Creating a haven for childhood in a world of exposure
Now more than ever, we have access to everything at all times, and as we all know this filters down into our children’s lives.
Our aim at Whangārei Steiner is to help create a nourishing haven for childhood — a safe, unhurried, gentle space where children are protected from some of the harsher realities out there. We believe that this helps children be children, and to grow wholesomely (and whole) into who they are, empowered to take on life as individuals. Of course, this is no small feat in our world!
Limiting exposure to some content through limiting screen time is one way to help, and this has unending benefits for children. This is why it is a staple of Steiner/Waldorf education ideology in terms of parenting in a way that supports a Waldorf educational approach. Having said that, we certainly know that it can be tricky these days to achieve this! Nothing and nobody are perfect... screens and age-inappropriate concepts are everywhere! It’s a lot of conscious work to limit them and protect our little ones as much as we are able, isn’t it! We understand this and experience it too.
Children thrive through movement, imagination and healthy rhythm in their day. As we all know, screen time is not the best way to achieve any of that. They can bring in unwanted content and images into their fresh, impressionable minds. It’s also very passive; children need to be active! You could say it’s the antithesis of their needs. Furthermore, conversations about mature topics near little ears can also bring in images and ideas that can have an impact.
However you approach this in your family, we encourage you to consider the context and the amount of time you allow on screens and the types of conversations and concepts to which children are exposed. Some people actually find it easier to get rid of screens entirely, especially for very young children, as they don’t tend to ask about it constantly and instead are accustomed to creative and active play. Others like to allow a little screen time on specific shows with which they are comfortable, aiming for a balance. Others again like to delay the introduction of screens.
As parents and group facilitators, we find that it is clear which children watch screens and certain content — they bring it directly into their play and discussion. We do not judge (we do it too) but it is notable in their play. In our groups we have had some play ideas introduced that are tricky for some of the children to understand, such as scary cartoon characters and storylines.
The other important impact is over-simplified play. When children use screen-derived stories in their play, they usually stay within the bounds of what they’ve seen, so they don’t engage their beautiful imaginations as much. We then see quite a bit of repetitive fight scenes and so on, and less playing out things from life or their imaginations.
This is why we try to keep games involving shooting such as cops and robbers out of playtime in our groups. Some children have not had these influences in their lives, and as parents and teachers we try to keep those at bay as long as possible. (Weapon play can be a positive thing, by the way... but that's another topic!) It is not that we want to shelter children from the world, more that they will come to learn of certain topics, realities and ideas in due course, protecting their earlier development. As mentioned earlier, it also helps when children have more space to engage in open-ended play with their imaginations, rather than copying what they’ve seen on television or online.
Believe us, we also know how hard it is to keep certain influences at bay, even when we try our hardest. If you choose for your child to watch tv shows, movies and perhaps games that aren’t recommended for their age or contain guns etc, we suggest speaking with your child about things that are for home and for playgroup/school/their friend’s house etc, and talk to any adults (such as teachers) your children are with about any context-specific boundaries they may be working on, so you can reinforce these with your child or children. Children are actually quite good at learning the boundaries of different contexts once they’ve settled into a different space and rhythm! This is especially so when the adults are giving them the same message. This is so supportive to a child, and helps them feel in harmony.
Good luck with all your parenting choices and challenges!