Although video games have been around for decades, the landscape has dramatically changed from when we played Super Mario Brothers in the basement.  Today, video games are not only played on gaming consoles, but they are played on PCs, laptops, touchscreen tablets, and mobile devices.

With more devices and games to choose from than ever before, the global video game market has exploded to an estimated $217.06 billion in 2022. So, not only is gaming access and popularity increasing, but so is connectivity. Most video games now require an internet connection, further exposing children to some of the dangers of gaming, such as cyberbullying and predatory in-app purchases.

But it’s not simply these types of threats that parents should be concerned about; parents should also be worried about how spending too much time playing video games can affect a child’s physical and mental health, social behavior, and cognitive development. There is a distinct line between healthy and unhealthy gaming.

As parents, let’s take a closer look at the hidden dangers of video games, including the consequences of excessive consumption, and offer some healthy alternatives that can entertain while better fostering your child’s development.

Potential Threats Commonly Found in Kid-friendly Games and Apps

There are many threats found in kid-friendly games and apps that are hard to prevent your child from being exposed to. To make matters even worse, all of this is pretty much impossible to avoid nowadays.

However, the best thing you can do is educate yourself and your child about the dangers and provide a safe space for them to come to you and talk to you about anything. Open communication is critical.

At the same time, you should also know every game and app that your child uses and explore if they have parental controls that you can use.

For example, Roblox, one of the most popular games for children worldwide, has a feature where parents can limit and monitor who their child is playing and communicating with on the platform and several online privacy settings you can enable.

Many games and apps have similar features for parents, so be sure to conduct research before allowing your child to play a new game. Don’t be afraid to write an email to the developers themselves, either!

So, without further ado, let’s break down some of the most common threats children face when using online games and apps.

Cyberbullying/Online Predators

Cyberbullies and online predators are a constant threat that not only come from online gaming but also from social media. Although trying to keep your children safe from cyberbullying and online predators is a monumental task, you should know the red flags that indicate your child is being bullied online.

From mood swings and bouts of depression and anxiety to loss of sleep, lack of appetite, and withdrawal from family and friends, many emotional symptoms and behavioral changes could be clues that your child is being bullied.

When it comes to online predators, you must have consistent conversations with your children about not sharing personal information with strangers online and the dangers of “meeting up” with someone you only met through an online game or social media. Sometimes, people may not be who they say they are; instead, they have harmful intentions.

Hidden Fees/In-app Purchases

Hidden fees and in-app microtransactions are some of the biggest scams to hit video games and apps. From paying for virtual currencies, weaponry, and special abilities to eliminating in-game advertisements, video games have become incredibly creative about how they trick children into spending money.

Never attach a credit card to your child’s gaming profile, and if your child is using your smartphone or tablet to play games and use apps through Apple or Google Play, make sure you password-protect all purchases and switch off “in-app updates.”

If you want to educate your child about responsible spending, you can create an online-only debit card and put a part of their allowance in it, just to see how it feels spending their own money.

Malware

Sometimes, cybercriminals can modify popular and legitimate apps with malware and upload them to Google Play or Apple without being detected. These apps then install Trojans, adware, and spyware on your devices without you knowing.

Ensure you approve all of the games and apps your child would like to download before they do. Password-protect downloads if you have to. Also, pay attention to recent reviews and news stories about recently discovered breaches, and teach your child how to recognize scams and illegitimate apps. It’s an excuse for you to up your tech knowledge, too!

Links to external malicious sites

Another major threat from online games and apps, especially those that involve multi-player gameplay, is messages containing links to external malicious sites that can download malware and other harmful files.

The best way to prevent this is to teach your kids about internet safety from an early age, including the importance of never clicking on suspicious links and other common-sense safety rules about being online.

Adverse effects of excessive gaming and screen time

Again, there is a significant difference between healthy and unhealthy gaming. Extreme gaming for a child could be considered any amount that disrupts their normal daily functioning.

For instance, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), recommends no more than 2-5 hours of screen time, with only 1 hour being devoted to non-educational activities.

