Why We Have Tablet Time

Some parents are skeptical when it comes to our library and how we allow the children to have tablet time. Their wariness is understandable, as that there are many things going around about the bad consequences of children and screen time. We are well aware of these consequences and make sure that we form our rules so that we will not succumb the children to those consequences. Our rules are that they only get 30 minutes of screen time per day and they can split that up however they want. This also includes if they want to watch a friend play tablet rather than play it themselves. If they're looking at a screen, it's counting toward their 30 minutes. We believe that the children get the following positive effects from their tablet time during the day:

• Quiet alone time: There are so many things that happen during a child's day. From laughing fits to arguments, lunch time to nap time, practicing their letters to dancing to songs, so many things are constantly moving, making sounds, and creating long lasting impressions in a child's brain. It's hard to keep up when they're go-go-go. Sometimes to have a quiet space where they can be alone and possibly zone out gives their bodies and their brains a kickstart for their play once they're finished. This is also seen as a substitute for discipline; sometimes all they need is some time by themselves to regenerate and refocus on positive play, and tablet time can do that for them.

• Other ways of learning: We have only educational apps on all our tablets. There isn't a game on there that doesn't have some educational aspect to it. Apart from this, we also know how all the kids learn, which is in their own unique ways. Each and every one of them learns differently, this also includes the children that seem so afraid to be wrong in front of us teachers that they tell us so little when it comes to learning something new. That's where the apps come in. The children get a whole new way of learning when they are doing tablet time and even if they already know their letters or numbers, repetition never hurts anyone.

• Aptitude of technology: Technology is in everything these days which makes their future skill set even more demanding than ever. Starting them early on (preschool age) makes it easier for them once they get into school. Their practice goes beyond how to work a tablet. During their technology time, they learn about how to move through a system like that, what is an appropriate amount of time in front of a screen, how to communicate with others through technology, and how to solve problems that aren't physically in front of them.

Tablet time can create negative effects if their time spent is not watched carefully, if their apps are not educationally sound, and if they have screen time right before bed. Here at Jellybean, we make sure these children have all the options they can get while staying under a smart, playful, and educational umbrella.