I gave my 6 year old an iPod…and I’m totally okay with it.

Now before you get all judgy and wonder “why on earth would she give a 6 year old an iPod?”, let me explain.

T had a speech delay. He didn’t speak until he was close to two and a half years old, didn’t have more than a three word sentence going into JK, and couldn’t read or write more than a few words in SK. We did both private and public speech therapy and articulation programs for 3 years.

Now as we near the end of grade one, we see just how far he has come. He is reading where he should be at a grade 1 level and, is able to write sentence after sentence properly and phonetically.

We are constantly reading books with him and have given him his own writing journal just for the house so even when he doesn’t have homework, he does “homework”.

But now, we have given him an added way to learn to read, write and spell. And that’s learning to read through text. With all of these things combined, he now LOVES reading and writing which is something he never enjoyed before! It’s an amazing feeling when your child WANTS to read and write. I’m sure all parents would agree to that.

So why wouldn’t I offer him an iPod? I think its great for practice. It’s great to share things and want to have conversations with people. I mean, it is the age of technology and these kids are growing up with it. So he’s just starting a little early..

Do know though, we have rules. Many of them. Writing random words that don’t make sense is not allowed, and everything needs to be in proper sentences. He also needs to read my messages aloud and with me so I know he’s reading it correctly. He can only text with family members.

Giving him this ipod isn’t for him to play. There is no SIM card in the iPod. And if he ever starts disrespecting the rules or stops following them, the iPod will be gone.

The amazing thing is, is that this new way of learning is actually teaching him and allowing him to ENJOY reading and learning how to write/spell.

So now that you know what I’ve done and my reasons, I’d love to know what you think of my decision. BUT, I don’t want to start a quarrel about screen time and what’s right or wrong…we all parent differently and that’s OK!

To me, his happiness, his feelings of adequacy and feeling smart is what’s most important. And really the only thing that matters to me.

Would you do what I’ve done to help your child grow?

xo

D