It's no secret that technology is becoming increasingly integrated into our daily lives. As kids become more tech-savvy, it's important to ensure that they're using technology safely and responsibly. That's why we at Pebble Gear celebrate Safer Internt Day every year on February 7th to raise awareness about the dangers of the online world and give you the tools as parnets to protect your little ones.
As a parent, it can be overwhelming to navigate the various options for kids tablets on the market. With concerns around online safety, privacy, and screen time, choosing the right tablet for your kid can feel like a daunting task. That's where the Pebble Gear tablet comes in. This tablet has been specifically designed with parents and kids in mind and offers a range of features to ensure a safe and secure online experience. Here are just a few reasons why the Pebble Gear tablet is the safest choice for your kids:
Parents can set limits on screen time, manage access to specific apps, and monitor your kid's online activities. The controls are easy to set up and customize, giving parents peace of mind that their kids are using the tablet in a safe and controlled environment.
The pre built-in safe browser automatically filters out inappropriate content and blocks access to malicious websites. You can also set up a custom list of approved websites. This means your little ones can safely browse the web without you having to worry about what they might come across.
The Pebble Gear tablet is designed with kids in mind, with a durable case, shatter and spill proof screen that can withstand the rough and tumble of playtime. The tablet's user-friendly interface is easy for kids to navigate and understand, so they can start exploring without any hassle.
With access to a vast library of educational apps, games, and videos, your child can explore their interests and develop new skills in a safe and secure environment. These games are age-appropriate and focus on subjects like math, reading, and science, so your child can have fun while they develop important skills.
All Gamestore Junior apps do not include any ads, offers or purchases. This provides a safe and uninterrupted gaming experience for kids, allowing them to enjoy their favorite games without being constantly bombarded by advertisements or requests to spend money. Have peace of mind as parents will no longer recive unexpected bills.
Safer Internet Day is an important reminder to keep our children safe while they explore the online world. The Pebble Gear tablet is the ideal choice for parents who want to ensure that their children have a safe and secure online experience. With its advanced safety features, educational and entertainment options, and parental controls, this tablet is the perfect choice for parents who want to give their children the best possible start in the digital world.
Give your little one the gift of a safe and secure online experience with the Pebble Gear tablet. Sign up to our newsletter to receive exclusive discounts and releases.
]]>Subway Surfers: Tokyo
Bright, bold and brilliant, Tokyo is one of the most famous cities in the World and you can now explore the capital of Japan through your tablet. Navigate the subway system between bustling buildings and carefully pass by low hanging lanterns to collect coins and boost your achievements. More coins mean new character skins, upgraded skateboards and brand-new levels to beat.
Crossy Roads: Dinosaurs
Why did the dinosaur cross the road? To play the most iconic arcade hopper game, of course! Endlessly hop to cross car-rammed roads, tricky train tracks and raging rivers in this prehistoric update of classic Crossy Roads. Including 13 new fantastic figurines, special edition Flat Eric figurine and an elusive character called Bones who has taken the gaming community by storm. Will you manage to unlock the curious new character?
Hex
Hex is a thinking game where you create looping patterns by rotating all the shapes and lines on your screen. You can solve a wide collection of meticulously designed colourful and relaxing puzzles on a hexagonal board. There isn't a timer or any other kind of pressure. Hex just lets you bring the pieces together on your own pace. The game even lets you snap a quick photo of the result when you've assembled all the pieces. This clean and simple puzzle experience allows you to build loops in a new way, and helps you improve your focus and attention levels.
Skater Kid
Stunt, flip and fly through the sky to become an epic skater! With 100 levels of skateboard fun, you can choose your skater and customize their look to reflect your personal style. Grab your board, avoid obstacles, perform epic air tricks, and learn some seriously slick skating moves. From skyline stunts to flip tricks, you can explore extreme locations while collecting stars to become the hottest skater on the streets.
Brick Breaker: Star Space King
Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to break the bricks and escape the maze as you stargaze. How you got what it takes to take on Space? With 100’s of levels to play, Brick Breaker is an arcade style game with one simple task: to break bricks. Simple, fun and family friendly, this game is perfect for everybody to enjoy.
