Monday, March 19, 2018

How to TAKE AWAY SCREENS! without losing your mind

"I'm bored."

Don't you hate those words? Kids get bored way too easily. And with Spring Break in the air, we're about to hear them say it more! Especially if you're trying to be a responsible parent and LIMIT their SCREEN TIME. That is such a hard thing to do! Screens are becoming an ADDICTION. We need to remind kids there are other fun options for their down time.


A few years ago, I made a list of things for my kids to do whenever they bemoaned having nothing to do when their video game time was maxed out. I would just point to the list on the fridge. This is a sample (age adjusted, as needed):
  • play a board game/card game/chess
  • Nerf
  • Play-Doh
  • build stuff - Legos/Imaginext/Magnetix/marble slider
  • race matchbox cars
  • Star Wars guys
  • costumes
  • build a fort
  • hide and seek - lots of variations: people or things, in the dark, inside/outside
  • basketball, baseball, kickball, soccer, football, etc
  • pool table/ping pong table
  • puzzles
  • make up a game (ball tag was one)
  • make a video
  • bake with mom 
This is a game My Mom made up for the Grandkids, the Ball Game:

Then there are the less popular items, encouraged to do to earn brownie points for sleepovers or cash:
  • Read!
  • science experiment
  • math practice problems
  • Chores and more chores! There's always chores to do!
  • go through their closet, dresser, or junk drawer
  • walk the dog
My "Stuff To Do" list was made for my boys, but girls can do all this and more! If I had girls, I'd keep most of it the same, depending on what they enjoyed, plus have a ton more stuff on it! These are things I liked doing as a kid (but I played with Barbies instead of Star Wars guys... my battles were like soap operas, not space operas, haha - and that's a post for another time!)

Having these things in an organized list, the kids have a menu to choose from. Instead of searching through their stuff to find something to do, they can read through the list and see what they're in the mood for. They can even help make the list and customize it and adjust it as needed.

Please help save the world, one child at a time and LIMIT SCREEN TIME! We want Creators and Leaders, not Robots (they'll take over the world soon enough, haha)!

Happy Spring!!

3 comments:

  1. Hi Tara - frankly it's the parents setting examples. I was at a lunch the other day and the mother came in with small children - sat down and got out her phone ... it wasn't complete chaos - but .... good luck with this wise advice - cheers Hilary

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  2. Reading Hilary's comment, I too have seen that happen many times. All people seem to care about is their phones. Good luck with this from me as well.

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  3. Hilary and Jo, I've seen it too. Little kids would LOVE to have their parent's attention- engaging little ones isn't tough-- as long as the parent isn't distracted by their phone.

    Tara, my mom used to answer "I'm bored" with a chore list. I took her same evil approach with my own kids. If they complained of boredom, I put them to work. They never wanted to not look busy in front of mom. Another great trick-- make them EARN the electricity. They put in time working or during active play to power their video games. Is it any wonder they often called me Momma Kill Joy?

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