- I'm not against screen time, but my kids' school doesn't have technology.
- Children there spend their time playing outside and focusing on movement and cooperation.
- In our house, we allow free screen control, but our kids don't abuse that privilege.
As the parent of two children, ages 4 and 6, it's no surprise that technology in the classroom is starting to get a lot of attention. In less than five years, we've moved the world from thinking “screens are bad and it's a shame he's letting his kid watch Daniel Tiger's 'The Neighborhood' for even one second!” I've seen it change. Inevitably to an era where everyone works remotely and 3-year-olds attend kindergarten in front of her Chromebook for six hours at a time.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think technology is “bad.” My husband and I both work in digital media and have proudly shown our children screens since they were born (we even bought our 6-year-old an Oscar, his own iPhone for Christmas!), but… Our son's technology free school doesn't have anything like a smart board. And that's how we like it.
Their school emphasizes spending time outdoors and collaborating with classmates
Like all Waldorf schools, my son's school, the Otto Specht School, focuses on interaction with the natural world and hands-on learning. Technology and screens aren't introduced until middle school, when students are taught cyber civics lessons and practical skills like coding. At the high school level, there continues to be an emphasis on working with natural materials and engaging with movement and art.
Oscar, a student in the early childhood program, spends much of his day outside, moving and exploring his surroundings. Learning involves working with classmates to solve real-life problems that arise as they perform a puppet show, make a beeswax model, bake bread, and cut vegetables for the soup that will be served as a snack that day. It comes from doing.
Think of the creativity and critical thinking involved in planting seeds, building forts, climbing trees, and caring for animals, and compare this to a typical digital curriculum. Content is provided passively, and learning requires little initiative or initiative beyond “playing.”
All of this hands-on learning is especially important for Oscar, a child with special needs. His main challenge is social anxiety, and he struggles to communicate among his peers and in unfamiliar environments. Some researchers warn that technology can perpetuate social anxiety, saying that increased use of the internet increases fear of face-to-face interactions. Social anxiety is best treated with exposure, but online communication lacks subtle social cues. That means kids like Oscar need face-to-face interaction, not occupational therapy done over Zoom.
I let my kids use screens at home, but not too much.
Like most Waldorf schools, Otto Specht suggests limiting media exposure at home. However, in our home, our kids have a lot of freedom when it comes to screen time. Oscar can watch hours of Disney Plus, binge on his Instagram reels on his iPad, or play Minecraft to his heart's content.
For me, the fact that he does not overindulge is a sign of the success of the technology-free school. He is as interested in digging ponds in his garden and assembling puzzles as he is in watching movies.
Some argue that we need to introduce children to technology to make them “work-ready.” But let's be honest: the technologies we insist our children master and protect as essential to learning won't even exist by the time today's students enter the workforce.
In the meantime, let kids be kids.
