How Mobile Devices Affect Movement Milestones

Your child’s movement milestones are building blocks to his success — one can’t work without the other. These milestones that your 4 or 5-year-old should hit are extremely important for their development, both physically and mentally.

From October to November 2015, The American Academy of Pediatrics conducted a study on children and exposure to mobile media. The results were astounding. Out of the 350 children between the ages of 6 months and 4 years old that were surveyed, 75 percent of 4-year-olds owned their own cellphone.

When children are sitting and playing on a device, they are not moving their bodies. Period. As adults, we know how dangerous it can be to walk and text. Many adults have gotten hurt this way (can you say manholes?). With this being said, extended exposure to mobile media can have a negative effect on a child hitting his movement milestones, not to mention the other side effects it can cause. Certain milestones at this age are keys to future ones, and it is important to make sure your child is hitting them.

So, if you see that your preschooler has gotten into the rut of playing on his or your device more than you would like, take a step back and reevaluate when and how much time he uses it. We’ve all handed our kids the phone to keep quiet in a restaurant, but with a bit of discipline on both sides, hitting these milestones will be easy peasy!

Movement milestones of a 4 to 5-year-old that CAN’T be achieved while sitting using a device

Standing on one foot for 10 seconds or longer
Climbing (safely)
Beginning stages of skipping
Hopping
Beginning to master somersaults
Dressing and undressing on their own
Holding a fork and spoon, and showing signs of using a child-appropriate knife. At age 5, children can begin to spread butter or jam with a knife.
Catching a bounced ball the majority of the time

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