How to Balance Screen Time

This post is sponsored by Explore, Discover and Grow in partnership with Forward Influence. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

In a perfect world, screen time would be used only in ways that helped kids grow and develop. The reality for today’s kids, though, is most of them probably spend way too much time in front of a screen and the time they do spend is often mostly for entertainment value. I’m guilty of letting my kids have too much screen time to, but the reality is, screen time is often used to excess. A former member of the Wiggles, Greg Page, is leading a revival of children’s educational television with Explore, Discover and Grow – a series of 104, ten-minute videos released directly to subscribers twice a week. Designed to create a more balanced approach to education vs. entertainment in media for kids, this program is one that both kids and parents will love. 

As parents today, we are raising kids in an environment that is very different from the one we grew up in. We didn’t have a computer in my house until I was 12 years old and didn’t have the internet until I was 14.

I know. My kids are SHOCKED by that.

Excessive screen time wasn’t a challenge because we just didn’t have them. When we finally had screen time as an option it didn’t do enough to hold my attention for long.

Screen time today is very different from the screen time we knew as kids. 

It draws kids in and makes it hard for them to set them aside. There are some great educational games and shows, but they primarily focus on entertainment.

As a work at home mom with 6 kids, I’ll admit that I have definitely taken full advantage of the entertainment factor of screen time. Sometimes you just do what you have to do to get things done.

As a mom, though, I want to make sure my kids are spending their time doing things that help them learn and develop into the people that I Know they can be.

That’s where Explore, Discover and Grow comes in.

Did you know less than 1 in 8 children’s TV programs is considered educational? Of the programs that are considered educational, they generally follow a model that results in about 80% entertainment and 20% education. 

Greg Page is working to change that by creating a 50-50 balance between educational content and entertainment in Explore, Discover and Grow.

We had the chance to chat with Greg Page about what inspired him to create Explore, Discover, and Grow. He said:

“Explore, Discover and Grow has been inspired by my understanding of how children learn through media, and observing that today, there is so much media available for children to watch that really underperforms in terms of what it can do to help children on a pathway to development.  Media can be used to engage the child on multiple levels, but these days, I observe a lot of children simply sitting down and watching TV or “swiping”, or making other gestures to select the content they wish to watch. Explore, Discover and Grow is a program that will have children physically AND mentally active which is perfect for developing the brain of a child that is 3-4 years old.  Developing the brain of a child in this way really makes learning faster, and more memorable so children are active thinkers!”

I tested Explore, Discover and Grow out on my kids to see how they liked it and they’ve been requesting it every time I turn the TV.

They love the music and the interactive activities. Watching is an active experience for them because they are up, following directions, and responding to the TV. One of my twins even ran to grab her toy tambourine when she saw Greg using one.

As soon as they hear the theme song play they come running so I know that they’ve enjoyed it and it is so much fun to see them learning at the same time

If this sounds like something your kids would love too, Greg Page is running a crowdfunding campaign right now. His goal is to help create some balance into the screen time diet of preschoolers with fun, engaging and educational content, designed to teach the whole child. Learn more about how you can contribute and receive a 50% discount on the entire series.