How to keep children away from mobile

In this highly technical world, phones and televisions have become the gadget gurus. Life with these objects is like a pocketful of sunshine. Not only adults are attracted towards it but also toddlers are becoming a part of it at a very early age. Parents all over the world are looking for always to keep their keep your kids away from phones.

Why kids are attracted towards smartphones?

Colorful pictures, attractive videos, interesting games, and a wide range of other such features have made it an irresistible entertainment toy for kids. The moving pictures and ease of use is an added advantage. Kids find really easy to use a smartphone. Even if they don’t know how to type, they can get their favorite videos from history.

Steps to keep your kids away from phones

• Keep your child engaged: With shrinking play spaces, more and more children are forced to stay indoors. As a result, children spend their time playing with toys. Some also get hooked to gadgets like smartphones, which also double up as entertainment devices. To prevent this from happening, take your child out to the park or some nearby playground to allow him to spend his time running and playing. If that is not an option, enrol him in a neighbourhood sports club.
• Make Them Aware: Talk about the health and mental hazards that can happen because of it. Tell your child how his eyes and mental health can get affected due to the harmful rays of gadgets. Talk to your child about the harmful effects of mobile phone use on health. Show him charts that explain the various adverse effects or one of the videos available on Youtube.
• Restrict the use: As smartphones are now an inseparable part of our lives, it is difficult to keep them away from children. Sooner or later, your child may begin using your mobile phone and get hooked to the device. Therefore, make your child understand that she can use your smartphone, but only for a short time. Discourage its use during mealtimes, study hours, bedtime or when it’s time to go out and play.
• Set passwords: It is not always possible for you to be around your child to dissuade him from using a smartphone. In such a situation, technology itself can come to your rescue. Set a password on your phone so that your child cannot use it while you are away.
• Swap the Playdates with Other Parents: Moms should invite other mommy friends with their kids for playdates. This way, children will get friends to play with and moms will also have company. In this way, toddlers will be able to do their favorite work i.e. playing as they enjoy their friend company, simultaneously they can learn to share and socializing from the early age, detaching them from gadgets.
• Set a Good Example: One of the best ways to keep your kids away from phones is to lead my example. We all know, kids are best imitators. Parents are the first role models that a child has. Kids try to do the same things that they see around like sometimes you must be tapping your TV remotes to start the TV and you may find your child doing the same thing, yes it is funny but it happens. So, it is our duty to set the right example for the kids. We need to model the types of behavior we want our children to imbibe. So try to minimize the use of phones and TV in front of your kids or use at the time when your kids are not around. The best way is to resist the temptation to watch TV and ask the child to play or do some engaging activity with you. This way, you will get to spend some quality time with your child and he/she would not want to watch TV.
• Bond with your child: Although most parents lead very busy lives, it is important to take the time out for bonding activities with children. Playing board games or engaging your child along with you in activities such as cooking or gardening will keep her away from smartphones. You can also encourage your child to pursue hobbies like listening to music, reading or painting.
• Create New Opportunities at Home: Try to engage your child at home like they can be made busy playing with colors and water such as hand-painting, using waste material at home (like toilet paper roll, newspapers, etc.) to make some creative stuff, provide them with some coloring books etc. Keeping your kids engaged is a great way to keep your kids away from phones. Involve the grandparents with kids as they can provide flexible time to their grandchildren. They can play well with them or can tell them the old religious and mythological stories. This way both the grandparents and your kids can remain busy and happy. Also, you can allow them to play with plants at home, in this way their immunity will also get developed as they will be close to mud and they will come close to nature, where nature proves to be a good teache