I enjoyed reading this article about tablets for 4-year-olds:
One of the intrinsic problems with tablets and games is that children do not experience much frustration while playing them. Whether they are “educational” or for fun, many games geared toward preschoolers are constantly recalibrating themselves to match the level of the child. This means your sweet 4-year-old will be rewarded whether she is winning or losing. This doesn’t sound problematic — in fact, the brain absolutely loves it — but it can become a huge developmental roadblock. The way we emotionally mature and grow is not through everything coming easily. We grow when we struggle through something hard; the brain learns and adapts, and we move forward. Tablet games do not aid with this growth.
—My friends all give their preschoolers tablets. Should my 4-year-old have one?
Amen to the idea that kids should learn to deal with some frustration, whether or not they have electronic gadgets to play with. Am I alone in thinking we adults/oldsters also thrive with a certain amount of struggle, with not everything coming easily? There were times in my life when things were going too easily and I had to look for new challenges. That doesn’t seem to be the case now, enough challenges seem to come all by themselves! What about you?
I taught young children for years, and I totally agree. Children are smart—they know when things are too easy, and they love it when they can tackle something difficult and succeed!
It gives them confidence, and a lot of kids nowadays are cheated of that — they have trouble dealing with the inevitable problems of life when they grow up.
definitely at times, life is a series of challenging object/s … and sometimes they don’t start out as a challenge, or part way through resolving them, they just stop being a challenge, because something flits across your mind.
The joy is when the creative solution comes. 🙂
I hate to complain and whine about struggles.
I mean, I’ve had many and they seem to continually come but…
I guess the lows make the highs that much higher.
And it makes me stronger.
Just the fact that I can think back and say –
I survived that, I surely can survive this.
But about those tablets…
What kind of person evolves from someone who is always rewarded?
I think we are already seeing the lazy results from the generation who got a prize for just participating.
And I also can’t help think about kids who struggle to survive and don’t even know what a tablet is.
Raising kids like hothouse flowers aren’t doing them any favors. I’m sorry you have too many struggles/challenges, rather than the optimal amount.
It social thing…most game that is.
Coffee is on
Yes.
Seeing the struggle that many young parents are going through raising their children now with all these modern gadgets, I am glad that I don’t have to go through the process and also that Ranjan and Manjiree haven’t had to.
We were lucky that we had the land when Kaitlin was young — we did all sorts of projects together.
Conquering a challenge is the best prize there is. It makes you feel smart and/or strong. Making things too easy for kids robs them of that.
Or taking away their sense of accomplishment like remaking the bed after the child has done that which tells the child his/her effort was not good enough. Don’t do that, parents. Instead, celebrate that the child made the bed which encourages the child to do it again; it will be better done with practice.
I couldn’t agree more.
agree totally!
especially with Cindi and what she said . . . especially in the work place!
” I think we are already seeing the lazy results from the generation who got a prize for just participating. “
It shouldn’t be for just being there, it should be for making a real effort.
that phrase about “generation who got a prize for just participating”…is very interesting.
As you know, I can’t run fast for toffees, but my mother made me go to Twilight Sports in the Summer (down country) – I would never actually win anything from the start line, I would often have a handicap placing and I might get 3rd…but I knew that wasn’t really recorded. Same with long jump, let’s not even get onto shot put or hurdles…
every year, I refused to go to prize giving…as it was never about me, my mother never came either and my friends (well they weren’t friends, kids are competitive and they would tease me)
until the year, I got the “trophy” for most improved child i.e. as you have suggested “participated” – I hadn’t even wanted to go to the prize giving, bu obviously Mother knew (not that she even came that year…)!
You did more than just be there, if that’s what “participating” usually means. In your case competition against other kids wasn’t appropriate.
I agree that a certain amount of struggle and frustration is good for the brain and our well-being and keeps us on our toes. Having it too easy does us no good at all. Twice being made redundant actually had very positive consequences as I had to reconsider what I wanted to do with the rest of my life and I ended up going in a very different direction.
I’m not religious, but I still have a favorite prayer when life throws me a curve ball:
A sense of humor and keeping our eyes out for the opportunities in changes help a lot.