Teaching kids how to text
Your One Step:
✓ Use the Wait Until 8th Texting Guide to teach your child how to be an effective texter.
Even if your child doesn't have a phone, they may be texting friends with an iPad, iPod, or Apple Watch, so help them thrive as they set out on this exciting journey! Texting needs to be taught and practiced like any form of communication. Without skill, it can be misused or misunderstood. Set your child up for success by offering proactive guidance!
Teach the art of texting
We love this resource! We highly recommend printing and talking through this texting guide created by Wait Until 8th.
It outlines common obstacles and suggested ground rules - great for beginners and a "refresher" for more experienced texters.
Got a savvy teen? Ask them to review the guide and ask if it is missing anything.
What next?
Consider a trial period. Help your child craft initial messages and responses. Review messages together and discuss tone, wording, and what’s a good use of texting... maybe not being the one who constantly spams "hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi" or 💩💩💩!
Teach reflection. Ask your child to reflect on how often they check their messages and whether texting is a disruption or asset to daily activities. Do screen limits need to be put in place to help?
Spot check. Be open that you’ll occasionally check their texts and remind them their friends’ parents are likely doing the same! Check out this short article, "Should You Read Your Kid's Texts?"
Effective communication takes practice - online and off.
Our blog posts are often inspired by our monthly OneStep newsletters. In our email newsletters we give one simple monthly step towards healthier tech use. To get our tips and updates from ScreenSense direct to your inbox - click here!
To return to the Blog Home page to peruse other topics, click here.