ipads for kids

I used to be vehemently anti-technology.....

In our house we had one ipad for 5 of us to share.  I hated the way my girls would fight over time on it - and when they had their turn they would completely loose themselves in the screen.  I have read many articles on the downside of screen time / gaming / ipad overuse by children.  It scared me into thinking that there was really no value in technology for my kids.   But... a teacher at my kids school helped me see things differently.

She pointed out to me that technology is here to stay.  It isn't going away and it will be a part of my children's lives in a big way.   iPads are being used in elementary schools to teach material in a way that is more dynamic and hands-on than ever before.

Here is a convincing blog about iPads in education written by a teacher:

http://ipad4schools.org/

I started to see that if our family didn't embrace it then it might become a point of disconnect between myself and my children.  And also quite frankly I don't want to miss out on the new and amazing ways that my children communicate and learn.  I needed the skills to be able to keep up with them.

So my hubby and I invested in iPads for our three children...

One iPad mini for each of them (and one for mama too).   How fortunate are we to be able to make this costly purchase?  Incredibly. 

This was a big step for us - there was the monetary cost of the iPads themselves but also we knew that having 5 iPads  in our house would have a huge affect on the way our family functions, they way we communicate and our values.  

I tend to over-research... actually I like to research.   So I spent hours reading articles and thinking about how I wanted to use the iPads in our family and how I would set parameters for the kids so that they wouldn't become zombies!

This is what I decided:

• Each iPad is a tool that is a privilege.  It can be used for great things!

• I found and approved brain-enriching apps that I loaded on the iPads that suited each child's age and stage

• I wrote out a set of parameters for family iPad use.  We discussed the parameters together, made an agreement and posted the agreement to our "Photos" on each iPad

• I set a restrictions password on each iPad and created parent-controlled safety settings so that usage and content would be age-appropriate.

So how is this all working out?  Too soon to tell, friends.  But I promise to let you know (honestly!) how my intentions work in reality.