Let's Talk Tech.

Now that we know WHAT we are teaching, it's time to start discussing HOW we are teaching. With today's technology it only gets easier but with technology it can be a blessing and a curse. Technology used the wrong way can have reverse effects on a child's education instead of positive. We will discuss more later, but this is about how technology can HELP you HELP your child.

We've all done it. Your child is screaming at the doctor's office, restaurant, store, home, it doesn't matter. You just need to keep them distracted during some real adult conversation or so you can get SOMETHING done today. You may have said you'd never do it. You set your child in front of the tv or hand them a phone or tablet to entertain your child.

You are not a bad parent/guardian/babysitter/grandparent! We need our sanity, peace, or just one second without a child grabbing or touching me (been there).

Use this moment for good!

Instead of letting your child watch anything they want or something that makes them look like they are completely zoned out to everything around them, use videos that teach your kid! There are thousands of alphabet videos in different versions that cater to your child's interests. They have catchy tunes, lots of colors and animations, plenty of elements to entertain your child but also teach them too.

I will never forget one of my worst nights as a first time mom. My first born was screaming and I absolutely could not get him to calm down. I was hoarse from singing the ABC's and soothing my child and I was just done. Defeated. Out of desperation I pulled out my phone. I was already used to having my phone out while nursing. Reading books kept me from nodding off during the many hours a day of feeding my child. In that desperation I opened YouTube and typed in ABC in the search bar. The first choice that popped up was a GiggleBellies video. I remembered teachers using it in early childhood classroom that I subbed in so I clicked on it, knowing I could trust the content.

AN AMAZING THING HAPPENED.

He went quiet. His eyes were no longer shut. He was no longer screaming. I looked down at my barely a month old baby and he was watching colorful animations dance on the screen with a familiar song. A song that he already knew. After that day I played GiggleBellies whenever I needed relief. Fussy car rides, screaming late nights, even during tummy time. He responded so well to songs about colors, letters, shapes, and even traditional lullabies that I was confident to take him everywhere. If my phone was dying or if I didn't have the hands I sang along to the words without the video and danced with my baby in the store to keep him happy. I'd point out letters I'd find on signs and products, colors on clothes and décor, and shapes everywhere we saw them.

Before my child said mama or dada, he was trying to sing the songs I sang to him. He could show me the correct color or shape I'd ask for before he could even speak. Don't wait, your child learns something every day of their life, even in the womb. They learn your voice before they are even born! Just because you can't measure it at the time, you are teaching them every moment of their existence. Make the best of it!

Please see my tools and resources page for tons of videos and apps I would recommend for your child.