Jetpack Joyride
Join Barry, a struggling gramophone salesman, as he breaks into a top-secret science lab and snags experimental jetpacks. Strap on a bullet-powered jetpack to dodge lasers, electric fields and all the missiles that may come your way. Get a boost along the way with vehicles like the Lil’ Stomper, Profit Bird and Crazy Freaking Teleporter. If you’re lucky, you’ll also find the Strong Arm Machine (SAM) – the ultimate vehicle of destruction and hi-fives.
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We're delighted to announce that The Toy Insider has chosen our Pebble Gear tablet and accessory bundle to be part of their prestigious Spring & Summer gift guide.
The Toy Insider is one of the world's most trusted sources of information on children's toys, tech and entertainment. Led by a team of experienced toy experts with more than 100 years combined experience in the children's toy industry, the Toy Insider knows everything about the latest and greatest products available to families.
The Toy Insider publishes two highly anticipated gift guides each year, highlighting the hottest drops of the Summer and showcasing go-to-goodies for the festive season. Competition to score a highly coveted spot in the gift guides is tough. All products (including ours!) are evaluated using a five-point criterion: play value, originality, skill-building, product integrity, and fun factor. The expert team makes sure that products are great value for money and assess each toy's educational and social benefits to understand how children and parents may respond to products.
We appreciate that it's a challenging task to snatch a spot in this trusted guide, so we're incredibly grateful to The Toy Insider for naming our tablet a top summer toy.
"Thank you to Toy Insider for selecting us to be a part of their Spring & Summer Gift Guide and ranking us as one of the Top Summer Toys! We feel honoured and happy to be a part of such a prestigious list!" – Mark C. Pebblegear US.
At Pebble Gear, our priority is to help children take their first steps into the digital world using fun, family-safe technology that parents approve of. We're thrilled that The Toy Insider recognises our company values and product quality, and we're honoured to be so highly reviewed by the experts in play.
Check us out on the toy insider website on the below links
https://www.thetoyinsider.com/toys/frozen-8-inch-carry-bag-and-headphones-bundle/
https://www.thetoyinsider.com/toys/frozen-kids-tablet-cars-kids-tablet/
]]>A new month brings a new plethora of free to play apps, thanks to GameStore Junior. May sees teaching children about time management get a tasty twist and introduces families to a laid back way to unwind…
Subway Surfers: Buenos Aires and Subway Surfers: Tokyo
This month, we are introducing not just one, but two amazing new editions of Subway Surfers to your tablet. Both Buenos Aires and Tokyo are now ready to play thanks to GameStore Junior. In these latest editions, you will experience the unique architecture and brilliant beaches of Buenos Aires, plus new technology and characters set within the streets of Tokyo. Including amazing 3D graphics that you don’t want to miss! Run fast on the city tracks, duck and dive around destructive objects, and surf some of the world’s most famous subways.
Hook
Looking for new ways to unwind? Check out the most relaxing app to hit GameStore Junior yet.
With a laid back and minimalist design, when it’s time to chill, Hook is the perfect choice for children and parents alike. Hook contains 50 levels and is packed with games that encourage pattern recognition and logical thinking. Featuring a super Zen soundtrack, this will be your new favourite way to unwind.
Burger
Introducing time management to your little one doesn’t need to be boring… especially when burgers are involved! This tasty burger-serving game is the perfect way to teach children how to manage their time and utilise critical thinking skills.
Taking orders from quirky customers, making up meals from recipe sheets and earning coins while you can, the more you play, the more ingredients become available to use.
Children can even take up the challenge of Career Mode and cope with harder challenges and higher rewards, reaching new goals as they go!
Car Run Racing
Race with jet powered muscle cars and dominate the streets in this crazy adventure runner!
Featuring extreme jumps and outrageous stunts, flip, jump and grind your ride to win and become the ultimate stuntman! Race down the hill and tap your way to top speed, before launching into the sky with your jetpack wings to earn extra coins. Collect all the power ups and DOMINATE the hi-scores! Modify your rides with jetpack wings to become a traffic racing legend.
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Colours pop, a zippy soundtrack fills the room, and your child is engrossed in an adventure with their favourite character on their tablet. Their smile is unmistakable until an innocuous bubble appears, and their game is interrupted.
