Safe Search Kids - Education, Parenting, Internet Safety for All

YouTube is one of the most engaging platforms. So engaging, in fact, that even our children are getting hooked. What they don’t realize is that too much time on YouTube is potentially developmentally damaging. As parents, it’s up to us to shield our children from the adverse effects of too much time on YouTube.

We can start by replacing that time with enriching activities our children will love. These five tips can help you make the transition.

Discuss the Harmful Effects of YouTube

It’s essential to discuss the harmful effects of YouTube with your children in a way they can understand. If they can genuinely resonate with and comprehend what you’re saying to them, they’ll be more likely to decrease their use of YouTube willingly.

Talk in-depth about how too much YouTube can result in not getting enough time to do things together like read. Reading to your child can provide them with various developmental skills, including the desire to read more by themselves. Reading is integral to academic and professional success. Be transparent about how not learning to read effectively can stall their progression in life.

Discuss how social media can affect their mental health as well. Ask them if they’ve experienced any of what you’re talking about while using YouTube to help them resonate with the discussion even more. Allow them to open up about how they feel about limiting their use of the platform.

Once you discuss the harmful effects of YouTube with your children, the next step is limiting their screen time. Your children won’t like it at first, but restricting their screen time will emphasize how serious you are. You can reduce their screen time in phases so that it isn’t such a shock to your kids.

When you limit your children’s screen time, you must fill it with off-screen activities like sports.

Encourage Participation in Sports

Sports are fantastic for children of all ages. Not only do sports get your kids out of the house and offline, but they can also teach them skills they can take with them into adulthood. For example, they can learn to take constructive criticism when working with coaches or how to develop a solid work ethic.

If your children aren’t interested in traditional sports, look for creative alternatives like eSports. They can participate in sport-like competitions online while still honing soft skills like teamwork, problem-solving, and self-confidence.

Whether eSports or traditional sports, find out which specific ones your children want to participate in. Sign them up and see how things progress.

In addition to sports, explore creative passions with your children.

Explore Creative Passions

You’ll start to hear less and less about YouTube if you encourage your children to explore their creative passions. Instead of YouTube being an outlet, replace it with a creative activity.

Nudge your kids to explore their offline creative passions before diving into any online. Then, do your best to make those creative passions a part of your children’s daily to draw their attention away from YouTube slowly. Before you know it, they’ll be more interested in exploring their creativity.

Creative passions can be a part of your children’s self-care, too.  They can also learn how to engage online safely including while on YouTube.

Prioritize Self-Care

Make self-care a priority for you and your children. When you prioritize self-care, you teach your children how to love and honor themselves. You give them a chance to get to know themselves. You also provide them an opportunity to appreciate being present.

To prioritize self-care, the first step is to have an initial conversation with your children about what self-care is and why it’s crucial. Next, work with them to develop a list of self-care activities unique to their interests and needs.

Then, categorize these activities by whether they’ll be done daily, weekly, monthly, or less often. Once they’re categorized, put them on the calendar. Have your kids check them off as they’re completed to keep them enthusiastic about self-care.

Also, be sure you’re making a consistent effort with self-care and the rest of the activities above.

Be Consistent

Consistency is key in most things, especially in your attempts to decrease your children’s time on YouTube. You’ll quickly fall back into your old YouTube habits without a consistent effort. So, be consistent in making this a lifestyle change.

Here are a few ideas to stay consistent in your efforts to decrease the use of YouTube in your household:

• Create a daily schedule for your children
• Strengthen your mindset and help your kids do the same
• Designate a specific time to turn off electronics each night
• Reinforce the positive changes your children are making constantly
• Stick to a family schedule regarding when and how long everyone can use YouTube each day

Ultimately, be consistent to ensure offline activities become the norm over hours of video content on YouTube every day.

Conclusion

The developmental dangers of YouTube aren’t something to take lightly. It’s essential to protect yourself and your children from videos and other digital content that negatively impacts growth.

