When it comes to making choices at home as to what media is appropriate for your child, it can be very confusing and overwhelming. To help you out, there are great resources available online for parents and teachers to utilize in order to help make informed decisions on the types of music, books, movies, magazines, apps, software, television, websites, video games, and even toys are best for your child. It’s time for Making Smart Choices with Media!
One online resource that you can use to make good choices for your child is Parents’ Choice Children’s Media & Toy Review. This well-established resource provides reviews on the popular current media that includes information about the appropriate age, pricing, rating (gold, silver, bronze), and a detailed review. This information can help you to make an informed decision as well as providing appropriate options to consider for your child. In addition, this website is a great resource for finding local day trip activities near your home, vacation ideas, and articles on reading, learning, and playing.
Another fantastic online resource to help you make media choices at home is Common Sense Media. This website provides reviews on current movies (including Netflix streaming movies), games, TV shows, books, apps, websites, and music. Reviews include star ratings, a description, a review, important facts parents need to know, and ways families can “talk about” and make connections at home to the media. Parents can also leave feedback about their experiences to share with other parents. I find the age slider search option very helpful to quickly zero in on suggestions that are age appropriate for my child.
What sites or resources do you use to help make sure you are finding age appropriate media for your child? Check back later this week for more on making smart media choices with age appropriate books for your child at home.
Photo by: Parent’s Choice Foundation
