Raising tech-savvy kids may not seem that difficult, considering how readily accessible smartphones and tablets are now. With numerous child-centered games, applications, and websites, kids can learn a great deal at home while having fun in a safe environment. However, things are never that easy.
Children are vulnerable in the online environment, so parents must enable parental control and ensure they recognize risks efficiently before they affect their kids. Cyberbullying, hate speech, and exploitation are only a few of the many challenges parents and institutions struggle to manage.
On the other hand, nurturing tech-savvy capabilities in kids is helpful for their future, considering technology and digitalization are more powerful than ever. Therefore, if you want to protect your child online while still ensuring they acquire the most valuable tech skills, here’s what you need to teach them.
Internet safety and security
If kids are too young to spend time online, maybe it would be best to limit their screen time to watching TV cartoons. At a young age, they’re unaware of protection or security, but as they grow older, you can explain to them the dos and don’ts of browsing the internet.
If they’re starting school soon, it might be useful to create an email account for them that includes features such as encryption, protection from email trackers, and is ad-free. A secure email provider can protect them from unwanted phishing attempts by filtering suspicious emails.
It’s also important to reinforce their advice on cybersecurity. They should be cautious about what they post on social media (if they have such accounts), where they obtain their information, as well as what they reveal about themselves when interacting with people they meet through gaming.
Guide them towards valuable apps and websites
While allowing them to play online games won’t affect them that much, imposing boundaries and guiding them early towards more educational content is ideal. For instance, animations and interactive content on space, galaxies, and stars are some of the best methods to make them passionate about the subject. These tools are also accessible and can immediately capture a child’s attention.
Others might get into exploring history, making science experiments, or building models, all of which can be learn and played with online. You could contribute more by exploring the best and most advanced websites or apps that provide accurate information, allowing users to interact effectively.
Some of these resources also come with quizzes or games kids can finish after a lecture. Over time, you can take your kids to special classes and after-school activities related to their hobby, so they will engage with something familiar and preferred, rather than wanting to spend time online.
Integrate technology in family routines
Leveraging technology as an adult is truly a blessing, especially when it comes to maps, communication services, and payment apps. However, these can be pretty boring for kids, which is why integrating a broad range of technology into the family is best to enhance their passion for it.
This also includes technical skills, so if one of the parents is a master coder, while the other is a firmware engineer, you could inspire them to develop a liking for tech by discussing their jobs at home or showing them what you’re doing at work.
It would also be helpful for them to see you interact with high-tech solutions in your day-to-day lives, so they can learn fast how some gadgets and apps can improve life in general. In addition, leveraging the benefits of smartwatches, laptops, and tablets is another strategy to get them into tech.
Take them to coding classes
Although coding is a high-time-investment skill, it’s considerably helpful for the future. Luckily, children can start coding as young as five or six, so taking them to such classes as soon as possible is ideal. Of course, the introductory courses will only cover basic skills that will build upon one another over time, so students can later choose their preferred field of work.
Coding skills can offer opportunities in industries such as the following:
- Web development;
- Data science;
- Video games;
- Machine learning;
- Cybersecurity;
Therefore, coding secures the knowledge base of every tech person who can find their purpose in future vocations. For example, cybersecurity, machine learning, and artificial intelligence are expected to be the most in-demand sectors in the employment industry in the future, offering the best opportunities for a resilient career.
It’s essential for children to develop a solid foundation of skills early on, enabling them to be more adaptable in their teenage and young adult years, as they acquire new abilities and transition between capabilities.
Help them make the connection between online and offline
While learning skills happens mostly online, remember to bring your kids into the offline world more often, so they can take a break from all the screen time and invest some resources and effort into something healthy, like sports. Studies have shown that children who are physically active benefit from improved brain efficiency. For example, team sports can contribute to focus and memory.
Unfortunately, many children in the UK stop playing sports around the age of 13, when the pressure of competitive leagues and school becomes more intense, hindering their interest. However, maybe consider sports that don’t necessarily lead to competitive practice, but rather focus on improving one’s health.
Team sports, such as hockey or softball, are typically included, but individual sports can also be equally beneficial, like karate or fencing. It’s ideal to consider your kid’s preferences, but also expose them to a vast array of sports, such as swimming, tennis, or roller skating, so they can participate in something they enjoy.
Final considerations
Children who are tech-savvy are the future of bright developments and innovations, so raising children with digital skills and awareness is essential if you want to contribute to a better world. Additionally, ensuring they are competent in this field will open the door to numerous opportunities for securing a stable job. You can also enhance their technology preferences by allowing them to discover educational apps, teaching them about security, and knowing when to set limits on phone use.