Also, excessive gaming and screen time have been linked to these adverse side effects.

• Physical: obesity, insomnia, neck and back problems, and eye strain.
• Mental: impulsive actions, behavioral problems, prone to violence, anxiety, and depression.
• Emotional: mood swings, withdrawal from friends, family, and school, and stunted emotional growth

Again, it is impossible to eliminate all screen time. Between school work and entertainment, your child will be in front of a screen, using apps and playing games almost daily.

Just be mindful of how much time they spend in front of a screen and try to facilitate and encourage healthy alternatives that your child can enjoy.

Healthy Alternatives to Video Games and Screen Time

While the digital realm is often filled with addictive and predatory content, the real world offers a plethora of educational and safe alternatives. Engaging in physical, creative endeavors enhances a child’s motor skills and nurtures their imaginative capabilities.

Here are some everyday physical and creative activities outside the digital realm that can help your child’s mental, physical, emotional, and social development.

Art Projects

Suitable art activities can significantly contribute to a child’s development by allowing them to express themselves in a wholesome and unrestrictive environment. Parents may find that by swapping screen time with time spent on crafting, drawing, or painting; children are more likely to develop essential skills such as problem-solving, creativity, and even social abilities when working on group art projects.

Moreover, the absence of hidden digital threats ensures a safer, enriching experience. By replacing a portion of digital playtime with artistic pursuits, parents can provide a balanced, risk-free entertainment diet for their young ones.

Sports

There have been many studies about the benefits of sports for children. Sports offer a healthy alternative to screen time that can help build their coordination and balance as well as their bones, muscles, and ligaments. Kids who play sports also reduce their risk of obesity and are more likely to learn healthy physical habits that they carry into adulthood. Other benefits include improved sleep, greater concentration, and increased social skills.

Educational Travel/Field Trips

Educational travel and field trips are another great source of entertainment that keeps kids learning. Museums, art galleries, national parks, monuments, historical sites, and the theater entertain a child’s imagination and curiosity while contributing to healthy development.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is online games and apps are fun to play and a good source of entertainment. We are not trying to say that all online gaming is inherently evil and detrimental to children; we are saying that it is essential that you and your child are aware of all the potential risks, and that you know how to mitigate them.

At the same time, it is not just cybersecurity and social threats that should concern every parent; it’s online safety as a whole we need to focus on. That is why, besides educating children about online threats, we also need to limit the time they spend in front of a screen and provide them with healthy alternatives that entertain and foster healthy and enriching development.

About the Author:
Ryan Harris is a copywriter focused on eLearning and the digital transitions going on in the education realm. Before turning to writing full time, Ryan worked for five years as a teacher in Tulsa and then spent six years overseeing product development at many successful Edtech companies, including 2U, EPAM, and NovoEd.

Mathematics and Creativity. They operate in two different worlds, right? Or are we missing out on something dynamic where these distinct threads more intertwined than we think? Is it possible they are a powerful fusion a logic and imagination? Are they potentially a modern merging of precision and ingenuity?

Here are explore an idea that the intersection of mathematics and creativity in school curricula is more than just a harmonious blend. Together, they can be a catalyst for innovative thinking and problem-solving skills.

By integrating creative approaches within the framework of mathematics in education, schools can nurture young minds to explore, question, and innovate. In tern, students are empowered to transcend conventional boundaries of numerical calculations.

Join us as we explore the symbiotic relationship between mathematics and creativity. On our journey we’ll also highlight the strategies and benefits of incorporating critical reasoning into school math curricula.

Shifting Paradigms: Mathematics Beyond Numbers

Traditionally, mathematics has been taught as a set of rules, formulas, and algorithms to be learned, memorized, and applied. The modern approach, however, recognizes mathematics as a dynamic, creative endeavor that involves exploration and discovery. Schools are increasingly emphasizing problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity within math classrooms.

Creative math tasks challenge students to devise unconventional solutions.  They encourage them to think beyond the obvious and explore diverse pathways. By integrating creativity into mathematical challenges, students are inspired to view math as an art of possibilities. This can greatly enhance their enthusiasm for the subject.

