TOPIC 06PRACTICAL MONTESSORI PARENT INSIGHT
Screen Time
The better question may not be “How much screen time?” Parents often ask for the perfect number (Twenty minutes? Thirty? One hour?).
But the clock alone doesn't tell us what a screen is replacing: Is your child sleeping well? Moving enough? Talking with people? Playing independently? Exploring outdoors? Looking at books? Helping around the house? Creating things? Being bored occasionally? These experiences matter too.
The Montessori perspective encourages us to look closely at real-world engagement. Young children learn through their hands, bodies, senses, relationships and interactions with their environment.
Therefore, reducing screen use doesn't have to begin with a dramatic ban. It can begin by making real life more interesting and accessible.
- •Keep books within reach.
- •Give children something real to do.
- •Invite them into cooking.
- •Go outside.
- •Let them help wash the car.
- •Give them time to play without an adult directing every minute.
A useful family habit: Instead of reaching for a screen automatically whenever your child says “I'm bored.” try: “That's okay. You don't have to know what to do immediately.” Boredom isn't always something that needs fixing. Sometimes, it is the doorway to imagination.
