How to Encourage Kids to Look After Their Gadgets

In our current climate, kids are faced with gadgets wherever they go. Even if your kids are more into outdoor activities like camping, for example they will be taught from an early age how to type, use touch screens and stay safe online. But looking after their own gadgets is something entirely different.

It can be frustrating when you’ve spent a lot of money on a phone or laptop for your kid and they break it, especially if they haven’t been taking care of it properly. So, how can we teach our kids to respect their gadgets? And what should we do if they break them?

Repairs

Even with the best intentions, especially with younger kids who are still getting to grips with their fine motor skills, accidents can happen and it may still break. If this happens, you will have to get it repaired. Always go through a decent repair company with certified technicians, instead of attempting to fix it yourself or going somewhere untrustworthy. It’s not worth the risk.

Sit with them

Kids can get over excited when they receive their first phone or tablet, so they may get carried away and want to start playing on it immediately. However, it can be beneficial if you sit with them and go through the best ways to look after their shiny new gadget.

With a laptop, for example, if you emphasize the importance of closing it down and putting it away safely, you’re encouraging them to preserve the battery and help it last longer. Putting it somewhere safe also reduces the likelihood of it being trodden or spilled on, alongside respecting screen-time boundaries.

Cases

Investing in a good, solid phone or laptop case can be another great way to protect your kids’ gadgets. Whilst some cases are mainly for aesthetic purposes, decent cases wrap firmly around the gadget and protect any buttons or ports.

Screen protectors are equally handy and ensure that if your kid drops their phone face first on the floor, it probably won’t smash. Both can also help protect the gadget from mucky hands, water damage and scratches, depending on how careful your kid might be and what they get up to.

Teach them the value of money

Often, kids don’t fully understand the financial pressures that can come with being a parent, and they generally don’t understand how much a new, state of the art gadget can cost. In our current technological climate, some kids also feel pressured to have the best, swankiest gadgets to fit in, and this can be difficult.

So, make your kids aware. If you’ve just spent a lot of money on a new phone for your kid, tell them that it was expensive and therefore you might not be able to replace it. If they do break or lose it out of recklessness, encourage them to do chores or get some part time work, depending on their age and any other commitments.

They might not love you for it initially, but learning to respect possessions and the value of money is a key part of growing up.