"UNLOCK ALL LEVELS FOR £2.99!"
The bubble is accompanied by a discreet cancel button that is SO well disguised; it could be a puzzle game itself. Seconds later, your bank account is £2.99 lighter. Now imagine that your child plays this game twice a day, seven days a week.
The danger of in-game purchases is an increasingly frequent worry for families. It's estimated that children aged 3-4 years old spend three hours a day in front of a screen. This rises to four hours for ages 5-7 and 4.5 hours by ages 8-11. Most screen time is spent on games and apps, which routinely lure children into making purchases.
Many pop-ups and ads are now designed to look like part of the app. For example, a surprise gift drops onto the screen mid-game, encouraging children to click a hidden ad, the' x' to cancel the pop-up doesn't appear for 10+ seconds, so a child becomes frustrated and presses the alternative option, which is usually the buy button.
Many games also push children to buy tokens, unlock levels or new characters to experience the fun fully. Many pop-ups also aren't appropriate for children, with some parents reporting banner ads for medication and sexual health products.
Of course, these tactics are something most adults are confronted with when using technology, but why is it so concerning when children are involved? Children are much more susceptible to forming parasocial relationships. Parasocial relationships are one-sided relationships where one person invests their time and energy into someone utterly unaware of the other's existence. For example, a child might invest their emotion into a particular Disney character or celebrity. While a child’s emotional intelligence is still developing, they can feel emotional pressure to make purchases concerning characters or people they love. This is often the case with in-game ads and purchases. What is likely to happen if YOUR child's favourite Princess asks them to click a button to save their castle?
It can also be tricky for parents to know which apps are safe, as even apps deemed 'educational' can feature pop-ups. So, how can families safely support their children to use apps and games?
Becoming familiar with the above tools is essential but having open and honest conversations about the risks of using online devices is also vital. Ensuring that children feel confident to tell an adult if something concerns them during their internet use is critical in preventing damage to your bank account and your child's wellbeing.
Subway Surfers: Monaco
Subway Surfers is the sixty-fourth edition in the World Tour series and the sixty-ninth version in Subway Surfers. This exciting edition introduces players to a new character named Philip, brand new racing outfits AND a unique board called the Speeder. In keeping with the season, weekly hunt tokens are cute and colourful Easter Eggs.
Harmony Relaxing Music Puzzles
Harmony Relaxing Music Puzzles is a must-have music app for families. Easy to play, you simply tap squares to create beautiful melodies for the ears and symmetries for the eyes. There are several instruments to choose from, and reminiscent of guitar hero, you must reflect the music notes by tapping the free squares. Perfect for stressed parents and mini music maestros alike!
BMX Kid
Beautiful graphics, challenging missions and an incredible BMX experience! Level up by tackling formidable obstacles to master your bicycle tricks and become a BMX pro. Perform new tricks, complete challenges and create high scores whilst exploring hills, mountains and beautiful backdrops.
Ninja Dash Run
Ninja Dash is an action game combining role-playing and characters. The game brings you on the journey to destroy the evil army of ninjas to avenge Sensei and restore the Master Sushi that was stolen. Your enemies are crowded. But with your super ninja skills, you can easily defeat them. However, do not be subjective, the enemy is not only strong, but they also possess many special skills! Take down enemies, gather materials to craft new weapons and armour to update your Katana. If you love the ninja game series, Ninja Dash is a brilliant choice that you don't want to miss!
Give It Up! 2- Rhythm Jump
The sequel of the cute Give It Up! musical jumper game, this multi-level app features new music, challenges and blobs. Fun and challenging simultaneously – tap to the beat and don't miss any tiles. Using critical thinking skills, you have to feel the beat and rhythm of the music while jumping with the right timing from colour tiles to beat each level.
Bounce and hop along to the rhythm as you overcome the challenges in this gem among indie games. Jump on the tiles to win! Feel the beat and tap in time, or the beat will beat you!
