Ideally, exposing children between ages 1 and 3 to screen time is not advisable.
Screen time refers to periods when a person gets their eyes glued to a screen by watching TV, playing games on a computer, chatting with a phone, and what have you.
Exposing a one-year-old to screen affects cognitive behaviours such as reasoning and brain development.
As a busy parent, you are expected to feel that urge to engage your child with a screen so that you can go about your activities.
There are effective ways of engaging your child aside from screen time.
These measures discussed below help to improve the child’s well-being aside from keeping them busy. They include:
1) Use of toys.
2) Reading to them.
3) Making them assist with chores.
4) Make them watch you during chores instead of helping out.
5) Animation books.
6) Playing soft music.
7) Outdoor play.
8) Teach them.
1. Use Of Toys
Getting toys for your one-year-old gets them engaged, especially toys with attractive and bright colours.
It helps them feel and get in touch with things around them instead of what they see on screen.
Toys help to boost creativity as they arrange and move them around.
2. Read To Them
Reading to a child helps them get familiar with the sounds around them. It aids their listening skill, which subsequently improves their speaking skills.
Psychologists believe reading stories to your child, even babies, is essential for brain development because they connect the words you say to the pictures on the page and the things around them.
Reading to children helps to create a bond between you and your child. It increases concentration and improves imagination.
3. Making Them Assist With Chores
This particular technique gives your child a sense of responsibility.
Getting your child to move simple and harmless materials during chores is one way of engaging a child and exercising their muscles.
4. Make Them Watch You During Chores Instead Of Helping Out
Instead of helping, you can make them watch you.
This allows the child to know the reasons behind the tasks and makes them remember the steps of each task.
5. Animation Books
These books contain colourful animations or pictures to keep children interested in reading. It makes your one-year-old love books and reading.
5. Playing Soft Music
Children tend to be attracted to sounds, however slight.
Playing songs tunes their ears early to rhythm and lyrics. They also tend to dance, smile or scream at songs.
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You can also help them by dancing to it; they will follow suit. This helps to improve dancing, listening and speaking skills.
6. Outdoor Play
Encouraging outdoor play instils friendliness and good-neighbourliness.
Kids get to interact with their peers or older children, express themselves faster and more efficiently, and get rid of boredom.
7. Teach Them
During leisure, you can teach your child things like writing alphabets and numbers, drawing, and reciting poems, among many others.
You can make them watch you and replicate the same process while doing theirs or allow them to be creative.
It creates a strong bond between you both, and they’ll trust you to teach them something they find difficult.
Engaging your child without the screen is possible.
Watch how your kid grows into a lively, creative and excellent child even without exposure to media and technology.
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