It’s probably hard to believe your little one is in elementary school and making their way toward middle school! Did you ever stop to think what an awesome adventure parenting is? What could be more exciting than helping to shape your child’s future? As with any adventure, there will be some unanticipated “twists and turns” along the journey. We're here to help guide you! Elementary parents are faced with many decisions as children are making new friendships, asking for technology (phones, computers, tablets), and are faced with new social pressures. Operation Parent is a helpful resource for elementary parents to feel educated, equipped and not alone!
One of the biggest dilemmas a parent faces may seem like a simple one, but there’s much to think about before you decide to get your child a smartphone, especially when they’re in elementary school.
read blog
Minecraft is extremely popular for all ages of gamers. The game is a “sandbox” game, meaning it gives a creative landscape with no fixed goal and endless possibilities. In this game the player builds and explores different worlds of imaginative and inventive block structures. Minecraft encourages creativity, experimentation, exploration and sometimes collaboration. Minecraft can be played very safely using the single player creative mode in the peaceful setting. In this mode a child can play the game, getting all the fun (and educational) benefits, while avoiding online interactions and conflict within the game. If your child asks to play with other kids (as most of them like to show off new builds), it’s important to be sure that they don’t simply join any Minecraft server in multiplayer mode (this is giving them access to potentially bloody scenes, sexual settings, and other mature content). A safer way is to create a “realm” which allows people to play with their friends (this still needs to be vetted by the parent). There are some servers created with the goal of being family-friendly, but it's sometimes hard to monitor as they grow. It is important to know that Minecraft has a huge adult following, so don't assume that it’s a simple kid’s game. However, with the appropriate parental setting and conversations with your child, Minecraft can be a safe game for your elementary age child. For more information on setting up parental controls on gaming devices, visit esrb.org.
The recommended age for most social media sites is 13. Make sure you know what accounts your child is logging into!
Not all social media sites have privacy settings. Without privacy settings, you cannot control who views your child’s account!
Most gaming systems connect to the internet with capabilities for chatting and sharing videos with other gamers. Your child could be exposed to offensive language, sexual content, and/or bullying behavior while playing a “safe” game (Minecraft, Fortnite, Roblox).
Your child is observing how you use technology. They will learn more from watching your actions than from your words.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends talking with your child about the dangers of alcohol at the age of 9. Studies show that kids can start to experiment with drugs and/or alcohol as early as 4th or 5th grade, but parents can play a huge role in kids choosing to stay away from these harmful substances.
Kids need routine. Spontaneity never hurts, but a chaotic environment can lead to feelings of anxiety.
Karen Lawrence, founder of Camp Hi-Ho Summer camp (and mother of Jennifer, Blaine, and Ben), discusses Childhood Anxiety, helping us understand the causes, warning signs, and ways to help our children minimize anxiety.
Finally, an updated, easy-to-read, visually appealing, practical guide for parents raising elementary-aged kids. Raise your awareness on today’s toughest parenting issues.
See our HandbooksIn this webinar we explore how screen media habits impacts the health of teens. Advances in persuasive design coupled with social distancing measures have resulted in an explosion of screen media engagement to the extent that it now dominates the lives of many teens.
Your privacy is important to us. To better protect your privacy we provide this notice explaining our online information practices. Our privacy policy is simple: we collect no information about you unless you choose to provide that information to us. In addition, we do not give, share, sell, or transfer any personal information about you to any third parties. To prevent unauthorized access, maintain accuracy, and ensure the correct use of information, we have put in place appropriate physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure any information that we collect. If you have questions about our privacy practices, you can contact us at the postal or email address posted on this site.
close
View privacy policy