Mini Motor Racing
Little cars, BIG fun. Start your engines! The most vibrant, super-charged racing game you've ever seen is here! And now it's better than ever with the massive Anniversary Update! Mini Motor Racing plays like a remote-controlled car showdown, combined with modern tech to nitro-boost your engines. Race in campaign competitions for big rewards! Upgrade your skills and cars to win more. It's all here in Mini Motor Racing.
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Is now the time for your child to have a tablet of their own?
This September, thousands of children across the UK have taken their first steps into primary education. It’s their introduction into a whole new world, and for some, school may offer a first taste of using tablet devices for both learning and play.
We know from experience that, as parents, this is a time when you may begin to wonder if it’s time to purchase a tablet for use at home. But we also know that there is still some debate as to the value of introducing tablets to young children.
When looking at this subject, we think it comes down to one critical question: why are you looking to introduce your child to a tablet? Let’s look at some of the most common reasons for why now might be the ideal time to get a new tablet for your family.
1: Tablets help children to prepare for the future
Schools not only provide quality education for youngsters – in doing so, they also help them prepare for the future, and what comes after they move on from the UK’s educational institutions and into the world of work.
As technology evolves, so too do the ways in which we use it. Jobs and opportunities that might not have been possible – or even imaginable – even a decade ago are now commonplace. Who knows what tomorrow might hold?
Research suggests that 71% of primary schools are now using tablets in the classroom and the benefits of technology on children in education have been well documented. (https://www.besa.org.uk/news/besa-press-release-tablet-adoption-continues-rise-barriers-adoption-shift/)
A study from the National Literacy Trust and Pearson suggested that touchscreen computers are particularly useful in helping boys and poorer pupils learn to read.
It’s clear that the role of technology in education is ever-growing. Supporting your child to have some hands-on experience with tablets can be a great way to prepare them for a world that is increasingly dependent on technology.
2: Tablets can increase independence among children
It’s difficult for parents to fully prepare children for the new level of independence introduced when they start primary school. Children have a greater expectation to carry out tasks independently, and this can be scary!
Introducing children to apps that they can use alone on a device can be a subtle way to boost your child’s confidence in their own decision making. Apps offer a safe place to experiment, learn and explore problem-solving.
3: Technology provides up-to-date teaching
We live in a world where there is an ever-changing landscape of medical, sociological, and cultural advancement. While there will always be a benefit to educational tools such as physical books, many editions contain dated information that is no longer accurate.
Educational apps and eBooks are updated constantly to ensure that they have the most current information and learnings, helping to avoid inaccuracies in learning resources.
4: Tablets make learning fun
Showing young children that learning can be fun from an early age can help establish healthy learning behaviours. Tablets can make learning and homework more engaging and also provide an incentive that encourages children to learn independently.
Educational content is often gamified, providing an immediate sense of achievement and, in turn, motivating children to participate in further learning. The Tablets for School researchers discovered that “87% of students found learning easier due to their tablet, 72% believed their standard of work had improved, and 69% expressed a significant increase in motivation.”
(https://www.innovadesigngroup.co.uk/news/can-tablets-really-help-students-learn-in-the-classroom/)
Whilst the above reasons are substantial factors to consider when looking at the educational value of a tablet, it’s important to remember that every child is unique. Children all develop at different rates and have varying needs, experiences, and lifestyles.
Tablet ownership can be a great way to introduce your child to technology. Still, it’s essential to set clear boundaries as young children might not have developed the ability to self-regulate their use of devices.
Our Pebble Gear tablet includes parental control features that help you tailor screen time and limit access to restricted content. So, if you’ve decided that the time is now for a tablet, it’s worth exploring tablets that support safe device usage to ensure that your child’s first steps into tech are a positive experience.
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Now that lockdown restrictions have fully lifted, many of us are making plans to travel again. But, for families with children, travel isn’t always stress-free! Hours of waiting for planes, delayed trains and motorway traffic jams can result in plenty of boredom and frustration.
A tablet can be a brilliant boredom-buster for children. In this post we’ll share some valuable tips for travelling with a device and why they’re a worthwhile travel companion.
Essential travel tips for taking a tablet on a trip
Why take a tablet with you?
There’s tons of great reasons why a tablet makes an ideal travel companion for your family. Here’s a few of our favourites.
