There’s A Thief in Your House…

and it’s your children and grandchildren who are vulnerable!

It’s in your house 24/7. For the most part, it’s a good thing. But when it comes to children, it can be robbing them of something very precious. And it’s happening right before your eyes.

Here’s the thief – and here’s what’s at stake.

Your child’s imagination is being hijacked. On a daily basis.

It’s not just watching TV. It’s today’s technology – and all sorts of devices. I’m not a crazy grandmother: I’m not saying it’s all bad. There are indeed benefits to children using technology. It can help children learn to read; grasp math concepts; and discover all sorts of wonderful information.

But allowing a child to use tech devices on a regular basis in lieu of a child’s free play time poses a danger to that child’s healthy development. It’s harmful to brain development. It’s inhibits learning critical life skills.  It detracts from your child’s ability to develop important social and communication skills.

This isn’t just my opinion. Experts from various professions across the US and around the world agree. Research about healthy child development, school readiness and job readiness skills, social and relationship skills…all identify imagination as even more than a critical thinking and problem solving skill.  Really, an important resource to negotiate life and face life’s challenges.  Imagination is the ‘engine’ of ideas.

Even Einstein understood how important imagination is:

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”

Your child’s imagination isn’t innate. It doesn’t always come naturally. It’s an unlimited, invaluable resource for your children’s and grandchildren’s success in school and life.  But it doesn’t happen by accident.

A child’s imagination must be nurtured, stretched and given every opportunity to expand.

Technology robs your child of the opportunity to use his or her imagination. Picture this:

Your child is reading a book with you or on his/her own. While there may be illustrations, your child still visualizes all or some of how

the characters look, act and sound;
the story unfolds;
the action in the story  happens and sounds; and
the background, buildings, vehicles, animals, etc., look.

Now, picture a child watching the movie of the book. The child doesn’t have to visualize anything. It’s all there, done for him or her. No need to use the imagination or brain. Just sit back and watch. Veg out, if you will.

What about those ubiquitous video games?

There’s no real problem solving or critical thinking skills required here. No communication or interraction with real people and no social skills being developed.

We’re a connected world today. Technology serves so many useful purposes.  But for children and grandchildren, technology is no replacement for…

experiential learning;
social interactions;
child-directed free play;
expressing one’s self and communicating with humans; or
problem solving using imagination and critical thinking skills.

And, dare I say it? Just doing some things the old fashioned way.