The majority of people born since the 1950s have their own ideas, technologies, and cultural characteristics to be categorized in different generations. Alpha Generation is the latest generation born in a highly digital environment after 2010. Since their environments are not the same as for previous generations, their formation poses fascinating challenges for their parents, the millennials, who have been formed in a comparatively undigitized environment. Keep reading for everything you need to know about parenting Generation Alpha.
Who is Generation Alpha?
The baby boomers first came here from the 1940s until the 1960s, with our parents and grandparents. Gen X, from 1960 to 1980, followed. Millennials were the successor to Gen X, those who were born from 1981 to 1996. Generation Z is born between 1997 and 2009. The Alpha generation is born from 2010 to 2025. The Gen Alpha age range is from zero to 10 years old, as the Generation Alpha years are in this running decade.
Who introduced ‘Alpha Gen’?
The word ‘Gen Alpha’ was coined by Mark McCrindle, who is a TEDx presenter, demographer, and futurist. Approximately 2.5 million Alphas are born every week across the world, according to his estimation, and these are the children who will grow up with iPads and smartphones in their hands.
Characteristics Of Generation Alpha
There are some Alpha details that your child needs to be able to raise.
Image Source – Pixabay
1. Tech-savvy
They may have been the first parents to be born into a digital environment, but Gen Alpha would be the first to incorporate technology seamlessly into every area of their lives. Alpha Gen and technology are in fact so interconnected that they are supposed to surpass their parents with technical skills by the time that they are eight years old. Without the Internet, smart technology, and virtual reality, they will never know a world.
Image Source – Pixabay
2. Gen Alphas cannot be restricted by rules
The time between the lines for playing board games and coloring is over. Gen Alphas can not, like their predecessors, be restricted by rules. When their digital world brings them in contact with an endless number of viewpoints that stem from a desire to take control of themselves, their energies are hard to contain.
3. AI is their reality
It was difficult for individuals a decade ago to imagine the effect on their lives and homes of Siri, Alexa, and Google’s assistant. It is exactly the opposite for Gen Alphas, Ai dominates its existence and is a natural part of its life. Also, it will also affect how they view the world in every move with the ocean of knowledge.
4. Most educated Generation
While most of them are still in their infancy, thanks to the technology and instantaneous knowledge available to them, they will be the most educated generation of all time by the time Generation Alpha comes of age. They are more and more familiar with the world than all their predecessors. This also alters the essence of higher education as it gives the institutions tremendously different standards.
5. Social media are the primary mode of interaction
Generally, Gen Alphas communicates with their friends and colleagues through social media and is linked all day long. This also gives rise to privacy and online abuse issues. Social acceptance is also about how much they like online. Although this is the practice, the importance of contact between individuals must be taught.
Image Source – Unsplash
6. Their learning is highly individualized
Gen Alphas has immediate access to knowledge that makes teaching and ancient learning models obsolete. With personalized learning opportunities targeted to keep up with them, they can learn at their own pace. Online learning modules and tutorials can promote their approach to education, in addition to the classrooms.
7. Their childhoods are very different from one another
The Gen Alphas are distinct, unlike their millennial parents who loved their free time outdoors playing and even spent substantial portions of days doing nothing. They live in a world of continuous cognitive stimulation, so they need more structure to prevent them from fidgeting in their days. The social pressure to do well in school and spend time taking up extracurricular activities to succeed is added to this. Although this works for others, many of them may feel nervous and stressed.
8. Gen Alpha live at the moment
The concern for adversities in the future has almost vanished during the younger generations as countries have thrived over the decades. So, with Gen Z and also Gen Alpha, the trend of living in the moment for the moment is common. Thoughts such as YOLO (you only live once), FOMO (fear of missing out), and even NOTOMO (no tomorrow) exist.
Image Source – Unsplash
9. They’re funky
The conservative clothing is also out of the window. As they concentrate more on individual styles and comfort than on social standards, the most exhibitions generation ever is predicted to be. Names for alpha children are more and more multicultural and mostly entirely unique.
10. They will create a different form of an employee at work
They will work alongside five generations in about a decade and perhaps form the largest community at work. As they come from a more diverse and open pool of thinking, their approach to work and problem solving would be distinct from their peers. They would also tend to work only with companies that are aligned with their ideals and accept diverse cultures of work. They will prefer technology over human interactions, thus needing more resources for mental health than their predecessors at the same time.
This child generation will be formed in households that travel more frequently, change their job more often, and live more and more in city environments rather than just in suburbs.
Ways To Raise Gen Alpha Kids
To get through parenting your Generation Alpha child, consider these tips:
- Your Gen Alpha child has little to do with modern technology, so it’s important to keep up with them. Try not to live under a rock and get acquainted with the virtual world. The better it is, the more valuable it is to you.
- The days of authoritarian parenting have long vanished. While your parents may have had full influence, now the dynamics are different. It does not mean, however, that you say yes to anything!
- You need to be clear about what is fine and what is not on the internet and social media until you allow them on the gadgets. Let them know the technology’s downsides as well.
Before children have access to it, the rules for the screen/gadget time must be clear. - They are drenched with technological stimulation of the brain. You have to be cautious in working on your heart.
- Many of their experiences and relationships are online, so it’s up to your parents to teach them compassion and resilience. If you grow emotionally, you need to learn to be conscious.
- Be their role models and encourage them to select the degree to which they would like your qualities. How well they are evolving, you may be surprised.
- Balance family time with the time of the phone. Set guidelines for how much time they can spend on the computer, but do not over-impose family time to the point that they are starting to loathe it.
- The most important thing of all is to develop a good relationship with your kids. Have open contact with them and be the one person on whom more than anyone else can depend.
If you’re raising a Gen Alpha, then prepare to come with some generation-shock as the shift has advanced exponentially. Now that you’ve got a glimpse of the future, you can better train your little one for how to raise her.
Also Read: Yes! We Are Millennial’s