You can do so by first being transparent about the harmful effects of YouTube with your children to help them understand why you’re implementing new boundaries around screen time.

Then, focus on off-screen activities like sports, self-care, and creative passions your children are interested in. And finally, be consistent with your efforts to guide your kids away from YouTube and toward a fuller, real life.

About the Author
Katie Brenneman is a passionate writer specializing in education, mental health, family lifestyle and online safety. When she isn’t writing, you can find her with her nose buried in a book or hiking with her dog, Charlie. You can follow her on Twitter.

Tabletop games are a great way to get kids interested in gaming. This can be a great hobby for them to enjoy and can also teach them important skills like critical thinking, teamwork, and communication. It’s a social activity that can be enjoyed by all. Here are six tips to help make tabletop gaming more appealing to kids.

1. Start with chess

Chess is a classic game that has been enjoyed by people for centuries. It’s a great way to teach kids about strategy and planning ahead. There are many different chess sets available, so find one that appeals to your child’s interests. You can also find online versions of chess that can be played for free. You can also click here to check out more information. Additionally, many bookstores and game stores offer chess sets and books that can help kids learn how to play. If your child is struggling to understand the game, there are also plenty of online tutorials and videos available. It’s important to let them move at their own pace and not get frustrated.

2. Try out different genres

There are many different types of tabletop games available. From card games to role-playing games, there’s something for everyone. If your child is interested in a particular topic, try to find a game that focuses on that subject. For example, if they’re interested in history, there are plenty of historical games available. There are also games that focus on other topics like science fiction or fantasy. The key is to find something that they’re interested in so they’ll be more likely to enjoy playing the game. Additionally, you can check out online reviews of different games to see which ones are the most popular and recommended for kids.

3. Get them involved in the game

One of the best ways to get kids interested in tabletop gaming is to make them feel like they’re a part of the game. This can be done by involving them in the game’s design and development. If you’re creating a custom game, involve them in the process and let them help with the design. You can also let them create their own characters or come up with ideas for new scenarios. This will help spark their creativity and make them feel more invested in the game. Additionally, you can find games that allow kids to play online with other players, such as solitaire. This can help them socialize and make new friends while enjoying the game.

4. Let them play with friends

Tabletop gaming is a great way for kids to socialize and make new friends. If you know other families who are interested in gaming, invite them over for a game night. This can be a great opportunity for kids to interact with each other and have fun. You can also take your child to local game stores or conventions. These events are usually very welcoming to new players and can help kids find others who share their interests. Additionally, many stores and conventions offer special events for kids, so they can learn more about gaming and meet new people. It’s important to let them play with friends so they can enjoy the social aspects of the game.

5. Encourage their imagination

One of the best things about tabletop gaming is that it encourages kids to use their imagination. This can be a great way to spark their creativity and help them come up with new ideas. Games that require kids to create their own characters or come up with their own stories are especially good for this. You can also encourage them to be creative in other ways, such as painting miniatures or designing game boards. This will help them think outside the box and come up with new solutions to problems. Additionally, it’s important to let them express themselves and have fun with the game.

6. Be patient

It’s important to be patient when teaching kids how to play tabletop games. They may not understand the rules right away or make mistakes. It’s important to let them take their time and not get frustrated. If they’re struggling, you can offer assistance or advice. However, it’s important to let them figure things out on their own so they can learn and grow. Additionally, it’s important to have patience when playing the game yourself. Games can be long and complex, so it’s important to take breaks and not get too frustrated. The key is to have fun and enjoy the time spent with your child.

Tabletop gaming is a great way to spend time with your kids. It can help them socialize, use their imagination, and learn new skills. If you’re interested in getting started, there are plenty of resources available. You can find games that focus on different topics, so there’s something for everyone. By involving your kids in the game, you can help them feel more interested and invested.

Children’s music is a legitimate business that sometimes goes unnoticed since most children’s artists will never be renowned enough to be in the limelight. There are exceptions to this norm, including Raffi, The Wiggles, and many individuals who earn a fortune by performing children’s music.