In this educational landscape, the Math Problem Solver app emerges as a valuable helper, complementing the modern approach by empowering students to explore creative strategies that lead to positive outcomes.  It also provides them with instant assistance and reinforces the idea that mathematics is not just a subject of rules, but a realm of boundless creative exploration in the quest to find answers.

Visualizing Mathematical Concepts: The Artistry of Numbers

Visualization is a powerful tool that bridges mathematics and creativity. Geometric shapes, patterns, and graphs offer a canvas for artistic expression within the realm of mathematics. Visual representations not only enhance understanding but also stimulate creative thinking.

Schools can introduce activities where students create visual representations of mathematical concepts. This transforms abstract ideas into tangible artworks. It’s an approach not only nurtures creativity but also heightens interest while deepenings a students’ comprehension of mathematical relationships.

Virtualization of ridged calculations offers students an intellectually stimulating experience that engages the mind.

Problem-Based Learning: Nurturing Inquisitive Minds

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a pedagogical approach that places students at the center of their learning experience. By presenting real-world problems or open-ended mathematical challenges, PBL encourages students to explore, analyze, and devise solutions collaboratively.

These problems often lack a straightforward answer, prompting students to apply creativity, critical thinking, and teamwork to unravel them.

Through PBL, schools foster a culture of inquiry, where students learn to question assumptions.  This gives them permission to consider multiple perspectives and devise pioneering strategies.  It’s a skill set  that is much needed for future leaders.

Incorporating Creative Technologies: Interactive Learning Experiences

In an educational environment where many students struggle to understand math, creative technologies offer a plethora of interactive learning experiences that merge mathematics and creativity seamlessly. Educational apps, simulations, and virtual reality platforms enable students to engage with mathematical concepts in creative ways. It immerses students in an exciting new way of learning.

Schools can integrate these technologies into their curricula, allowing students to:

Explore mathematical phenomena in virtual environments.

Visualize complex equations.

Experiment with mathematical principles interactively.

By gamifying math education, these technologies transform learning into a dynamic, playful experience, sparking curiosity and encouraging creative resolutions.

Cultivating Mathematical Creativity: Encouraging Diverse Approaches

Creativity in mathematics goes beyond finding advanced solutions.  It also encompasses diverse approaches to problem-solving. Schools can celebrate different thinking styles and mathematical perspectives, encouraging students to explore unconventional methods.

Creative brainstorming sessions give students a space to share and discuss their unique approaches to solving math problems.  This creates a vibrant learning environment.

By acknowledging and appreciating diverse strategies, schools foster a sense of inclusivity.  It empowers students to embrace their individual creative voices in the realm of mathematics.

The Practical Benefits: Creative Problem-Solving in the Real World

Beyond the confines of classrooms, the marriage between mathematics and creativity equips students with invaluable skills for the real world. Inventive ideas and creative problem-solving are fundamental attributes in various professional fields, from engineering and technology to entrepreneurship and scientific research.

By nurturing these skills within math education, schools prepare students to tackle real-world challenges with confidence and ingenuity.

Creative problem-solving becomes a transferable skill. Individuals will learn to devise imaginative solutions to complex, multifaceted problems in their future careers.

Conclusion: Nurturing the Innovators of Tomorrow

In the 21st century, innovation is the heartbeat of progress.  Therefore, mathematics education must evolve to nurture future thinkers, and problem solvers. By embracing creativity within the math curriculum, schools provide students with more than fundamental numerical proficiency.

Students cultivate resilient, inquisitive minds capable of envisioning, questioning, and inventing. Mathematics and creativity, once perceived as distinct entities, now stand united. Together, they guide students on a transformative journey where inspiration and logic harmonize.

As schools embrace this symbiotic relationship, they pave the way for future generations. Creating a world where mathematical prowess is not bound by rules but propelled by creativity—an unstoppable force driving learning toward new horizons of discovery and possibility.

