6 ways to take your kid's tablet beyond traditional “screen time”

If used correctly, tablets like the Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S9 FE/+ can be great for aiding your child’s communication skills, reading, writing, creativity and even physical fitness. There are several ways to take your child’s tablet beyond traditional screen time. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Get active

One way to enhance your children’s tablet screen time is by using their devices to encourage physical activity. There are some great apps you can download to help with this, such as Mental UP, which offers dozens of gamified fitness activities for kids, and Super Stretch Yoga, which uses storytelling and animation to get kids stretching.

Alternatively, you can use moderated video streaming services like YouTube Kids. Preschool favourite Danny Go uses creative dancing videos to get the kids moving, and Cosmic Kids Yoga has some really fun follow-along adventure routines.

If your child wants to take the tablet outside to follow a class, the inbuilt Vision Booster of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE/+ ensures the onscreen fun is still clear and colourful in the sunlight. And it’s water-resistant*, so spills aren’t a worry when the children are bouncing around.

Practice writing

Writing practice probably isn’t your first thought when you think of your child using a tablet. However, the Galaxy Tab S9 FE comes with a handy S Pen which works to let you write, draw, and tap with ease.

The S Pen offers a fun, easy, paper-free way to practise writing without having to worry about mess, waste or mistakes. With apps like iTrace and Hip Hop Hen, kids can get support with letter formation, spelling and joining words.

Or, they can just jot down anything they please on GoodNotes2** and Samsung Notes. From Christmas lists, diary entries or even homework answers (just don’t let them lose their homework, or the whole family will be without a tablet.)

Keep in touch

When kids are fond of their tablet it can be common for parents to worry that they may be missing out on socialising or communicating with friends and family. Instead of restricting socialising and communicating, integrate the tablet into this, by reaching out to those who live far away.

Taking advantage of a tablet’s video calling capabilities is a fantastic way to do this. Keeping in touch with distant friends and family through video calls can help children strengthen relationships and improve both speech and comprehension. It can also help children develop more confidence in interacting with loved ones they don’t see so regularly.

With the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE/+ you won’t have to worry about the battery life*** when on these calls so the kids can spend as much time as they like speaking to those they care about. You also won't have to worry about your child’s safety as with Samsung Kids parents can set screen time limits and control access to apps to keep little ones safe.

Get creative

For those kids who want a place to direct their creativity, a tablet provides plenty of options. Children can draw, paint, edit, and produce all from the same device. Whatever level they may be at, apps can help teach and direct them or simply give them a blank canvas where they can channel their inner Picasso.

The Galaxy Tab S9 FE/+’s S Pen is a great tool for helping kids explore this creativity. As well as writing, the Pen can also act as a virtual paintbrush, pencil, and editing tool. Apps like PENUP and Clip Studio Paint**** give children the opportunity to draw and colour, with older children able to try photography, video editing and manipulation in apps like Photoshot and InPro.

Once their masterpieces are completed both the Galaxy Tab S9 FE and Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ have 90Hz refresh rates so playback on video will be silky smooth and without lag.

Read

The final way to take your kid's tablet time beyond traditional screen time is by encouraging them to use it to read. There are millions of pages of content available for the young ones from magazines to comics and picture books to full novels. Just be sure to supervise any downloads to ensure your child is picking age-appropriate content.

Apps like Epic provide hundreds of children’s books and different stages of reading material. There are even online maths and English textbooks your children can work through to help with their studies.

As your children grow they can then move on to Google Book Store which has over 40 million books to choose from, so they shouldn’t ever struggle with reading material. If your kids have found something that has them asking for “just one more chapter” right up until bedtime, then take comfort in the fact the display on the Galaxy Tab S9 FE and Tab S9 FE+ is engineered with reduced blue light emission to help safeguard their eyesight.

If you buy the Galaxy Tab S9 FE/+ by the 31st of October 2023, you will also receive a free Slim Book Cover Keyboard worth £139/£159*****, claim it here.

You can also get more at samsung.com. If you shop direct you’ll enjoy many unrivalled benefits. From free delivery to extended warranties, trade-ins to finance, you get more when you buy directly from Samsung.

*Galaxy Tab S9 FE, Tab S9 FE+ and the inbox S Pen are rated as IP68. Based on lab test conditions for submersion in up to 1.5 meters of freshwater for up to 30 minutes. Not advised for beach or pool use. Water and dust resistance of device is not permanent and may diminish over time because of normal wear and tear.

**Goodnotes app requires separate download from Galaxy Store and comes with a 1-year free full version. Once the free full version period ends, an additional purchase is required for continuous use. App availability and the terms of service may vary by country and region.

***Typical value tested under third-party laboratory conditions. Typical value is the estimated average value considering the deviation in battery capacity among the battery samples tested under IEC 61960 standard. Rated (typical) capacity is 8,000 mAh for Galaxy Tab S9 FE and 10,090 mAh for Galaxy Tab S9 FE+. Actual battery life may vary depending on network environment, usage patterns and other factors.

****Clip Studio Paint membership required. Preload supported in select markets. Clip Studio Paint app can be downloaded from the Galaxy Store and comes with a free 6-month trial for first-time users. Once the free trial period ends, paid subscription to a monthly or annual usage plan is required for continuous use. Terms of service may vary by country and region.

*****Purchase from Samsung Student and Youth Store or Samsung Enhanced Partnership Program by 31.12.23. Savings based on regular Samsung.com price. Claim by visiting: https://samsungoffers.claims/s9fe-launchoffer within 30 days of purchase. UK/ROI. 18+ only. For full T&C?s, See https://samsungoffers.claims/s9fe-launchoffer