A little background info can help explain why so few people know about kids’ rock & roll: It used no advertising (no record company even had any idea how much it would sell) because its audience was not interested in an artist or their talent didn’t appear on screen like other kinds of pop culture hits.

This is a true calling for certain artists. Writing songs for children and performing them isn’t just highly valuable; it is also challenging and fun. Your first thought would be writing songs for children is an easy task, but actually, it’s quite the opposite.

Here are some great ways to start writing a song for children. I’ll share some of my favourite techniques here, so look forward as I continue to share them.

Select A Topic

Children are constantly restless. Consider what you communicate with children and what they question about. Try responding to one of them with a song.

A child, for example, would inquire as to why the sky is blue. This one query might spark a slew of musical ideas. As you develop your mind’s capacity to associate other words with certain associations, this process becomes more subtle and deliberate.

Fun And Easy Verses

The verses must be simple to grasp and follow. You may go in various directions with the lines, but keep in mind who you’re singing for. If your listeners are a little older, you can use more complicated vocabulary.

If your audience is young, you should generally keep the lyrics as basic as possible. An AI Lyric Generator can be a helpful tool for experimenting with both simple and complex verse ideas.”

Choose A Melody

The majority of children’s songs are written with the main melody, and it makes little difference which one you choose as an adult. Experiment with your instruments to find a melodic phrase or two to utilize in your song.

A melodic phrase can be both a verse and a chorus. Keep your sentences as basic and catchy as possible so that they can quickly become lodged in a child’s mind. Your song’s chorus must be the most straightforward.

Build The Chorus

The chorus is the most significant portion of a children’s song. It’s generally something simple to memorize, sing, and occasionally dance to. The repetitive nature of the chorus also makes it more catchy and helps it get stuck in your head, as heard on the most popular modern kids songs. The more you hear it, the more you like it.

Each verse in a song usually has its lyrics to build off of or contrast with the chorus. They are often written by different people than those who wrote the chorus.

Keep In mind Song’s Purpose

Some believe that music communicates emotions in a way that other art forms cannot achieve. The purpose of a song is for people to listen to it. This includes listening for pleasure, for enjoyment for fun.

Song’s purpose can be different from one listener to another. However, the most common use of songs is fun and entertainment.

Repetition

Children learn by repetition. That is how kids learn to talk, count, and recognize the alphabet letters and words. Repeating the same theme helps kids learn and remember the song.

The song Wheels on the Bus starts with the same verse and ends with the same lines. Use repeated words, melodies, and lyrics to make your music readily recognizable and more interesting for kids. While writing a song for children, try to repeat some words to make your song easy to remember.

Choreography

Children like movement. You will keep their attention if you can persuade them to perform distinct motions and sing along to the music. It is very important to determine the audience’s age; if they are too young, they will have difficulty executing anything.

Instead of movement, ask the youngsters to make noises. Singing, clapping, and snapping are all tools used in music. These actions also seem to excite children.

Many children’s songs are about body parts. The main purpose of such songs is to educate them. Sometimes, artists use music to encourage children to establish healthy habits such as making their beds and cleaning their teeth. If you write one decent song on some of those topics, you may have parents happily singing along.

Record Your Song

If possible, try to engage children in the singing of your song. It’s much better if you can acquire a range of various voices to simulate the vibes of a family sing-along, such as an adult woman, an adult guy, and many youngsters.

You can use a variety of instruments to help your music sound more professional and orchestrate it a little more. If you want to create a polished end product, have your music professionally recorded, mixed, and mastered.

If you are able, have someone record your song and then listen back to it so you can hear the work that still needs to be done.

Conclusion:

There are different ways of writing songs for children and it requires just as much consideration as writing songs for adults. Most importantly, having a great time. Kids simply want to have fun, and you are now an entertainment provider.

The universe of children’s songs is rich with imagination. In reality, choosing a theme for a children’s song is easier than writing an adult song since children’s music does not carry all of the demands of mature music. When sung by adults, it must convey joy and connection; it cannot be too heavy or overly sentimental.