Pets offer delight and companionship to children. As kids grow up with pets such as dogs and cats, they learn to love, be responsible and empathetic towards others. But getting the right pet for your kids can also be challenging. Just like buying toys, you must consider what pet is right for them, the correct size, and the number of pets they should have.

Cats and dogs are the most adopted pets for many families. However, other small pets have similar benefits and offer more convenience to the family. They also allow families to evaluate is their family is ready for a larger pet.

Taking small animals such as fish and chinchillas as pets provides the best bonding opportunities with your kids. And they have the following benefits:

1. Improve Physical Wellbeing

Small pets encourage you to have an active lifestyle. A study on children between ages two to five showed that children who had dogs had increased physical activities compared to those without.

The same case can be applied to children with smaller pets, such as chinchillas. They are very active creatures and therefore require plenty of exercise. Additionally, encouraging children to clean up after their pets also serves as physical exercise.

Research shows that living with pets can increase immunity in young children. Pets bring dirt to the home and kids interact with them, which helps build immunity against allergic reactions and bacteria.

2. Provide a Sense of Responsibility

Taking care of small pets can help build a sense of responsibility and compassion in children. Small pets can be vulnerable and may require extra care. Kids learn skills such as providing their pets with food, cleaning after them, and bathing them. This helps them to learn to be more responsible with their lives such as cleaning and organizing their rooms.

Additionally, adopted pets often experience a feeling of neglect and abandonment. By taking care of and showing the pets some love, kids will learn empathy. Subsequently, they’ll learn how to interact with others such as kids at school or their siblings. They’ll be more aware of other people’s emotions and how to form bonds with others.

3. Help With Stress Relief

As mentioned earlier, pets are amazing companions. So, pet therapy is becoming popular and an option for many kids to help them manage anxiety, stress and boost moods. When they interact with loving pets by patting or stroking them, the body will release endorphins which are hormones that help alleviate pain and boost your moods.

Additionally, pets can provide love and emotional support for kids going through tough times. For example, during divorce or the death of a loved one, kids can feel lonely and isolated emotionally. But with pets, they can feel accepted and loved.

4. Pets Can Build Self Esteem

Small pets help to foster a child’s self-esteem and confidence. When children accomplish tasks, such as feeding and bathing their pets, they get a sense of achievement. This will boost their confidence and the nature of their abilities to take on and complete tasks. Moreover, when caring for small pets, they feel like dependable and capable individuals.

Pets don’t criticize kids like teachers, parents, or siblings. Instead, it creates consistent companionship for the kid. This can create a feeling of unconditional love and acceptance. The relationship can also fortify a child’s self-worth.

5. Pets Encourage Nurturing

Nurturing is a quality developed from a young age. Kids can learn how to take care of and nurture others from a very young age by caring for their small pets. Being caregivers to pets plants the seed of good parenting early enough during childhood and this helps the kid grow to be more responsible human beings.

This ability isn’t limited to pets and animals but will go into caring for their siblings. Additionally, if they choose to be parents or guardians, they’ll have the caregiving skills and nurturing ability to care for and protect their young ones.

6. Teach The Value of Life

Pets introduce kids to the concept of life cycle in a realistic way. Small pets often have a shorter life cycle than large animals and this helps kids understand concepts such as birth, growth, maturity, and death. These concepts help children grasp the nature of life and appreciate each moment they have with their pets.

Additionally, small pets require gentle handling and care because of their small size and fragile nature. This can teach the importance of kindness and caution in their actions. The realization translates to a deeper understanding of kindness and empathy towards living things.

Conclusion

Adopting small pets for your kids is a very important step in a child’s growth. It helps them to develop physically, boosts their emotional well-being, and understand the aspects of life such as growth and maturity. Small pets have many benefits just like other larger pets and can offer convenience to the family in terms of space. Therefore, you should consider getting one for your kid.

The idea of measuring out and mixing baking ingredients with your kids may sound stressful. However, when prepared and done correctly, baking provides many opportunities for children to express their creativity and develop various skills.

Your child can practise and improve their motor function, coordination, and strength, from pouring liquids to kneading dough. It can also help them increase their attention as they concentrate on measuring, counting, and following directions.

