Do you and your child have fixed media rituals, such as reading aloud every day before bedtime or watching your favorite series together at the weekend? Such rituals often develop all by themselves and become an integral part of family life. They are a wonderful way of creating structure and closeness.
Media rituals are recurring activities in which media such as books, TV, tablets or music play a role. They can vary from family to family: movie nights together at the weekend with popcorn and cuddly blankets, video calls with grandparents or listening to music with parents. Some rituals have fixed times, others arise spontaneously, such as listening to an audio book during breakfast.
Experience community: Media rituals offer families the opportunity to spend time together. The focus is often not on the medium itself, but on the shared experience. A movie night is particularly enjoyable when you talk about the story afterwards and laugh or empathize together.
Providing security and structure: Rituals help children to find their way in everyday life. For example, if a chapter from their favorite book is read aloud every evening, children know that now is the time to prepare for the night. This gives them orientation and strengthens their sense of security.
Create incentives: Media rituals can also motivate. If your child has time to watch an episode of their favorite series after brushing their teeth and putting on their pyjamas, they may enjoy their evening routine more.
Family time together is always valuable. There’s nothing wrong with creating shared moments with media like a TV, tablet or game console. The medium often only plays a minor role anyway. It is important to take time for each other and experience things together. As a parent, media rituals also create space for you: you can catch up on the news or relax after a stressful day at work while your child plays a game, watches an episode or listens to or reads a story.
However, make sure that tablets and such do not replace a babysitter or you as a parent. Joint family times in which media do not play a role are at least as important as times with media. Shared experiences like a trip to the pool or zoo are sure to do you as much good as your child!