It would also help if you did not only dazzle the children but also appeal to the parents so that they would purchase your songs. Children are not big spenders, but their parents are. Children enjoy music; it’s only a matter of getting their parents to purchase your music.

Read about the top benefits if learning music for kids and adults alike.

Choosing a prep school can be a daunting task. With so many different schools to choose from, how do you know which one is right for your child? In this blog post, we will discuss the top insider tips on what to look for in a prep school.

We will cover everything from academics to campus life! So whether you are just starting your search or you have already narrowed down your options, this blog post is for you!

Look For An Energetic And Positive Team

When you visit a prep school, one of the things you should look for is an energetic and positive team. This includes the administration, faculty, staff, and students. A positive team creates a positive environment, which is essential for learning. If the team seems unhappy or disengaged, that is a red flag.

There are a few ways to tell if the team is right for your child. First, observe how the team interacts with each other. Do they seem respectful and supportive? Or are they rude and dismissive? Second, talk to the team members.

Ask them questions about their experience at the school, are they happy with the administration, faculty, and staff? Do they feel supported in their academic and extracurricular pursuits? Finally, trust your gut. If something feels off, it probably is.

Great Academic Results

Most parents send their kids to private schools in the hope that they’ll get a better education. And while there are many great private schools out there, not all of them are created equal.

When you’re looking for a prep school, it’s important to pay attention to more than just the school’s test scores and college placement rates. In New England for example, a lot of New Hampshire prep schools recommend looking for schools that are members of the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC). This is a group of leading independent schools that have agreed to uphold certain standards, including academic excellence.

Another important factor to consider is the school’s curriculum. Make sure that it offers a broad range of subjects so your child can find their niche. And if your child has any particular interests or talents, look for a school that has programs and extracurricular activities that cater to those interests.

A Safe Learning Environment

When looking for a prep school, it is important to find one that provides a safe learning environment. This means that the school should have security measures in place to protect students and staff. The school should also have policies and procedures in place to prevent and respond to incidents of violence or bullying.

A safe learning environment is important for several reasons. First, it ensures that students are able to learn without fear of violence or bullying. Second, it allows staff to focus on teaching and supporting students without worrying about their safety. Finally, a safe learning environment helps to create a positive and supportive school culture.

Their Onboarding Process

You want to know that the school you’re considering has a great onboarding process. This is especially important if your child is coming from a public school. You want to be sure that they will be able to transition smoothly and that they’ll be able to get all the help they need along the way.

A good prep school will have a dedicated team to help new students and their families make the transition. They’ll be there to answer any questions you have and to help you navigate the process.

A Good Support System

A good support system is key when it comes to choosing a prep school. You want to make sure that the school has a solid support system in place for students, both academically and emotionally. This includes things like a strong guidance counseling program, academic tutoring services, and mental health resources. The last thing you want is for your child to feel alone and unsupported at school.

Mental health is often overlooked when it comes to choosing a prep school, but it’s actually one of the most important factors to consider. A good prep school will have a strong focus on mental health and will offer resources like counseling services, stress management programs, and social-emotional learning opportunities. This is important because it can help your child thrive both academically and emotionally.

A Diverse Community

When choosing a prep school, it’s important to look for a community that is diverse and inclusive. This means a school where students of all backgrounds feel welcome and respected. It’s also important to look for a school with a strong commitment to equity and social justice.

This means a school that is working to close the achievement gap and ensure that all students have the opportunity to succeed. A diverse and inclusive community can be a great asset for your child, both academically and socially.

Choosing the right school for your child is a big decision. There are many factors to consider, but the three that we’ve discussed here are some of the most important. When you’re looking for a prep school, be sure to look for one that has high academic standards, a strong support system, and a commitment to diversity and inclusion. With these factors in mind, you’ll be sure to find a prep school that’s right for your child.

Additional Resources for Advanced Education

5 reasons a charter school could be right for you.