3 Ways to Make the Most of Your Kids Screen Time
Kids today are constantly exposed to screens. How do you navigate this as a parent?
As a parent you already know what every kids loves to do…
Watch an iPad; or any technology with a screen for that matter. That’s because kids today have grown up with screens all around them. Kids could fixate on technology for hours. But limits are important, and being intentional viewing content that teaches principles from the Bible can make screen time a little more redeeming.
Here are three suggestions on how to use screen time to talk to your kids about Jesus.
1. Watch and discuss Bible content from your church or other churches.
Jubilee has worked hard to provide quality in person JKids curriculum for kids every Sunday but during the week you can watch bible stories on Youtube. Maybe your kids just likes music and wants to listen to some great worship music. Go the extra mile, ask your kids questions to help them understand the meaning of the content they viewed and how it relates to Jesus.
2. Find quality Bible content from other sources.
Minno Kids is a great option that offers “What’s in the Bible?” and other resources for families for a monthly fee. Even Prime Video has Bible programming like Superbook.
Not all Bible content is created equal. Be sure to ask yourself who is the center of the story. If the hero is the character (David, for example), you may have to talk to your children more explicitly about how God used David but the real hero of the story is God. It’s always good to watch an episode first to see the way the show frames its theology and how much you’ll need to “coach” your kids through the episode to see the main point of the Bible story.
3. Watch and discuss almost any show.
What if someone told you almost any show your children watched could be used to help them understand gospel themes? It’s true. Sure, there are kids shows out there that we really don’t want our children to watch because they annoy us or aren’t our favorites. Realistically though, we can view almost anything that’s written for kids to help our own children identify how it relates to our Christian worldview.
Watching a show where two characters are in conflict? Ask your children why you think the characters can’t get along. Remind them we are all sinners who need Jesus (even the Ninjago guys). Remind them that we can pray and ask for forgiveness when we get into fights too. Watching the Trolls World Tour? You can talk to your children about how God didn’t mean for us all to be the same. Our diversity makes us great and it’s that way because God created us different on purpose.
With so much of our world going digital, it’s extremely important to talk to your children about the media they consume. As parents, we will always be the biggest influence on our children’s lives. When we capitalize on screen time and use it as an opportunity to connect with our children, we are combining our influence with the influence of their media.
Want to learn more? Visit JKids at a Jubilee location near you this Sunday and feed your kids spiritually.