We hope you found our hints and tips helpful – if you have any other tablet travel tips to share for other families out there, please leave them in the comments!
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Your Pebble Gear tablet is packed with the latest and greatest educational apps for children. But, with so much choice, where to begin? We’ve handpicked our favourites to get you started and make sure you don’t miss out on the amazing variety of educational apps out there for you to enjoy.
Giving Tales
Giving Tales is a fantastic way to introduce your children to a huge range of classic stories, narrated by some very famous voices. Enjoy engaging and entertaining Hans Christian Andersen tales including The Snow Queen, read by Joanna Lumley, and The Ugly Duckling, read by Stephen Fry. Beautifully illustrated, these tales can help a child’s imagination run wild!
Kids Telling Time
Learning to tell the time takes, well, time. Often, it can be a child’s first experience of understanding sequencing. Kids Telling Time will help your children practise both setting and telling time on digital and analogue clocks, using story-telling and a furry friend called Ticky The Mouse. Travelling through the four rooms of a house filled with clocks, children work together with Ticky to collect cheese and eat it by setting and telling the correct times.
Kids Learn To Sort
Created by Intellijoy, a leading developer of preschool curriculum apps, Kids Learn to Sort helps introduce children to preschool fundamentals. In the company of Sorty the Cute Monster, children will learn to sort by shape, size, colour independently, numerical count, spatial direction, occupation, household area, clothing type and animal habitat. With a clean and intuitive design, this is an app geared towards independent play.
Kindergarten Maths
Hands up if you believe learning works better when it’s fun? Us too! In Kindergarten Maths, join Hamster and his trusty forklift as he uses numerical ordering, essential addition and subtraction to deliver packages worldwide! Specific learning targets include counting to 20 and adding/subtracting small numbers. Kids will direct Hamster’s forklift to a numbered destination, dial phone numbers, count out items to be delivered, load the delivery truck using numerical ordering, and more! It’s a great way for youngsters to develop their numeracy.
Professions Dressing Game
Imagination is a big part of learning and children’s development, and with the Professions Dressing Game, they can do just that. Whether your child dreams of becoming a doctor, footballer or rocket scientist, this app combines their passion with fashion! Discover a new professional character who needs help matching the correct uniform for their job. screen. This app is a great way to develop motor skills and also introduce children to the concepts of various professions and how they fit into the wider world.
Kids Learn About Music
There are over 500 apps available for you to enjoy on your Pebble Gear tablet. We hope you enjoy our selections – but we’d also love to know what you and your own children have been having fun with. Got a learning app to recommend? Share it with other families in the comments below!
]]>Did you know that it would take around 23 million years to visit every website currently available online?! The internet is a big place. And, while it’s truly a wonder, it has to be treated with caution. Being behind a screen can mean that people say things that they wouldn’t say face to face. This can affect children’s mental health in the form of cyberbullying, seeing content that isn’t age-appropriate and potentially put them at risk from someone who pretends to be someone they are not.
So, just like teaching a child to ride a bike, it’s important to guide children on how to use the internet safely, until you are confident that they know how to browse without your guidance. The number of children who have access to mobile phones and tablets is growing daily. It can be a great addition to keep them entertained while teaching them new things. However, if a child has access to your or another person’s phone or tablet, it may not be 100% child friendly.
The Pebble Gear tablet is designed with children in mind as they take their first steps into technology. Safety is our number one priority. While connected to Wi-Fi, the Pebble Gear tablet only allows access to websites that are on our safelist or safelisted by you as a parent or guardian. A safelist is a list of websites stored on the tablet that can be accessed by the ChildSafe browser. Every other site is blocked unless the parent account allows access to it. If there is a website that you know to be safe and would like the child to be able to access, you can do this easily in the parent account on the tablet. The parent account also has full visibility and control on the child’s account usage. You can set and limit the amount of time on the tablet as well as how long the child can spend on specific apps and games.
The safelisting and ChildSafe browser features help families provide a fun and, most importantly, a safe environment for children to learn and play in while promoting autonomy and ownership. To find out more, click here: https://pebble-gear.com/pages/faqs
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How many times a day do you use technology? Checking social media, ordering a new pair of shoes from your favourite online store, planning a journey on Google maps, tracking your steps for the day on your mobile phone, listening to your favourite songs using Alexa, reading e-mails, playing your favourite puzzle game and Whatsapping your friends. The list is endless. And, it will likely be the same for your child, in and out of the workplace.
