With a new school year comes a new opportunity for kids to level up their learning. But this is also the time when parents are thinking up ways to convince their kids to get up and about for school, especially after a long holiday break. They would rather spend their days cooped up in the house with their phones and tablets, playing mobile apps or watching Netflix.
Indeed, getting your kids prepped and ready for school might be an arduous task, but fortunately there are ways in which you can make use of their tech hobbies to get them ready for school.
Mobile phone use
Some parents might think that kids as young as ten may be too young to have their own personal phones. However, kids these days are more sociable, even with close friends, when they are communicating through their mobile. A lot of kids experience anxiety over having to talk to too many people face-to-face, so mobile phones will greatly help them.
Moreover, there are apps and features in mobile phones which will help you track where they are and instantly contact you when there is an emergency.
Own laptops or personal computers
One of the biggest reasons why you need to get them their back to school laptops isn’t because they are probably more techy than you. But because a lot of the school’s curriculum these days require them to have their own hardware to use for their own research. A trip to the library isn’t enough anymore, there are references found only on digital archive sites. Not to mention, a lot of the project requirements have become quite sophisticated. You see kids using Photoshop or movie maker for their school work. The demands from them have levelled as technology has advanced, it’s only right to give them the proper tools.
Social media responsibility
Kids creating their own Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter account is bound to happen. The most that you can do to make sure that they are protected from trolls and other people who might harm them online is to protect their accounts. Make sure that the only people they accept are those they know from school. They should also learn not to post anything that might tell strangers where they are by telling them to turn off their location.
Staying safe with gadgets
It is important to tell kids not to be oblivious to their surroundings when they are using their phones while on the move or while their earphones are plugged in while crossing the street. Make them understand that strangers aren’t the only thing dangerous about being constantly online. But also the ignorance of their environment. Tell them that their phones must stay in their bags until they get home so that there is not temptation to check their feed while they’re on the move.
Follow school gadget rules
If their school only has designated areas for them to use their gadgets, make sure that they follow it to the letter. This teaches them discipline and realise the consequences of not following strictly implemented rules.
Remember that to teach kids the importance of education, you shouldn’t deprive them of their phones and tablets. What we need to do as guardians is to teach them how to use their gadgets responsibly and to provide them with the right tech to prep them for another year of schoolwork.