Can Screen Time Boost Your Child’s Creativity? What Every Parent Should Know

Screens and children—indeed a disturbing twosome that gets parents into a tizzy of displeasure and fears. Quite understandable, for three likely reasons:

1. One, you are mostly aware of the impact screens can have on your child’s overall health (because it is happening to you too!).
2. Two, your fears and anxiety are lurking in the back of your mind, feeding your guilt-laden thoughts.
3. Three, you are feeling overwhelmed by the pressure and stress of it all.

Post the pandemic, we are all on screens more than ever. Yes, we are worried about our child’s use of screens. Yes, the onus is on parents to regulate, set the rules, and deal with the ensuing screen time battles with their children.

And you are not alone. But you already know that!

What you may not know is that there exists an excellent antidote that is worth your attention, and it is called Creativity. And it has the potential to take a lot of the fears around screen time right out of you.

Suppose you could stop for a moment and change your present thought, “Screen time is bad for my child”, to “Screen time provides opportunities to bring out my child’s creativity.” Have you ever thought of it before?

Imagine what can happen when you allow Creativity and Opportunity to come together for your child—endless possibilities that are forward-looking, inventive, and imaginative. Not to mention how prepared it could make your child for the digital world of the future.

We do recommend that the tips and suggestions we offer are best for children above eight years of age.

Now let us take a closer look at how screen time presents great opportunities to encourage your child’s creative exploration and expression, and yours too! All it requires is for you to see the limitless possibilities of how screen time can support imaginative thinking.

Your child, the Champ

Do you insist on only ‘educational’ digital content as being worthy of your child’s attention and interests? Well, you might want to think again, and here is why. Exposure to educational content and nothing else squeezes the fun, joy, and inspiration out of curiosity and exploration, till there is nothing left except frustration and inertia in your child. Being usefully engaged is not just about schoolwork and homework, and studies. Opportunities for creativity online abound. It is all about discovery, curiosity, and exploration of anything that interests your child.

Your child is a natural champion at engaging in creative exploration, provided you let them take the lead, you follow their interests, and are willing to learn from them. So, do think twice about the rigid rules that could destroy your child’s innate appetite for imagination and self-expression.

Your child could well be learning to play a musical instrument, composing a song along with friends, listening to a serious podcast, attending a virtual book reading session, or learning good manners and etiquette from characters in an animated video. The possibilities are endless when opportunity meets creativity.

Ten-year-old Kayaan has been learning to play the piano for two years. His music teacher had explained to him how music is arranged in patterns. Once, while working on math sums in school, he struggled to complete the sums. His teacher helped him see the series of problem-solving steps as patterns. In a flash, Kayaan was reminded of the word ‘patterns’ as explained by his piano teacher. The memory of patterns in music helped Kayaan relate to the concept his maths teacher was trying to explain to him. “Now I understand!” thought Kayaan, and his fingers began to play a tune on imaginary piano keys on his desk.

Your child, the Learner

It's the amount of screen time that worries you, isn’t it? What if you were to shift your attention from ‘how much time’ to ‘what content’ your child is engaging with? Instead of berating screen time, you could first ask to see what they are viewing and start a conversation about what is so interesting about it. Giving your child a chance to explain themself helps you reserve your judgement for later.

Twelve-year-old Arjun was busy on his smartphone and did not hear his dad call out to him. Annoyed, Arjun’s dad said to him, “How many times are you going to see those matches again and again. What a waste of time.” Handing his phone over to his dad, Arjun explained that he was checking out statistics about the IPL cricket tournament, and then went on to describe his complex statistical analysis of the game, much to his dad’s amazement. “I had no idea you were interested in numbers and statistics”, said Arjun’s dad. “Could you show me how all this number crunching works?” Arjun’s eyes lit up, and a smile spread across his face. “Wow,” he thought. “Dad wants me to teach him. How cool is that!” 

Your child, the Analyzer

Worried about your child’s thinking skills becoming dull and foggy? Get them to create a new climax in a movie or a tele-serial they are hooked on. Ask them to do a critical analysis of the storyline of a movie, or of an approach the director has used in a movie, or to think of ways to improve a game show. Let them become a critic of the way news is reported on television, and how they would handle it differently. Or they could mute the audio and give a running commentary on a sporting event. Although their analysis of things may seem flawed to you, remember that their thinking skills are being honed to find creative solutions to complex problems.

Thirteen-year-old Subhash and his eleven-year-old sister Sunita had just begun to enjoy their favorite tele-serial one evening when there was a sudden power shutdown. Their restlessness grew as their screen time was coming to an end. Thoroughly disappointed at missing the episode, their mother said, “I have an idea. How about you create your own story in this episode? During your next screen time, you can view the episode and compare your version of the story with the screen story.” The siblings discussed, argued, and then decided to create their own story. As each told their story, the siblings were allowed to question and become curious about the details of the story.

Your child, the Creator

Are you stuck for ideas on how to support your child’s creativity? Thanks to technology, a wide range of creative tools and materials are available – apps, easy-to-handle software, and communities for like-minded people.  Your child may want to explore these media to gain more knowledge or to discover where their core interests lie; to gain mastery in a chosen area of interest, or to collaborate on projects with people of similar interests.