A study by the UK Government, in 2017, recognised the importance of children being confident in using technology safely. It also recommended that all children and teachers have access to technology to improve their skills. https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201617/ldselect/ldcomuni/130/130.pdf
No matter what career path your children choose, they will, at the very least, require some necessary tech skills. The European Commission confirmed in 2018 that 38% of UK workplaces expressed that when an employee lacked digital skills, this negatively impacted company performance. It’s also crucial to note that technology could help encourage more girls to pursue careers in STEAM industries, where they are currently very under-represented. Early education around technology promotes exposure to science, tech, engineering, art and maths. In turn, this presents future career options that talented girls with the power to change the world, may not have previously considered.
As the workplace becomes ever more competitive, there’s no time like the present to pave the way for your child and embrace technology. Technology is an integral part of creating a better future for all, and the next generation of children are the missing piece to this puzzle. Of course, moderation is essential when it comes to introducing children to technology, and you can check out our top tips for managing screen time here: https://www.pebble-gear.com/blogs/pebble-gear-blog/screen-time-tips-for-kids
Whether we like it or not, technology is here to stay. By introducing technology to children, we can help them either survive or truly thrive in the world of work in the future.
]]>Every day is a chance to learn, but, sometimes children need a little encouragement! As curriculums change and children grow, more responsibility is placed on little ones to take control of their learning. But, how can families inspire children to enjoy studying and develop healthy learning habits?
“Success is a journey, not a destination. The process is often more important than the outcome” – Arthur Ashe.
While some people are blessed with a knack to excel in all subjects, many people find that they have areas of weakness. These weaknesses are natural. It is essential to build children’s self-esteem by focusing on the process of learning, rather than the outcome. If they are a whiz with words but, get mixed up when it comes to maths, try to empathise with them. Encourage them with comments that boost their confidence and encourage them to persevere. Explain that the process of learning is testing but, it is also teaching them to be brave in their problem solving (just like their favourite superheroes!)
“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new” – Albert Einstein.
As adults, we acknowledge that mistakes are as important as successes. But, when a child first encounters a tricky learning task, it can be tough. Providing a learning environment that embraces mistakes can help children become more flexible in their approach to problem-solving and develop resilience. This nurturing type of situation does not mean that you have to jump to the rescue when a child makes a mistake. Instead, the focus of supporting them to find the solution as this will only empower them even further. It can also help to provide examples of your setbacks and how you learned from them so that children can understand they are not alone.
“If a child can’t learn the way we teach them, maybe we should teach the way they learn” – Ignacio Estrada
We all have a preferred way of learning, and there is a chance that you will have a different learning style to your child. With this in mind, it’s essential to focus on the way that they learn rather than how you best absorb information. If you are unsure of your child’s learning style, don’t be afraid to trial different ways of teaching. Some approaches will work, some won’t but, when you begin to establish the methods that work best for your child, you can then incorporate the things that help them thrive. Additionally, talk to your child’s teachers and understand how they accommodate your child’s learning style at school.
“The future belongs to the curious” – Anonymous.
What is your child passionate about? Whether it’s Disney Princesses, understanding animals or exploring space, we’re all more invested in the things we’re interested in. For example, if your child wants to be best friends with Buzz Lightyear, why not encourage them to develop their literacy skills by reading one of the Toy Story 4 eBooks on our tablet? Or introduce them to physics through fun games such as ‘Where’s My Water? 2’, a puzzle game which helps children explore gravity, water and how material travels.
The most critical factor in encouraging learning is fun. Learning doesn’t have to be linear; it can be messy. It can be creative. It can be entirely unique for you and your child. As long as your child is inspired to learn, they’re already making progress. What are your top tips to inspire children to learn?
]]>Since the increased use of electronic devices in daily life, blue light has hit the headlines. But, what exactly is it? To fully understand the effects of blue light, we need to speak science for a second!
