Kids and adults alike are all glued to their screens at some point. Still, parents worry about too much screen time and how it negatively affects their children. In this article, we’ll discuss five tips for getting kids off their screens and into exercise, fun, and socializing.
Get Off of Yours
Like it or not, we set the example for our children. We can’t expect children to ditch their screens while we’re stuck on ours. Set aside certain times of the day when you won’t allow yourself screen time. Point it out to the kids and tell them how great it makes you feel.
Keep Kids Busy
Your child’s world isn’t the same world you grew up in. We need to understand that and the fact that although it’s near impossible to remove devices completely, if we want kids to take a break, we need to have other activities for them. Here are a few suggestions to keep kids busy and distracted from their screens:
- Help with dinner.
- Assign household chores.
- Create game and art areas at home.
- Invite friends over.
- Provide instruments and music lessons.
- Build a couch cushion fort.
- Spend time outside.
Each family is different so do what works for yours. The point is to make sure kids have other options before you simply say, “Get off of your phone!”
No Device Dinner
Dinner is the perfect time to set an example with a no device rule. Talk about your day instead. Be careful that kids aren’t eating quickly and leaving just to get back to their devices. Establish a regular dinnertime and time of conversation every evening. You’ll never regret those conversations with your kids.
Stay Active Together
It’s amazing what a walk around the block can do. When you’re available and you notice your child has been on a device all day, ask them to take a walk. There’s a good chance they’ll jump at the opportunity to have alone time with you. It’s amazing what even 10 minutes of fresh air can do.
Find an indoor playground for those days you can’t get outside. Things like trampolines are an excellent way for kids to bounce into exercise. Slides, rock climbing walls, and ball pits get kids moving, laughing, and burning off energy.
The seasons change and so do our kids. Get creative and make a list together with your kids about activities you can all do together as a family.
Schedule Exercise
As adults, exercise doesn’t happen unless we schedule it. As parents, we need to do the same for our kids. Schedule exercise for them.
Here are a few fun exercising ideas for kids:
- Walks
- Skateboarding
- Catch
- Tag
- Hide and seek
- Bike riding
- Roller skating
- Basketball
- Membership to a gym
We hope our five tips for getting kids off their screens is helpful the next time you look around and realize you haven’t seen the children’s smiling faces in a while. They might miss yours as well. Set the screens aside and get the family talking and moving again.