Pretending Books are iPads

[Baby Beluga]

I have had the same 4 DC children for over a year. When they first started they all LOVED books and it was the most chosen activity.

Now, when we free read every single child pretends their book is an ipad.

I am sure it is no coincidence that all the parents have told me within the last month that their children watch cartoons on the ipad each morning while the parents get them ready for the day.

[Controlled Chaos]

Meh- my ds just painted a picture of a tv during art time and last year there was a group of 3-4 year olds used to sit in the hall with the lights off and stare at the wall playing "going to the movies" 😂 and I know all these kiddos have pretty limited screen time. I am not saying iPad pretend play isn't an indicator of what happening at home but that it might be what they wish was happening. At least that's often the case with my kiddos my dd has been to Disney land once but she packs to go several times a week

[daycarediva]

As long as they still pretend well otherwise I wouldn't worry about it. It's a sign of the times I think/imitating what they see and do, and technology is a big thing in their little lives. Eg. I have more kids pretend to text now. Just a few years ago, it was still pretending to talk on the phone.

I had a little dude who left for k this year and that is ALL he would do. He was a serious screen addict. When he was hurt he would cry for his tablet. "I... www...ww...wwaaannnnnttt.....mmm.mm...mmmyyy....KINDLEEEE!"

He was plugged in 24/7 at home, and OFTEN on multiple screens at once eg. playing a game on his kindle and watching tv at the same time. He slept with the tv on, had a tv in his car, etc. He also watched/played horribly inappropriate things. I could never change that family, no matter how much information I gave them and no matter how hard I tried.

[Blackcat31]

I am an electronics/screen-free program.

The only screen I have here (besides my laptop or MY i-pad) is a 19" video monitor that shows my surveillance camera views.

I have had kids in the past be such severe screen addicts that they will try to park themselves in the middle of my kitchen so they can "watch the show".

The "show" is whatever my yard happens to have going on.....

But they don't care...some have sat for a pretty good chunk of time thinking they are watching something. :confused: ::

[daycarediva]

I am an electronics/screen-free program.

The only screen I have here (besides my laptop or MY i-pad) is a 19" video monitor that shows my surveillance camera views.

I have had kids in the past be such severe screen addicts that they will try to park themselves in the middle of my kitchen so they can "watch the show".

The "show" is whatever my yard happens to have going on.....

But they don't care...some have sat for a pretty good chunk of time thinking they are watching something. :confused: ::

:: That's hilarious!

[Ariana]

I went to a friends house recently for a play date and the first thing she did was turn on a movie! I was confused because I wanted my kids to play. They come to our house all the time and that is what they do for 2-3 hours! PLAY! I also have a 2 year old and his mom lets him watch YouTube videos ::

I really don't know what to make of it! I severely limit my kids screen time and am a bit shocked to learn how much they use the ipad at school. My children are very imaginative though and they do learn concepts from tv to include in their play which I think is just fine. TV and ipad as a babysitter doesn't sit well with me but many parents do it and I have done it occasionally as well like when we moved and I had to pack boxes

[Pepperth]

My son was playing Nintendo last night after the daycare was closed for the day. Then he took out his paints and canvas because he wanted to paint a picture of Mario. ::

[midaycare]

I went to a friends house recently for a play date and the first thing she did was turn on a movie! I was confused because I wanted my kids to play. They come to our house all the time and that is what they do for 2-3 hours! PLAY! I also have a 2 year old and his mom lets him watch YouTube videos ::

I really don't know what to make of it! I severely limit my kids screen time and am a bit shocked to learn how much they use the ipad at school. My children are very imaginative though and they do learn concepts from tv to include in their play which I think is just fine. TV and ipad as a babysitter doesn't sit well with me but many parents do it and I have done it occasionally as well like when we moved and I had to pack boxes

Hey now! I play YouTube videos here at my daycare. There are so many good learning songs. And they are free!!! Maybe a total of 15 minutes a day, with some days more, and the past 2 days, none. That's it though. No tv.

[Rockgirl]

My son was playing Nintendo last night after the daycare was closed for the day. Then he took out his paints and canvas because he wanted to paint a picture of Mario. ::

This is great!

[Rockgirl]

Hey now! I play YouTube videos here at my daycare. There are so many good learning songs. And they are free!!! Maybe a total of 15 minutes a day, with some days more, and the past 2 days, none. That's it though. No tv.

We use YouTube for yoga--the cosmic kids yoga videos...I am not proficient enough (yet) in yoga to come up with a 20-30 minute workout for them, and they LOVE to do it.

[hope]

My DS is in kindergarten and my DD in 2nd. Their math homework and reading program are online every night. They said once they hit 4th grade all books and homework will be online and they will need a tablet for school each day.
As long as parents limit screen time so that children can get up and physically play, I think it's all right. I do wish parents would monitor what their children watch on their tablets.....but that's another story.

[Laurel]

All this talk kinda makes me wonder if it was the same way when 'books' were able to be mass produced. I can just hear moms saying "If I could just get their nose out of those books, they could get outside for some fresh air."

I read that when t.v. first came out parents would say that it was a good way to get the family together. Instead of being off doing their own things they could all gather round the tube and enjoy a show together. As I recall, it had something to do with t.v. dinners being popular. Maybe it was just a t.v. dinner advertisement. Gather round the t.v. with the whole family with one of our tasty t.v. dinners. ::

It seems like a lot of people read their books on Kindle devices. I was talking to another adult about reading books and she told me there is a website called bookbub and they have free book offers everyday. She asked me 'how' I read books. I was confused. Then I realized she was asking me what kind of screen I used to read books. I said "I don't have one. I just go to the library and pick them up." She looked confused. :: She is my age too. I guess I am just behind the times.

That said, I had one daycare family where the kids watched t.v. constantly and had every screen available...even in the car BUT the parents also did lots of other things with them. Just too much t.v., imo. They turned out to be very smart....even skipping grades, etc. So who knows?

[Laurel]

My DS is in kindergarten and my DD in 2nd. Their math homework and reading program are online every night. They said once they hit 4th grade all books and homework will be online and they will need a tablet for school each day.
As long as parents limit screen time so that children can get up and physically play, I think it's all right. I do wish parents would monitor what their children watch on their tablets.....but that's another story.

My granddaughter in fourth grade has a laptop to bring home. They all got one.

They pass them out like books.

[Blackcat31]

My granddaughter in fourth grade has a laptop to bring home. They all got one.

They pass them out like books.

Every kid in every grade in our local schools from Kindy to High School are each issued i-pads for the year.

The technology available for kids now days is crazy but I am assuming in some way necessary.

I just wish that along WITH all of that went some "old school" things; you know like how to balance a check book, bake something, health and physical education, apply for job.... ect..

Those things seem to be a lost part of the educational process.

I know kids have parents to teach them those kinds of things but given the experiences most of us "older" folks have seen, the parents of these kids don't even know how to do those things.

[Ariana]

Hey now! I play YouTube videos here at my daycare. There are so many good learning songs. And they are free!!! Maybe a total of 15 minutes a day, with some days more, and the past 2 days, none. That's it though. No tv.

haha! I am not judging honestly! I just literally thought it was funny that a 2 year old was watching YouTube.

I really try not to judge in this area because I know lots of really smart, fun and imaginative kids that watch lots of tv and those that don't. I think it really depends on the kid. I watched a LOT of tv when I was a kid, but a lot back then was maybe 3 hours on the weekend. Today there are kids stations with 24/7 kids shows. I had to wait for saturday morning cartoons