Kid Goals for the New Year

This post was sponsored by Amazon as part of an Ambassador Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own

It’s a new year, which means lots of goal setting, reevaluating things done last year, and making changes to our lives. When making your list of things to change or improve on for the next year, have you ever taken the time to think about having a discussion concerning your kids screen time and what they have access to online? As your kids age, now is the perfect time to make updated decisions about parental controls and age filters for your kiddos!

For parents interested in adjusting their own settings for the new year, what are the steps/where do they find those settings (whether on their child’s Fire Kids Edition tablet or on Parent Dashboard)?

I appreciate having the ability to monitor and manage Emma Kate’s screen time and activities because while I love the technology afforded to her with FreeTime Unlimited, I want her to be well rounded in her playtime as well.

So my question is, are you involved in managing your kid’s technology uses and time?
A survey Amazon FreeTime commissioned with 1,000+ parents of children ages 3-10 found that:
97% of parents say they are at least somewhat involved in managing their kids’ use of technology and 9 in 10 parents want to be even more involved.
For 77% of parents, it’s important that the content on their child’s tablet or smartphone is age-appropriate. For 68% it’s important that the content is educational.
Almost all parents surveyed (95%), want their children to use smartphones or tablets for educational purposes.
However, most parents (75%) don’t want to hover over their children when they’re using devices and two thirds of parents want their kids to have the freedom to explore when using their tablet or smartphone.

Looking for age appropriate educational titles that are available in Amazon FreeTime Unlimited? Check out this selection below:

• A Day with Caillou – FreeTime Unlimited Edition
• Daniel Tiger’s Stop & Go Potty – Freetime Unlimited Version
• Disney Buddies: ABCs
• Elmo Loves 123s – FreeTime Unlimited Edition
• PINKFONG Dino World – FreeTime Unlimited Edition
• Teach Your Monster to Read – FreeTime Unlimited Edition
• Toca Lab – FreeTime Unlimited Edition
• Wonster Words ABC Phonics – FreeTime Unlimited Edition

So you may be saying “tell me more about the Fire Kids Edition Tablet and more about the parental controls and FreeTime Unlimited!” Say no more, I’ve got you covered.

The Fire Kids Edition Tablets are the #1 kids’ tablets in the U.S. and come with a kid-proof case and a 2-year guarantee. You can get a replacement no questions asked. Each one comes with a one year subscription to Amazon FreeTime unlimited, which gives you and your child access to over 30,000 books, videos, audible books, apps, and games. There are also Spanish language books, plus thousands of kid-friendly websites and web videos.

You can have peace of mind using the Parental Control settings in FreeTime, where parents can set time limits, change age filters, enable/disable web browser access, and you can even choose whether to allow in-app purchasing (that’s a big fat no for my child, ha!) Parents can also use Parent Dashboard to review the digital content their kids are using in FreeTime, determine how to manage time limits and educational goals, and remotely adjust their child’s FreeTime settings. I love helping Emma Kate set educational goals on her tablet!

Now that Emma Kate is almost four and a half, we are working on letter sounds, reading lots of books, and learning songs and Spanish words. I love how easy it is to work with her, and setting up the parental controls is a breeze. My favorites are the screen time limits and age filters. I also turn off the option that would just let her browse the web.

Here are a few more favorites:

• Weekday and weekend settings—parents can set time limits by weekdays and weekends.
• Bedtime—parents can control when FreeTime shuts down for the day and turns back on the next morning.
• Learn First—parents can set daily goals for educational content, and block access to entertainment content until after educational goals are met each day.
• Screen time by category—parents can restrict certain categories, such as apps and games, while leaving unlimited time for reading.
• Total screen time—parents can choose a set amount of total screen time per day, after which the tablet will shut down for the day.
• Age filters—parents can adjust settings to tailor the FreeTime experience for each child and ensure the content their kids are viewing is age-appropriate for them.

What are your goals for your kids this year when it comes to their education and screen time? I would love to hear!