COVID-19 means that, whether we like it or not, we are all spending more time with screens. Your ability to stay connected to your child and give them the skills they need to navigate digital opportunities and challenges is more critical now than ever before.
This self-paced online class will give you:
More confidence
You will understand why your child or teen needs you to be their digital mentor while getting equipped with the knowledge and practical skills you need to excel in this critical role.
More clarity
There is a lot of conflicting information about screen time in the news and online. This class delivers evidence-based advice, not fear-driven soundbites. Learn what matters most when it comes to digital wellbeing.
More connection
You will practice creative ways to connect with your child both on and offline and complete this course with your family’s own inspiring set of commitments to connection.

Two Tempting Approaches to Screen Time That Can Backfire
There is a different way.
You can become an engaged and influential digital mentor.
Here is what you can expect in this self-paced online class:
This course is designed as a self-paced class. This means that you can work through the content on your own schedule and timeline! To help you dive in, you will get access to a new “Spark” every week for first three weeks. Watch short videos and work through downloads on your own time while getting your questions answered in comments and in our Spark & Stitch classes Facebook group. Then access for a full year so you can revisit the content when you and your kids need it most.
SPARK 1: Connect and Communicate
We get started by explaining why you are already your teenager’s digital mentor, whether you realize it or not.
Highlights:
- What does an effective Digital Mentor do? Defining and clarifying the role.
- Reflective exercises to help you understand the digital parenting style you have now and how to become the Digital Mentor your child needs.
- Exercises to help you catch your kid’s digital strengths.
- Suggestions for how to handle online challenges.
SPARK 2: Rest and Rejuvenate
It’s hard work to change our relationships with screens. One way to stay motivated through the inevitable push-back is learning the brain science behind when and where kids benefit from digital breaks.
Highlights include:
- Why your child needs sleep.
- The significance of boredom.
- How moving your body positively impacts your brain.
- The relationship between spacing out, imagination, and goal setting.
- Pep talks that acknowledge how and why habit change is hard and tips to keep going.
SPARK 3: Focus and Fire Up
One of the most precious mental resources we have is our attention. Learn more about how to help your child focus attention in a world full of distractions.
Highlights include:
- Why your child needs you to teach them the art of singletasking.
- Reactive vs. focused attention.
- Dopamine and your child’s brain on technology.
- The attention economy and practicing mindful media habits.
Nobody’s time is more precious and valuable than that of a parent. By the end of this course you will have received over twelve engaging video lessons, three strategy-packed downloadable guides, and had the opportunity to engage in an online community.
We are confident that if you really engage in this course, you will feel the difference in how you parent in the digital age. If you don’t see the value – we will give you your money back.
If, after you have engaged with the videos and demonstrated that you’ve worked through the materials and exercises, you still aren’t satisfied, you can reach out to the Spark & Stitch team and we’ll work with you to get your money back.
If you are a parent who feels simultaneously grateful for and resentful of technology right now, then you already know that parenting in a pandemic is confusing at best. If you feel like you are holding back the tide of total media takeover and crave digital balance for your family, then you already know that the path forward is not always clear.
Staying grounded in your values and staying connected to your child during this time demands extra guidance, problem solving, and support.
Your child doesn’t need you to be their online friend but they need you to be more than a distant offline relative. They need you to be their digital mentor, even if you don’t think you’re equipped for the job.
As a parent raising a child in the heart of the digital revolution, there is no opting out of this role.
I know you can do this. This class is here to support you!
Erin Walsh, Course Instructor and Founder of Spark & Stitch Institute
I’ve designed workshops and delivered keynotes on technology’s impact on child health and development to thousands of parents across North America for over twenty years. Parents everywhere are searching for strategies and ideas for navigating escalating screen time challenges. This short course delivers the foundational parenting mindset and strategies that minimize online risks while taking advantage of online opportunities.
Here is what you are getting when you get started today:
- 12 short video lessons
- 12 downloads that include more information, practical strategies, reflection prompts, and exercises
- A Family Media Priorities Plan
- An original, customized Commitment to Connection printable poster for your home
- Access to social community
- One year access to the content
CONNECTED
is the only online class of its kind that
Builds on your strengths instead of exploiting your fears.
Too often, conversations about screen time and kids orbit around worry and fear regardless of whether they are backed up by the research. This course is grounded in the evidence so that you can clearly identify when to worry and when to relax.
Stitches science to your daily struggles.
I’m a parent too. This course does rely on brain science and research but doesn’t float above the messy realities of parenting. Instead, it is designed to be reliable, accessible and actionable.
Offers clear, transformational strategies that you can adapt to fit your family.
Study after study offers a common set of ingredients that children need to thrive in the digital age. But your family and your child are also unique. This course shares those critical ingredients while delivering interactive, reflective exercises that allow you to craft strategies that works for you.
Reminds you that media are part of a larger whole
Many of the solutions to our most pressing screen time challenges aren’t about technology at all. They are about what it takes to raise kind, connected, and courageous humans. Certainly this course will help you work through your media-specific issues, but it will also inspire you to look at the big picture and strengthen your family’s commitment to connection.
Questions people ask before starting this class:
5 ways to know you are ready to join me in this course:
- You are concerned that more screen time might mean more digital challenges like cyberbullying, mental health concerns, or addiction.
- You don’t want to keep worrying about how increased screen time will impact you child without clear guidance on what really matters and what to do about it. You want solid information and clear strategies to navigate the road ahead.
- You’ve read parenting books or articles about technology and kids but seem to fall back into old habits of either plugging in and walking away or unplugging and saying no.
- You are eager for a class that allows you to learn when and where you want to and allows you to tailor strategies to fit who you are.
- You know that there are different ways to handle technology in your family system but you don’t exactly know what they are or where to begin.
If you said yes to at least 3 of the above, we can’t wait to meet you inside Connected: How to Show Up For Your Kids in the Digital Age