The ways baking can benefit your kids are countless. But how do you make it less stressful, more enjoyable, and accident-free? A bit of structure can help ensure kitchen safety and make the baking experience with children more delightful. To help you get started, we compiled the following tips for creating a fun and safe baking experience with kids.

1. Use Child-Friendly Baking Tools and Supplies

Involving your children in the kitchen at an early age helps them acquire valuable skills. But it’s always essential to prioritise safety when bringing little ones into the kitchen. Sharp instruments like knives, forks, and scissors can pose risks to children.

So, before you start a baking session, set up the kitchen for your kid’s safety. Secure any loose cords to keep them from accidentally yanking small appliances off the counter. Keep dangerous items out of their reach to avoid accidents.

Investing in child-friendly baking tools and supplies is also a good idea. Many kid-friendly choppers, whisks, dough cutters, and other culinary instruments are available. You can explore My Happy Helpers’ selection of kids’ baking sets for a starter.

Such tools are specifically designed for little hands. By providing children with their tools, you can reduce the risks of accidents and make them feel comfortable in the kitchen. It’s a great way to get your children involved happily and safely in your baking session.

2. Educate Kids About Kitchen Safety

Educating your kids about kitchen safety is essential as well. Besides locking away sharp tools and other hazardous items, set some kitchen rules with your children and explain the importance of following them. Here are a few safety reminders to begin with:

• Never start baking or cooking without adult supervision.
• Fasten long hair and wear an apron.
• Always ask permission before handling anything hot.
• Wash hands often using soap and water.
• Avoid making cookie dough or batter with raw eggs or flour.
• Never place your fingers on mixer blades.
• Use only food-safe plastic trays.
• Clear up spills right away.
• Always clean up after finishing baking or cooking.

3. Match Baking Task With Your Kid’s Age

Not all baking activities are appropriate for all children. Most of them may not yet have the physical skills to handle all the tasks required in baking. Hence, matching the baking activity with your kid’s age and cooking skills is crucial.

Remember that kids don’t have to do it on their own right away. It’s worth noting that complex tasks can cause them frustration, and too easy ones may lead to boredom. You can begin with the easier ones and allow them to progress to more complex baking tasks as they grow and learn.

For instance, pouring pre-measured ingredients into a mixing bowl, rolling cooking dough, or decorating cookies are a few ways to involve kids ages 2-4 in baking. Then, you can give them more baking responsibilities as they enter the ages of 5-7.

With your help, you can let them mix some ingredients using the hand-held electric mixer or cut out cookie shapes from the rolled dough. Giving your kids age-appropriate tasks will help establish their lifelong passion for baking and cooking while ensuring their safety and growth.

4. Select Kid-Friendly Baking Recipes

Setting realistic expectations is key in achieving success when baking with your kids. That starts with selecting baking recipes that are easy and kid-friendly. Of course, it also depends on the specific age of your children.

Baking simple goods like thumbprint cookies may be fascinating for toddlers. You can allow them to mix ingredients like chocolate chips or sprinkles. Simple batter recipes, such as muffins, quick bread, and brownies, can also provide young children to measure and mix ingredients. Meanwhile, older kids may find complex baking recipes more enjoyable.

When choosing a baking recipe, ensure that it will give your kids a sense of helping you. If baking is a new activity for them, make it simple enough for their age and abilities so they can easily participate and understand the process. It’s also wise to pick a recipe that uses familiar ingredients and basic techniques.

5. Make the Baking Activity Lighthearted and Fun

Prioritising safety is vital when baking with your kids. But don’t forget to make the activity lighthearted and fun. Put on some music or share fun stories related to your recipe. Children will continue learning to bake if they find the activity exciting and fun.

Conclusion

When baking with little ones, embracing the mess and letting go of your idea of perfection is essential. Your patience is necessary when doing this activity with your kids. If they accidentally drop an egg on the floor, let them know it’s perfectly fine and part of the learning process. Trying not to get upset at little mistakes will make the whole experience enjoyable for both of you.

Top Feature Photo by Olivia Oliver Design