments, from trips to the restaurant
Many of these tips are valid even in moments that, as parents, we consider particularly critical, especially because “we need” the children to stay still. Typically travel or restaurant lunches.
For these occasions, the experts recommend preparing the material to bring together. A backpack in which some objects are chosen by the parent but at least one by the child. And in which you can also add a wild object: that is, a new object or newspaper, which will certainly attract their interest for a while.
Children without devices? Yes it can. Here’s how to explain it… to them
What if there are other children at the table who are allowed to use devices? Patience. They could be attracted by our games or it could happen that our people are attracted by the devices. It’s not a problem. It will remain a habit of others, far from our family dynamic. Every family has its own rulesthis is an idea that must be conveyed clearly.
Naturally, the neuropsychologists explain, “connecting” to the child as we know him, and to his request. Demonstrating that we understand the reasons that lead them to ask us to be able to use a tablet too. But also explaining that we are the parents who decide what is best for him or her. And, perhaps, proposing an alternative, storytellers or whatever.
It is important to open a clear communication channel on this issue, and make sure it remains open throughout the growth process. Even when cell phones start to circulate among schoolmates, it will be essential to explain the dangers and “signify” their use.