All light is made of waves and sits on a colour spectrum. The beginning of the spectrum is made up of red light, which is easier on the eye. At the end of the spectrum is blue light. This light becomes more tiring for our eyes to process as it penetrates the back of the eye. If you ever feel tired after a full day of using a computer, you can probably blame the blue light emitted from LED screens.
So, what does this mean for our eye health? The amount of energy produced by blue light can create flickers and a glare that affects how we see things. It is believed that the flicker and glare may be the cause of eyestrain, headaches and mental fatigue that frequent users of devices report. It’s important to note that children’s corneas do not fully develop until they are 14 years old, so they have much less protection than adult eyes.
Even adult eyes’ natural filters do not provide sufficient protection against blue light rays and long exposure to blue light may cause retinal damage. Have you ever noticed how sleeping in a room with too much light can disrupt your sleep? This is because light helps us regulate our sleep patterns and too much of it can cause our body to feel wide awake!
With all of this in mind, it makes you question whether the pros of purchasing a tablet outweigh the cons. But, our tablet features advanced anti-blue light control to help block much of the harmful blue light emission produced by LED screens. The coating on our screen provides a higher contrast to reduce the amount of effort required from children’s eyes and create a better viewing experience.
]]>Taking away a tablet from children can cause tears or tantrums and setting limits can be testing!
Here are some top tips that can help you limit your child’s screen time.
Hands up if you’re guilty of watching TV, scrolling through social media AND shopping on your tablet, all at the same time? This doesn’t go unnoticed by children. Try and lead by example and show children how to use electronic devices healthily. Next time you sit down to enjoy your favourite tv series, put your phone out of reach, take the tablet out of the room and focus on one screen at a time.
How many times have you told your children to look at you, and not their screen, when you’re talking to them? We’ve all questioned if our child is losing the ability to hold a conversation because of the time they spend in their digital bubble, so consider establishing “tech-free” zones in your home. Perhaps the front room is a phone-free zone? Or the dining room is a designated location for screen-free, family chats?
You could also try a daily digital detox. An hour before bedtime can be a great place to start. Not only does it minimise exposure to blue light before bedtime (which is linked to disrupted sleep patterns) it also allows for more quality time together as a family.
We’re huge advocates of the benefits of technology but, we would always encourage children to become involved in activities that don’t always involve screens. Climb a tree, camp out, look at the stars! Also, next time your children demand their device, ask them “why?”. Children can begin to use the device out of habit, so perhaps encourage them to make the most of the device instead. If they want to watch a film on their device, suggest they make one of their own! Perhaps they’ve recently started work on a science project? Spend some time on fun apps relevant to their study.
What are your top tips for managing screen time in your home?
]]>Many of us worry about the effect that devices such as tablets and mobile phones can have on our children, however, it’s important to consider what positive influence technology can have too. A child’s development can have an enormous impact on them in later life and more parents are being drawn to innovative ways to help their kids prepare for the future.
Over the last decade, many schools have introduced complex technology studies in their curriculum. So, children can benefit from using a tablet at home by getting ahead of the curve and getting to grips with the basics. While games and apps can sometimes prove to be an unwelcome distraction, if used in the right place, at the right time, they can also improve spatial awareness, reflexes, and strategy. Pilots have been using simulation games for decades to practice their skills, which goes to show that play is not all about procrastination!
The world of work may feel like a lifetime away for our children but, it’s worth noting that, as of 2016, almost 90% of jobs require digital skills. It’s vital to learn how to use digital devices, from writing and drawing to composing music or making films. Tablets help prepare children for the future, tech-centric workplace and promote confidence and creativity.
We all recognize that children need to learn but, do we think about how children want to learn? With as many as 7 learning styles being identified, it’s clear that children all have various ways of absorbing information. Using a tablet as part of additional learning at home, or as part of school study, combines the best of seeing, hearing and doing. Tablets make it easier than ever to tailor learning to individual children as it gives them unique and memorable ways to learn.
The most beneficial impact that a tablet can have is presenting an opportunity to bond with children! Children are keen to show what they and their tablet can do, so whether it’s studying for a spelling test or reading an e-Book together before bed, you can potentially tighten your bond.
Can you think of any other advantages of children using tablets? Let us know!
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