Screen Time for Young Children: Finding a Healthy Balance

By Agape Little Uni. Parent Resources February 10, 2025

One standout difference between the past and present is the prevalence of screens and early exposure to screen time. Even if you don’t personally want to give your child screen time, it can feel impossible to avoid it as we are surrounded by digital screens and touchscreens in our day-to-day lives.

While electronic devices can offer many benefits, reducing or managing screen time for children can be a significant challenge for parents. How do we ensure our children benefit from technology without experiencing the potential negative impacts of excessive screen time?

Understanding the Effects of Screen Time on Young Children

Before diving into strategies for managing screen time, it’s crucial to understand its potential effects on kids. Research suggests that excessive screen time can negatively impact:

Health: Too much screen time can can have negative impacts on physical and mental health including disrupted sleep patterns, strained eyes, and an increased risk of obesity due to reduced physical activity.
Cognitive Abilities: Some studies suggest excessive screen time can affect attention span, language development, and memory, impacting cognitive abilities and academic performance later in life.
Social-Emotional Well-Being: Over-reliance on screens can limit opportunities for face-to-face interactions, impacting sensitivity to facial expressions and social cues and hindering development of social skills such as communication, empathy, and emotional regulation.

However, it’s important to remember that the effects of screen time on children are not always black and white. Other studies suggest screen time can be beneficial for cognitive development and early language and literacy and may even help expose children to attitudes and messages on empathy, tolerance, and respect.

Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) has kept both benefits and disadvantages top of mind when issuing their Jan 2025 guidance on screen use in children. Per MOH guidelines, children aged 18 months to 6 years old should receive less than 1 hour of screen use a day outside school. When using screens, parents should choose educational and age-appropriate content, watch the content with their children, and engage in discussion about it.

Ultimately, the impact of screen time depends on various factors, including the type of content, the duration and frequency of use, and the child’s age and developmental stage.

Strategies for Reducing and Managing Screen Time

Finding a healthy balance in a world saturated with screens requires conscious effort and mindful strategies. Here are some practical tips to help you manage your child’s screen time for the better:

Set Clear Limits: Just as we set boundaries for other aspects of our children’s lives, it’s essential to establish clear and consistent limits on screen time. The recommended screen time by age can vary, so it’s advisable to consult with your paediatrician for personalised guidance as well as refer to MOH’s guidelines.
Create Screen-Free Zones: Designate specific areas in your home, such as the dining table and bedrooms, as screen-free zones. Per MOH guidelines, avoid using screens during meals and one hour before bedtime. This encourages face-to-face conversations, promotes family bonding, and allows for uninterrupted playtime and restful sleep.
Embrace Screen-Free Activities: Encourage outdoor and sensory play for toddlers, engage in creative pursuits like drawing and building, read books together, and foster a love for exploration and discovery in the natural world.
Lead by Example: Kids are keen observers, and they learn by watching us. Be a role model by limiting your own screen time and engaging in screen-free activities alongside them. Show them that the world offers a wealth of exciting experiences beyond the digital realm.

Ensuring Quality Screen Time for Children

While screen time is sometimes demonised by well-meaning individuals, it’s not realistic to completely remove screen time from kids’ lives either, especially as primary and secondary schools embrace technology in their curriculum. Rather than thinking of all screen time as negative, focus on the quality of screen time when it is allowed. This will help equip your child with the tools and skills to deal with a digital future and even enhance their primary school readiness. Some approaches include:

Exploring age-appropriate apps and programmes that promote literacy, numeracy, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
Engaging in screen-based activities together, such as watching educational videos and discussing the content, playing interactive games, or creating digital art.
Teaching your child to think critically about the media they consume. Help them understand the difference between reality and fantasy, and encourage them to question what they see and hear.

By focusing on intentional, purposeful screen time, you can help your child reap the benefits of technology while minimising the potential risks.

If you have concerns about your child’s screen time, don’t hesitate to talk to their teachers. At Agape Little Uni by Busy Bees, our STREAM (Science, Technology, Relationship, Engineering/Entrepreneurship, Arts & Mathematics) approach recognises that technology will be a part of your child’s life as they grow and we aim to equip your child with the knowledge and skills to handle such real-world situations. We believe in working together with parents to address these challenges and ensure a healthy balance, supporting parents in navigating new digital landscapes and fostering a healthy relationship with technology.

If you are seeking a preschool in Tanjong Pagar or elsewhere in Singapore that prioritises a balanced approach to technology and child development, we invite you to learn more about our preschool curriculum and how we integrate technology into learning. Book a centre visit to learn more!

