In today’s world where technology is everywhere, it is important to be aware of healthy screen habits, especially for families of young children. During the early years, children’s brains are developing rapidly, and the quality of their interactions with caregivers has a powerful impact on communication, social–emotional development, and learning. Parents can feel overwhelmed about managing screen time and technology and may wish to change how their families use media. As you may know, the early intervention program focuses on your family’s daily routines, so this can be an excellent time to establish new healthy screen habits. Considering how and when your family uses screens individually (i.e. watching a video, using an app, reading an eBook, or playing a game) or together (i.e. video chatting with grandma, enjoying a movie or playing a multi-player game on a game system) is a great first step towards setting up healthy screen habits for your family. Early Intervention offers an opportunity to focus on building healthy daily routines that strengthen connection, communication and meaningful play.
Setting screen time boundaries for both adults and children can help families to have healthier relationships with technology. Children learn by watching, so the tech habits that you and the other members of your household model matter. When caregivers show how to pause, turn off, or limit screens, children learn to do the same. Small, predictable routines around screens support self-regulation, attention, and family interaction, all of which are key early intervention goals. The Early Childhood Development and Screen Time Toolkit, created by the American Academy of Pediatrics, provides several parent-facing resources for addressing screen time challenges. Families and providers can explore tipsheets such as Parents’ screen-time boundaries, Help your young child transition away from screens, Reboot your family’s tech life, and more in English and Spanish.
The Early Intervention Clearinghouse has many resources for screen-free activities that families can engage in together while staying warm indoors. Families can explore the new Play Buffet tipsheet series, adapted with permission from Terri Mussato of Fruitful Play Developmental Therapy Services, which offers several offline play-based learning activities for young children. The Play Buffet is a way to think about offering your child a variety of play experiences — just like choosing from different foods at a buffet. Each type of play supports different areas of development. These include Cognitive/Fine Motor, Language/Communication, Sensory, Gross Motor, and Social/Emotional. By making sure that your child “samples” from each area throughout the week, you are helping them grow in well-rounded ways and support early intervention outcomes. Check out all of our tip sheets here.
Everyday, screen-free play can make a powerful difference in early intervention. Discover more ideas in our Indoor Play resource guide and the article Play and Learn Indoors or borrow one of our bilingual activity kits in English and Spanish to support learning at home. These hands-on, screen-free materials help caregivers create meaningful early learning moments that build children’s skills, confidence, and curiosity. For assistance locating resources or exploring options, contact the Clearinghouse today!
Related Resources:
American Academy of Pediatrics: Tipsheet: 5 Cs of Media Use in Early Childhood, Tipsheet: Screens at Supper, Infographic: Using Screens for Calming, Infographic: Screens and Emotional Growth, Family Media Plan
Early Intervention Clearinghouse: Everyday Early Intervention: Indoor Fun, Everyday Early Intervention: Technology Is Everywhere, Everyday Early Intervention: Couch Time