Technology is a huge part of the American culture, and I would safely say in most developed parts of the world, as well. Technology consumes our daily lives. While it provides some amazing services, it most definitely has its pit falls. When I chose to implement a Montessori lifestyle, one of the first things to go was usage of TV. I rarely put it on for S as an infant, mostly for music, but I stopped that, as well. As S has gotten older, I have allowed limited TV ONLY {we don’t do iPads or computers}. Prior to pregnancy, S would watch about 15-30 minutes every couple of days. As pregnancy progressed, I allowed more to cope and to fill the time, especially with COVID. She would average about an hour a day, plus whatever dad would watch {mostly COVID news} which she would glance at everything now and then. That is when I began to see her behavior change. Screens can have a negative impact on children’s brains, especially those under 2. Aric Sigman, an associate fellow of the British Psychological Society and a Fellow of Britain’s Royal Society of Medicine, explains screens may unintentionally hinder their still-developing brains. Too much screen time too soon, he says, “is the very thing impeding the development of the abilities that parents are so eager to foster through the tablets. The ability to focus, to concentrate, to lend attention, to sense other people’s attitudes and communicate with them, to build a large vocabulary—all those abilities are harmed.”-Psychology Today As a Teacher, I can attest to some of the negative outcomes Sigman refers to. My students lacked attention to lessons unless they included something on the screen. Interestingly though, those lessons fell second to those that included hands-on work. When my students watched a video or used iPads or computers, many seemed to adorn that "deer in headlights", distant stare. When they completed something tactile, hands-on, their eyes lit up, they wore smiles, and laughs and squeals packed our classroom. I am not saying children should never have screens or be introduced to technology, but I definitely feel it is overly used. And definitely at way too young of an age. I get its allure, it makes it easier to get things done. Trust me, I get it. But I wanted better options. As we allowed more screen time with S, We noticed more tantrums, less desire to be physical, more exhaustion, and so many requests for more TV. That’s when Fun Friday was born. Fun Friday is my "cure" to S’ addiction to TV. Every Friday we watch a movie of S' choice {pre-screened, of course}. We make a night of it all. I make a dinner related to the theme of the movie, we make a special dessert, and we get to eat in the living room. S looks forward to Fridays because she knows she gets to watch TV, but we look forward to it because it is our special family time.
For example, this past weekend we watched Frozen. We made homemade pizza dough and created our own pizzas. For dessert we made a traditional Scandinavian dessert, Kladdkaka! It was delicious! Check out the super simple recipe, here! We even invited Grammie and PawPaw over for the event! While S loves Fun Fridays, she does ask for TV here and there. As a compromise, she will sometimes watch my Montessori bloggers with me. She gets to see their children learning and playing since she isn't getting much interaction with other children right now! Otherwise, during the week she simply plays on her own, we go outside, or I provide activities to occupy her time. Allowing children to be bored really helps to ignite their imagination. It takes time, but it is worth the effort. I want to mention, it is YOUR choice as a parent, and I completely respect that. We have to do whats best for our families, whatever that may be. My aim is simply to inform and share ideas you may find helpful! Check out the pictures of our previous Fun Friday below when we watched Trolls!
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September 2020
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