A family that plays together… stays together!

Oh blog… how I’ve neglected you! Not that I ever forgot about you (who could forget what joyous times we spent together in cafes while I was looking for a full-time job, just a year ago!) – it’s just that… well, things get in the way. But I promise to be better. Or at least try harder. I want this relationship to work!

Loyal readers of the Co-Viewing Connection know that I have a very busy life, which includes an awesome full-time job working at the Institute of Play, as well as two adorable preschool twins and a husband who provide me with never-ending adventures in the evenings and on weekends. I have been tagging some great blog post items left and right for months, but never seem to get to them. (To see most of them, feel free to follow  me – “Covert Coviewer” – on Twitter.)

One interesting find, however, definitely deserves some special attention. Family Gamer TV is a new series devoted to parents co-playing with kids. I watched their pilot episode, and found myself entranced.  

What a fabulous idea! I love the idea of a (relatively) newbie parent connecting to an experienced gamer to learn about great new games and gadgets. I also like that these dads took into account the ages of the kids to play with. Andy Robertson is a likeable host and I’m going to stay tuned for more… as should you!

Not Your Grandmother’s Skype

Video calling has reached a new level of normal. Not only is it perfectly acceptable to be using Skype in the workplace, but video calls have made their way into the home. Thus, every generation is being exposed to it, from Grandparents right down to infants. The youngest generation is not at all surprised by this feat in technology, but take it as a given that they can see the person they are talking to. Take my own children, for example. At three and a half years old, my twins have been using Skype to call their Grandparents in Florida on a regular basis. They love to sing songs with them and show them their toys. They are not unusual; most of my friends with young children and family far away have exposed their children to video calls on the computer. It’s become a new way to connect family from far away.

But two recent examples in my life are making me realize that this technology has expanded to be more than just useful for business purposes and Grandparents who miss their grandkids.

Example 1: Video play dates. Recently, my daughter’s best friend from preschool moved away. How did their digital-savvy moms decide to deal with it? Let them have a Skype play date, of course! I watched in awe as our preschoolers spent an hour with each other via computer, pulling out toys and sharing what they had. One would pull out a doll, and the other would scramble around the house to find a doll to show. One held up a blue bucket to the screen, and other would run about, searching for a similar blue bucket. It went on like this for sometime, and I was amused that these three-year-olds were able to make a game out of the technology, all on their own. At one point, they both held up toy cell phones to the screen, and started communicating that way, “pretending” to talk to each other from far away. How… post-modern?

Example 2: Skype in the Classroom. Not long ago, Skype announced a new feature: a social networking group for Educators, called Skype in the Classroom.  With this new network, teachers can find other teachers all over the globe who want to connect their classrooms via video conferencing on any given topic or subject matter. Teachers can also look for “experts” in any given field, and have them give guest lectures to their students. I particularly liked this one teacher’s explanation of how she found other classrooms to collaborate with about global weather patterns:

It doesn’t take much to realize that that video chatting is slowly but surely proliferating, beyond the far-fetched fantasy that existed in the “Jetsons” cartoons of my childhood. The learning opportunities are endless. It’s a great way for parents and teachers to help their children connect in new ways and learn about other people or other cultures.

The iphone: Can it Be a Shared Experience with Kids?

I am taking the time to post on a topic I have been intending to cover for some time now: the iphone and kids. Certainly, those of us in the kids’ media business realized as soon as the iphone came out that it was an ideal product for children.  The touchscreen has revolutionized how we (adults) interact with technology; for some of us there may have been a learning curve in getting used to the device. It’s just the opposite for kids, because the tactile properties are completely natural and intuitive. When the ipad was introduced, it seemed almost laughable to me that we would consider any other computer for young children! Of course, the steep price has kept most of us from purchasing this tech toy for our children (including yours truly), but I could justify an iphone for my own needs, and therefore could consider “sharing” it on occasion. I am definitely not alone with this. In New York, it seems everywhere I go I see kids using their parents’ iphones. (They seem to be used most frequently on public transportation.) The recent NY Times article about toddlers using iphones made me feel obligated to put my two cents out there, because I feel as though that piece of reporting neglected to discuss it in terms of my favorite topic: Co-viewing, of course!  While many parents may view the iphone as a good device to give your child to use on his/her own, I view it as another piece of technology that can be shared in an interactive experience.

Here’s the thing: As a self-proclaimed iphone addict and the mother of three-year-old twins, I have been having my own internal battle about whether or not to hand the device over to those sticky fingers. In fact, the very first time I did, that is just what happened; peanut-butter-and-jelly fingers rubbed all over my precious iphone, causing me to shriek in horror and reconsider sharing my prized gadget altogether.  Once I recuperated from that incident (and vowed to never again allow my iphone to be used by kids unless a hand inspection was done first), I have experimented with using several apps with my kids.

There are a ton of “top iphone apps for kids” lists online, so I won’t bother being redundant. Instead, I wish to offer some thoughts on how to use your iphone with kids:

• As mentioned above, make sure your child’s hands are clean before using your iphone.  It might also be good to avoid handing over your iphone to a child with a runny nose and no tissues. (Too graphic? I apologize.)
• My friend, Dr. Shuli Gilutz (someone who has done a large amount of technology usability testing with children) has repeatedly expressed her fear about the possible radiation effects of smartphones. Her advice is to turn the iphone to “Airplane Mode” before handing it over to a child. Not only does this reduce any unknown cellphone or 3G signals running through your developing child, but it also prevents an incoming call to be answered by your little one!
• Demonstrate how to play the app before handing it over. Do a “think aloud” exercise while using the iphone app of your choice in front of your kid, so s/he can know your intentions for swiping a certain way, or pressing on a certain image. Monkey see, monkey do.
• Like watching TV with your kids, it is good to continually ask questions to get them involved. Say things like, “I wonder what will happen when I press this. What do you think?”
• Not all children play alike. My twins exhibit completely opposite play behaviors, for example. My daughter wants me to hold the iphone while she presses things, or tells me to press things. This makes for a very interactive (co-viewing) experience. My son, on the other hand, prefers to hold and operate the device himself. Co-viewing with him means I am often narrating and asking questions from the side.
• It doesn’t have to be a “kids app” to be entertaining. My son’s favorite app by far is “Photos” – pictures I have taken with my phone. He enjoys simply swiping through them. (Many of them are of him and his sister, so it’s almost like a little time capsule.) I think other pre-installed apps (such as the YouTube app and the Maps app) also offer good interactive potential for kids.
• Avoid downloading or purchasing any app that requires violently swinging the phone around. Yes, it is really cool to have games like that on your iphone, but what you might do with it and what a preschooler might do with it are very different things. I have been disappointed by several well-known children’s apps out there that have encouraged my precious gadget to be tossed around.

In the end, my iphone is not a device I give over very often. It remains “Mommy’s Toy” and will only be used on special occasions or as a reward. What are your experiences with your iphone and your kids? Do you co-view apps with them or hand over the device to keep them occupied?