How to Parent Your Kids Without Technology

Early exposure to technology can hurt your child's development. One of the most effective ways to prevent any long-lasting harm to the mental well-being of your child is to disconnect from technology. If you choose to disconnect your child, you can give support to children here.

When you want to parent your kids without technology, it is essential to set boundaries. This boundary should detail how your child should interact with technology. Try to explain why you have set boundaries to help your child comply with the set boundaries. To parent your kids without technology, try to be a good role model. Your children are mirroring your actions. It is easier to teach your kids to live with little or no technology when you follow the same rules. Finding a community of people that share the same values as

You can parent your kids without technology in these ways:

Set Boundaries

Early exposure and excessive exposure to technology can hinder your child's development. This might have influenced your decision to parent your kids without technology. Setting boundaries with your child is very vital. Technology encompasses a lot of everyday life, making it challenging to ignore it. You might not be able to exclude technology from your child's life entirely. However, you can manage how much or how little technology your child is exposed to. Try to have an honest conversation about technology. Consider highlighting why you are making your decision and what boundaries you have on technology. A conversation will help your child understand what you expect from the use of technology. Without proper boundaries, your child might become addicted to technology. However, when you set boundaries, you can protect your child from the harmful effects of technology. You might change your boundaries as your child grows older.

Be a Good Role Model

Your children are less likely to abide by your boundaries set on technology use if you heavily rely on technology. Beyond just what you say, your children look at what you do. This is why being a good role model is vital to parenting your kids without technology. Children learn most of what they see from adults. Your children are less likely to ask for technology if they don't see it at home or see you using technology. Consider keeping technology out of the sight of your child, even if you have to use real books rather than the internet to teach them. Even when you have to use your gadgets, ensure that you follow the rules you have set for your child. For instance, if your child can only use a gadget for homework, try to ensure that you use your own devices for work. It might be difficult for you to live without technology, depending on your work demands and other life priorities. A good trick would be setting up your devices for the office and bedroom. You might need to be deliberate about your technology use to parent your kids without technology successfully.

Find a Community

The older your kids get, the more they interact with adults and children. This might lead your children to new interests. This is why finding a community of people that are also into restricted or limited technology use is important. Your child might likely have classmates and friends that freely use technology. This may lead to doubt from your child on your set boundaries. For instance, if your child has friends and classmates with technology, they may question why you restrict their access to technology. Your child might become drawn to technology due to interactions with other people. However, when you have a community of family and friends that also manage their use of technology, your child will be less likely to seek out technology. Although ideally, you want your children to rely on your instructions, children can get inspired by other people, especially other children. You might need to expose your child to other people with little technology use to convince your children. A community of people that manage their technology use and that of their children will make a lack of technology seem more normal. You can share your beliefs on how to parent your kids without technology with your friends and family for them to respect when they are around your kids.

Engage Your Child

At a young age, children are constantly learning and growing rapidly. It can be difficult for a child to remain idle. Children generally enjoy more engagement. One of the best ways to parent your kids without technology is to keep your children engaged. When children are unstimulated and unengaged, they are likely to look for things they believe will engage them. Technology at a young age is harmful, but fortunately, there are other fun, healthy activities for your child. Consider guiding your children to activities such as outdoor trips, a musical instrument, and reading books. These activities are better for the growth of your child. Eventually, your children will learn to engage themselves without relying on technology. Technology provides accessible and easy engagement for people. However, it can also be addictive and harmful to your child's growth. This is why teaching your children to engage themselves in other ways is important.

Spend Time Together

Before the spread of technology, parents and children often spent more time together. Technology can cause distractions from your family. The reverse is also true. You can spend time with your family to avoid technology. The more time you spend with your children, the less dependent they might be on technology. Technology creates opportunities to be distracted by your gadgets. This is why spending time together is a great way to parent your kids without technology. One of the biggest reasons we rely on technology is to use up our free time. If you partake in activities with your children during your free time, they are more likely to be engaged with you. For instance, if you cook, swim, and camp with your children, the more time you spend on these activities, the less time spent waiting. Quality time spent with your children will come in place of technology. If your kids can spend time with each other and you, they are less likely to rely on technology. This will teach your kids to choose to spend quality time over other things.

Conclusion

Although technology has several benefits to society, it can be harmful to the mental well-being of a child. This is why it is vital to support your children against technology's negative effects. You can parent your kids without technology by setting boundaries, being a good role model, finding a community, engaging your child, and spending time together.

Resources

https://tinybeans.com/5-ways-to-connect-with-your-kids-without-technology/

https://thriveglobal.com/stories/parenting-and-technology-how-to-raise-kids-in-the-digital-era/

https://www.verywellfamily.com/technology-vs-parenting-4690680

https://www.mamanatural.com/how-to-raise-a-low-media-child/

https://www.nytimes.com/guides/smarterliving/family-technology