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Smartphones, tablets and TV attract children like magnets. Learning how to use these media safely and wisely is something that needs to be taught at an early age. What effect do media have on children? How much is too much? Are there any sensible alternatives? What is real and what is fiction? Our courses, which are specifically designed for this young target group, address these and other questions. Children are introduced to fundamental topics in a playful and dialogue-oriented manner and learn a great deal about new media and how to use them.
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Television, tablets and other devices attract children like magnets. They enjoy moving images, stories and games.
In this lesson, the children talk to the hand puppet about their media use, actively participate in an animated film and thereby learn the difference between reality and fiction in a playful way.
The children
Duration
60 minutes
Group size
Maximum 10 children; larger classes will be divided
Participants
Children and teacher
Target group
Kindergarten 2nd year
Teaching materials
Provided by us
Resources
–
Cost
CHF 500
(Prices subject to change)
This media course is based on Lehrplan 21 (module curriculum for media and information technology). This means that the skills required by Lehrplan 21 are achieved in the following areas:
Digital media fascinate even children in primary school. Children are coming into contact with digital media earlier and earlier and more and more intensively.
That is what the MIKE study(opens in new tab) says.
In this module, pupils explore the concept of media and discuss their everyday media use. Based on the story ‘Just five more minutes’, the children write down and draw their leisure activities and learn how important and great a balanced mix of offline and online activities is. In the media workshop, the children make audio recordings, use a learning video for a folding task and solve tasks on the topic of media.
The students
Duration
3 lessons of 45 minutes each
Group size
A class
Participants
Pupils and teachers
Target group
1st to 2nd grade
Teaching materials
Provided by us
Resources
School computers and tablets
Cost
CHF 750
(Prices subject to change)
This media course is based on Lehrplan 21 (module curriculum for media and information technology). This means that the skills required by Lehrplan 21 are achieved in the following areas:
The MIKE study (MIKE stands for «Medien – Interaktion – Kinder – Eltern») examines the leisure and media behaviour of children between the ages of 6 and 11 and is published every two years, most recently in 2021.
Primary school children watch the most television and listen to music. As they get older, they start using their parents' smartphones or their own smartphones (78 per cent of children this age have their own smartphone). This means that games and videos are playing an increasingly important role.
Even though media consumption accounts for a large part of their free time, three quarters of children still spend time outdoors in nature, play sports and meet their friends every day or several times a week. Family activities are also very popular.
Children use media for distraction and entertainment. They want to consume content that makes them happy, that is funny and entertaining. However, they also appreciate content from which they can learn something.
Children also state that they occasionally consume frightening content. Horror films, crime stories, monsters, animals and accidents are the categories that are most likely to disturb children of this age. The Harry Potter film series was mentioned relatively frequently.
The MIKE study is published by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences and can be downloaded(opens in new tab) free of charge here.
Children aged four to eight will already have had their first experiences with screens. Sometimes parents praise tablets or smartphones because they captivate children in seconds, allowing parents to get urgent work done without interruption.
Children appreciate these experiences because they can immerse themselves and experience things that cannot be found in reality. Children should be able to have a variety of experiences – screen time is just one of them. Therefore, set rules.
Depending on their stage of development, it may be more or less. But it's better to be conservative at first.
Especially when children cannot yet read and cannot follow complicated content without considerable effort, parents should determine what happens on the screen. Choose one or two games, limit the selection to a few fairy tale episodes and music. This also makes it easier to enforce screen time.
In the interests of healthy mindfulness, you should not mix interaction with your child with interaction with your smartphone. Your child should not have to guess where you are behind the screen, but should enjoy your full attention. So make sure that you set an example with your media consumption.
We have compiled further information and content on the topic of ‘Courses for nursery school and Year 1-2’ here.