Over the past years, I have discovered a passion for finding ways to implement educational technology while following the principles of play-based learning. When sharing this passion with other educators and parents, I often hear concerns about “too much screen time.” I understand this, especially after living through the COVID pandemic.
Recent research by Common Sense Media shows that children under age 8 now spend an average of nearly four hours a day with media. Screen time has shifted as well; children are watching more short videos on platforms like YouTube or TikTok and spending more time gaming. Parents often rely on devices to keep children occupied, assuming that because apps look “kid-friendly,” they’re safe or appropriate. Teachers, especially those who transitioned to online schooling during the pandemic, may feel exhausted by screens and avoid them altogether.
But we need to stop lumping all technology use together. There’s a big difference between passively consuming content and actively creating with it. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) & Fred Rogers Center remind us that intentional use of technology means asking whether a tool truly extends opportunities for learning and development, or if the same goals can be met with traditional materials. I have seen firsthand how digital tools can give children new ways to communicate, explore, and create.
This article shares practical strategies from my own Kindergarten classroom, where technology became a bridge to inquiry and expression rather than a barrier to play.
Guided Drawing: Extending Creativity with Digital Supports
During our inquiry into the diversity of languages and landmarks around the world, my students explored different ways to represent what they had learned. Some chose clay or papier-mâché to recreate their favorite monuments, while others gravitated toward drawing. A few children asked to use guided drawing tutorials on YouTube to help them capture the details of landmarks that interested them.
Step by step, they followed along, and once their drawings were complete, they illuminated them with watercolors. The final pieces were beautiful, but more importantly, the process gave them confidence to attempt something they might not have drawn on their own. Technology, in this case, was not a distraction; it was a scaffold that extended their creativity and fine motor skills.
(From left to right) Chichen Itza watercolor by age 5 student and Eiffel Tower watercolor by age 5 student. (Photo source: Itzel Madero Hernandez) Stop-Motion Storytelling: Unlocking New Voices
One of my students last year rarely showed interest beyond block play. He had limited vocabulary and very little English at the time, which often made it difficult for him to share his thoughts. When it came time to assess our inquiry on how insects and humans have different roles in their communities, I offered him the option of using the iPad to make a stop-motion video.
To my surprise, not only did he say yes, but he fully committed—taking over 220 pictures to create a story. In his video, the Queen Ant directed her colony to collect food, but a grasshopper attacked; however, the ants were saved by a scorpion. His work demonstrated he understood both the roles insects play in their community and the connections in the food chain. For him, this wasn’t about “screen time.” It was about having a way to share his ideas and his voice. Technology became the bridge between his love of storytelling and play and the academic concepts we were exploring.
In another case, two girls, who usually did not interact with each other, ended up collaborating through stop-motion. It began when one of them experimented with manipulatives and the iPad, creating a humanoid figure and animating it to walk. This caught her classmate’s attention, and soon she was teaching her how to make her own video. What started as parallel play grew into joint storytelling, as they created a narrative together.
Both of these experiences showed me how digital tools can expand opportunities for learning and development. Stop-motion supported one child in expressing complex ideas beyond his language level, while also becoming a bridge for two children to connect, collaborate, and learn from one another. While stop-motion was the medium here, videos don’t always need to follow this format. Children can also record live-action stories, capture role-play, or document experiments. What matters is that video provides a flexible way for them to make their thinking visible and share their learning in creative, personal ways.
Exploring Science with Merge Cube
Another technology we explored was augmented reality (AR). AR tools blend digital interaction with playful, hands-on exploration, giving children opportunities to engage with abstract concepts in concrete ways. Last year, my students used the Merge EDU and its Explorer app to learn about the solar system and the inside layers of the Earth. Holding the cube in their hands, they could rotate planets, zoom in, and even “step inside” to see layers up close. What might have felt abstract in a textbook or diagram suddenly became tangible and playful.
We also used the AR Makr app to retell stories in the classroom. Students created a virtual map of the story, placing scenes around the room. They could then walk from the beginning to the middle and end, sequencing events as they moved through the narrative. AR, in this case, turned storytelling into an embodied, interactive experience.
A Call to Shift Our Mindset
When we reframe technology as a bridge rather than a barrier, we see how it can amplify children’s voices, extend their creativity, and deepen their inquiry. In my classroom, guided drawing tutorials offered children new ways to represent their understanding of world landmarks. Stop-motion storytelling provided students with powerful tools to express complex ideas and collaborate with peers. Augmented reality, through Merge Cube and AR Makr, turned abstract science concepts into tangible explorations and transformed storytelling into an embodied experience.
None of these experiences replaced play; they extended it. They showed me that the question is not whether to use technology in early childhood, but how. When digital tools are used intentionally, they provide children with new languages of expression and new opportunities to see themselves as capable, curious learners.
For educators, the first step doesn’t need to be big. Try one simple tool, whether a guided drawing tutorial, a short video project, or an augmented reality exploration, and notice how it invites children to create, connect, and inquire.
References
Common Sense Media. (2025). The Common Sense census: Media use by kids age zero to eight, 2025. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/2025-common-sense-census-web-2.pdf
National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) & Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media. (2012). Technology and interactive media as tools in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. https://www.naeyc.org/resources/topics/technology-and-media
Itzel Madero Hernandez is the technology integration facilitator at The International School Yangon. Itzel supports students, teachers, and parents in leveraging digital tools to enhance learning and fosters innovation through technology integration across the school community.