Grade	Activity	Focus/Objective
PG, N1	Exposure to Muse Arts Teaching Methodology	Introducing Music as a form of Instruction
	Instill Muse Arts Routine	Allow the child to better understand our requirements of them during each lesson. Setting ground rules on when to play and when to listen.
	Building their music foundation via the introduction of Music and Movement with Music	Getting used to move in a coordinated motion with the Music. Instilling a culture of Freedom within Limits’.
	Exposure to Musical Instruments	Year 1: Percussion Instruments Year 2: Melodic Instruments
N2, K1, K2	Reinforcing Muse Arts’ Teaching Methodology and Routine	Instilling our Teaching Methodology and Routine to become second nature in them to enhance its effectiveness for the purpose preparing them to participate in activities that require a stricter control of progress, and adherence to time line, e.g., Preparation for a Performance.
	Exposure to orchestrated performances	Learning to work together and listen to each other so as to create a cohesive musical piece.
	Exposing them to more specific musical instruments, such as Keyboard / Ukulele / Xylophone	Further enhancement to their musical knowledge via exposure to more specific Musical Instruments. This allows parents to discover their child’s area of interest.

Agape Principle	What it looks like in practice?	Related EYDF Guiding Principles
Active and Authentic Learning Experiences	Provide concrete and real-life materials for learning Plan learning experiences that include an integration of various learning areas Allow children to experiment new ideas through play and planned learning experiences Children are able to connect classroom learning experiences with real-life experiences Learning experiences provide choices Learning experiences cater to the different interests and developmental stage of young children Learning experiences derived from assessment of children’s learning on a regular basis	The Developing Child The Intentional Programme
Positive Connections	Teachers work closely with parents in curriculum making Teachers use positive language to communicate with young children and their families Teachers observe and plan respectful learning experiences that embraces the diverse backgrounds of young children Teachers model good language and tone when communicate with children during routines, transitions and learning experiences Centre may invite professionals to provide talks and workshops to keep our parents abreast of the latest development in infant services and care for young children	The Involved Family The Professional Educarer The Intentional Programme The Engaged Community
Authentic Assessment	Ongoing assessment of children’s learning is carried out everyday Teacher has a systematic plan to observe and record children’s progress on a regular basis The content of each summary report is based on regular documentations of children’s learning Assessment processes include children’s views and voices	The Developing Child The Involved Family The Professional Educarer The Intentional Programme
Guidance, Empowerment and Support	Teachers and children are co-learners in the classroom Teachers develop children’s critical thinking skills by asking effective and age-appropriate questions Teachers create a conducive and rich environment for learning The learning environment promotes opportunities for choice-making and interactions Teachers provide feedback and encourage children to improve their own work	The Developing Child The Involved Family The Professional Educarer The Intentional Programme

Step	Description	Suggested Activities
Tuning In	The main purpose of Tuning In is to stimulate children’s interests in the topic of study.	Storytelling Songs and Rhymes Picture Talk Field Trip
Storytelling	The teacher finds a suitable story that is related to the topic of the week. She models good reading habits and spoken language. She reads the story with expressions and intonation to gain the children’s attention.	Puppetry Picture Talk Dramatization
Role Play	With regards to the topic of the week, teachers plan learning experiences which allow children to enact a role or an action.	Mathematical activities Discovery activities Cookery Puppetry Songs and Rhymes
Art and Craft	Children get to master their fine motor skills and work on 2-D and 3-D artwork with regards to the topic of study.	Creating 2-D and 3-D artwork
Cleaning Up	Children learn to clean and pack up after completing their activities.	Wipe the tables Putting things back to its original places Washing of hands and tools Sweeping
Cooling Down	After the children have participated actively in the preceding activities, they take this time to calm down.	Listen to a soothing music Close eyes and rest
Wrap Up	Teachers recall the activities that were done in the day and reinforce what was taught during these activities.	Recall A story A song A rhyme A word/phrase An action

Activities	What do we do everyday?
Arrival and Breakfast	Infant and toddlers arrive at any time according to the family’s schedule. For infants who arrive early, a good breakfast will keep them fulfilled and happy for the day
Morning Greetings	A time for Educarers to greet every child and share a song/book with the children
Large Group Time	Infants and toddlers gather and engage in holistic activities
Discovery Time	A time for infants and toddlers to explore the different materials and equipment in their learning environment. The infants and toddlers are free to choose what they want to do according to their interests
Small Group Time	An opportunity for Educarers and infants/toddlers to share learning moments in a small group
Outdoor Time	A time for infants/toddlers to explore the environment beyond the classroom environment. It includes time to engage in planned gross motor activities
Lunch	An unhurried time to sit together, communicate and serve lunch to the infants/toddlers
Nap Time	A time for infant and toddler to rest according to their natural sleeping time
Shower / Diaper Time	A time to bond with the infants/toddlers through shower/diaper time
Departure	A time to communicate with parents about the happenings in the day; and to model respectful communications with our various stakeholders

Screen Time for Young Children: Finding a Healthy Balance

Understanding the Effects of Screen Time on Young Children

Strategies for Reducing and Managing Screen Time

Ensuring Quality Screen Time for Children

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