Get your children to be more active and off screen!!!
Tip 1. Lead by Example
If you are constantly on your phone, tablet, computer, watching tv or you name it, your kids will want to do the same thing. What do kids always want to do? They want to be just like mom or just like dad. Or if they are with grandma and grandpa, they want to be just like them as well. So, turn off your devices and be the active person you want them to be.
Tip 2. Guide Them
Spending less time on devices can be a hard adjustment for everyone, especially children. If they spend a lot of their free time on a device, you may need to help them come up with other activities that will be just as fun and will occupy their time. In our house, we give about 2 to 3 choices at a time. If you give them a huge list of choices, it could get overwhelming for them. Just remember to mix up the choices so they are not getting bored doing the same stuff every day. We will usually get them started and guild them on whatever activity that they pick for at least 10 to 15 min. This will get them interested and engaged enough that they will continue playing once you need to get something else done. Don’t get me wrong, there are times that we will play with them for hours, but sometimes we need to get other stuff done and we guild them to find an independent activity.
Tip 3. Start Slowly
We can’t stress this one enough. If you have seen our other posts, you have seen the trend and know that we like to start things slowly. It is hard for us to just jump in the deep end and swim. Taking away screen time will be a huge adjustment for some families. We recommend that you start by eliminating a 20 to 30 min show (tv time) or game time and replacing it with an activity like a bike ride or be creative and make something. Keep that the only time frame you eliminate, until everyone is used to and comfortable with that elimination. Then you can eliminate another set amount of time for another screen time activity. The amount of time you choose to eliminate, will need to be based on your family’s needs and wants.
Tip 4. Set a Time Limit
Once your family has been successful at eliminating screen time, you can start setting time limits. Every family will set and come up with time limits that work best for them. For our family, we give our children 20 to 30 min of tv time in the morning before school and 20 to 30 min in the evening to wind down for bed. Then on the weekends we might allow extra time in the middle of the day. If you have trouble with this, there are plenty of apps and tools that can help. They can shut down the internet if that is the issue or even turn off a device like the tv.
Tip 5 Find Something They Love to Do
If you can find the one thing they love, this will help keep them busy and off the screens. For our oldest son, he loves art. He loves the fact that he can use his imagination for his drawings and make up ideas while he is coloring or making something. And our youngest loves to build. He can build anything from Legos, building blocks, or marble tracks. He can come up with some amazing creations and can get engulfed in building for hours. If you have older children, maybe have them join an after-school program like a sport (basketball, soccer, baseball, swimming, tennis, volleyball, etc.), drama club, scouting, or band. Just to name a few. Now, we have to add this, if your child chooses band, you might need to invest in some noise canceling headphones, earbuds, and a sound proof room. IT IS A MUST!!! These ideas will keep them busy after school and off devices.
Tip 6. Don’t Go Over Board
Don’t go all crazy and never them have screen time. It is nice to set limits; however, it is also nice to break the rules sometimes. For example, it might be Saturday and it has been raining all day and all you want more than anything is to curl up on the couch and watch a rainy-day movie. Or another example is everyone in the house is sick and you have no energy for anything else, you lay around and watch tv. These things happen and you can’t go over board and never allow that extra time.
List of our favorite activities.
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