The creative fields have so much to offer

• For the ‘word smart’ child - Vlogging, blogging, debating, storytelling, and creative writing
• For the ‘picture smart’ child - Painting, designing, multi-media, and photography
• For the ‘music smart’ child: Writing songs, creating tunes, or playing a musical instrument
• For the ‘number smart’ child: Number games and number puzzles
• For the ‘body smart’ child: Dance, martial arts, and fitness
• For the ‘nature smart’ child: Gardening, zoo-keeping, and forestry
• For the ‘self-smart’ child: Soft skills, personality development
• For the ‘people smart’ child: Volunteering, group activities, and social service

Don’t you feel good when your child engages in valuable pursuits?  Would you really want to impose strict time limits that curb your child’s creative exploration? Quite unlikely, though you would rightly want to ensure that your child has regular sleep habits, helps with chores, and attends to schoolwork with a fair share of time and effort.

Eight-year-old Shakina’s mother heard faint strains of music as she approached the bedroom. Peeping in, she caught sight of Shamina singing a song she had never heard before. “It’s a pretty tune,” she thought to herself. “Where did you learn that song?” she asked. “Amma, I made it up myself. There's this App that shows us how to make up tunes on the piano. And so, I made up my own song. Do you like it?” Shamina’s mother felt a twinge of guilt within. “So that’s how she spends time on the phone!” she thought to herself. Shamina swelled with pride on hearing her mother say, “I see you like to compose songs. Will you sing it once more for me?”

Your child, the Activist

Would you like your child to grow into a caring human being, to stand up for justice, and speak up for herself? Then watch what they are watching on screens. Although you may not always appreciate what you see, use the characters and events as a springboard to talk about equality, gender bias, inclusion, and diversity, and to explain family values. “What do you think about the way the immigrants are being treated in the movie?” is one way of starting a conversation. And if you dislike the videos she watches or the games they play, explain your reasons in a straightforward manner. “I don’t think you are ready to understand some of the things that happen in this video. Perhaps when you are older. I am responsible for guiding you. I am comfortable with the other videos you watch.”  Do not expect them to give up easily, but at least you would have taken a firm stand.

Fourteen-year-old Tanya’s dad was worried that his daughter was logging into her internet account every day at the same time for the past week. Suspicions turned into fear. Upon checking her activity on the computer, he was stunned to find that Tanya was part of an environmental group that discussed issues on the conservation of forests and wild animals. He began to recall his daughter’s questions on forests and wildlife, which he had hitherto ignored or paid little attention to. Tanya’s dad was grateful that she had at least found a group that supported her interests, and that he, too, must begin to support his daughter’s interests.

Your child, the Organizer

Are you alarmed by the information explosion your child is exposed to? You have every reason to feel so. But what if you could direct your child’s innate curiosity towards building their executive skills— taking in relevant information, planning, organizing, coordinating multiple tasks?

You don't need to go far. Your home is a great place to start.

Get your child to plan a family holiday, a dinner party, or a festival celebration. Focused research on the internet can stimulate creative thought, teach your child to adapt ideas, to work within a budget, and to improvise using available resources. Efficiency and effectiveness—what more could you ask for!

How about encouraging your child with these ideas:

• Write a blog or create a photo collage of a family event they helped organize,  or sketch memorable scenes, draw cartoons, or make a video of behind-the-scenes bloopers that add a comical flavour to the event, using digital tools, and learning ‘how tos’ from videos.

Nine-year-old Bharani’s parents, annoyed with him for nagging them for a vacation, hit upon a plan. They asked Bharani to prepare a plan for a weekend trip, sure that his enthusiastic response to the challenge would be short-lived. But they were more than surprised when a few days later, Bharani presented a plan that showed the serious effort he had put into it. Bharani had called up his friends to ask about their holiday experiences and decided which of their experiences appealed to him. Then he browsed the internet for weekend getaways and the costs they would incur. He showed his parents pictures of a few locations, details of boarding and lodging, and on his own accord, discovered two routes to reach a destination he favoured. One was scenic and leisurely, the other less scenic, with a shorter time for travel. Impressed with their son’s efforts and realizing the abilities he had displayed, Bharani’s dad spent time showing his son how to make a budget for the trip. Together, they returned to the internet so that his dad could talk to people in a travel community Bharani had discovered but could not have access to as a minor.

So, there you have it. All the good reasons for your child to spend useful and purposeful time on screens. Besides, allowing your child to mine the benefits of the digital world will help you raise a successful digital citizen. All you need to do is acknowledge the endless possibilities of viewing screens, build a positive attitude towards screen time, and help your child build resilience and skills to handle those risks.

Above all, do make sure that your child is equally engaged in offline activities around family, friends, studies, hobbies, and interests. It’s the surest way to keep your child connected to the real world.

We do hope we have helped to allay your fears about screen time, and that you are open to exploring the opportunities screens offer in bringing out your child’s creative expression, and yours too!

And don't forget to embrace the joy of a screen-free day with our exciting activities.