Save Your Kids From Virtual World

5 year old kid : (Crying) Waaaaaaaaah!
Grandpa : (Switches the TV on) Hey baby…look here! Watch this!

10 year old boy : Amma, What is a Solar Eclipse?
Amma : Don’t disturb me…Go and play with your Tab!
Appa : Where is my mobile? Hey look at this good morning message in my WhatsApp group…

*half an hour later*

Amma : Why such low marks? Get your report card signed by your dad…
10 year old boy : Many have scored less than me, Ma…
Dad : Hey, get me the newspaper…
10 year old boy : Wow…Chapter close…
Dad : Hey…I’m asking you only…
10 year old boy : Wait Appa…Very serious moment in my video game…

Are you wondering where this happened? What is the meaning of this scene?
This is a normal morning scene in many of the houses today. Most of the kids in the age group 7 to 11 are being fully occupied by electronic gadgets and wandering in their own virtual world. This is so scary. They lack physical activities and as a consequence face many developmental and physical issues, like obesity.

Negative impact of  the virtual world:

• Kids get violent and vulnerable.
• Lack in facing and solving the problems of life.
• Not being able to recover from failure.
• Develops negative thinking.
• Attention deficient and getting stressed.
• Poor performance.
• Engage themselves in blame game.
• Lack of competence.
• Disrespecting older people.
• Lack of reading.

Tips for saving your kids from virtual world:

1. Daily 40 minutes

Based on the age of your kids, make them spend 40 minutes doing some activity they are interested in. Be with them. Help them. Teach them that being really happy is more important than the achievements in video games or virtual contests. Encourage them to play with their friends. My son reads the newspaper in the morning for 15 minutes every day and attends cricket coaching classes for 1 hour in the evening. I strongly believe personal excellence is as important as academic excellence.

2. Be a Role Model

Kids learn from their parents. So be cautious in your words and actions. Schedule some Happy Hours, Screen Free Days, Weekly Family Reading Time, Monthly Gratitude Discussion and be creative. Join a new course with your kid. Engage them in small family chores. Encourage them to spend time with Mother Nature.

3. Appreciate More, Appreciate Often

In the depths of their heart, everyone loves appreciation. So appreciate your kids more and often for even little deeds. This provides them the fuel to achieve greater things in the future. Celebrate their successes. Showcase their works. Share the joy of their accomplishments. Ask them to participate in school contests.

4. Spend Quality Time

Be all ears when your children tell you stories. Play with them. Sing with them. Encourage them to spend time with their grandparents to learn life from their experiences. Get into the beautiful world of kids. Tell them bedtime stories. Gift them books. Help them develop a reading habit. Build their vocabulary. Get them to accompany you when you cook. Any kind of time spent together is quality time.

What are your suggestions to save our kids from the virtual world? Do add to the list by commenting below!

I am Vasantha Vivek. I am a happy woman, daughter, sister, wife, mother, teacher, friend, mentor, seeker and lover. I am a teacher by profession. I was a professor at an Engineering College for nearly 15 years. I learnt a lot as a teacher and hope I have inspired some hearts during this period. Teaching is my passion, reading is my love, cooking is my heart. I enjoy reading and writing very much, so much so that I start & end my days with reading. Now I have started writing also. I blog my sweet nothings athttps://vivekvasantha.wordpress.com/