What happened to kids enjoying riding their bikes, exploring nature, doing puzzles, carrying out different activities with their siblings and above all PLAYING! How many kids do you know, who actually PLAY with their toys! Do you have boxes of toys that are lying untouched and collecting dust? Unfortunately, our kids are so attached to technology that they not only have turned into sedentary couch potatoes but have definitely been deprived of simple childhood activities.
The very second children open their eyes in the morning; they look for their iPad or PS Vita or have breakfast in front of the TV, or maybe even get in a game of Playstation before heading off to school.
It seems kids are more interested in reaching high levels in these games and bragging about it than their achievement in sports or the 100-piece puzzle they finished, etc. My son has an incredible sense of pride when he talks to me about the coins he collected in Subway Surf or the number of houses he built in Minecraft.
So, I decided I am going do my best to save my son’s childhood. I took advantage of finding him playing on his ipad behind a book to take the ipad away for one month. He couldn’t object since I caught him red-handed.
My son has a huge box of Legos that hasn’t been touched in months. After a few days of fussing and moping around the house that he had nothing to do, I found him playing with the Legos and creating cars and spaceships and whatever else he felt like.
To encourage this, I started giving him ideas on how to spend his time and I joined him to engage in having fun together with non-techy activities. The following 5 activities worked very well with my son and helped develop quality family time, where all of us play together and usually end up having a good laugh.
Board Games and Cards
This one happened by accident. My mother was over and my son was showing her some magic tricks with his cards. I think after awhile she got tired and suggested she show him how to play cards. I had never thought of card games before and it certainly never occurred to me that he would enjoy it. Sure enough, he loved it and played it all day and asked to play again the next day and almost every day that week.
We haven’t gotten to board games yet, but I remember I always loved Monopoly and Pictionary growing up so I will start with those.
Cooking
This is one of the most fun activities that we do together! We take turns choosing recipes then we buy the ingredients, prepare the kitchen, and cook together. Not only is it exciting, but it also takes up a lot of time and they forget that they were ever bored. Kids enjoy cooking because they feel they accomplished something when they can actually eat what they worked so hard on. See my article on how to get kids into the kitchen here.
Coloring
I know this sounds cheesy, but we actually enjoy coloring together! Thanks to adults’ coloring books that invaded the market (I am officially addicted to them), me and my son have “coloring time” together. We made up this Art Wall at home, where we post our artwork for a week, and then we change it when we are done with our new colored art pieces. The fact that I sit down and color with him makes it an attractive activity that we all get to unwind from our busy day and relax.
Reading
This is what we call “Quiet Time” and of course it’s invented by mommy. We dedicate 20 minutes a day and each of us grab a book of choice and read. Usually close to bedtime. Books still have their charm and believe it or not, kids do have a great time reading and learning. Reading is a very simple activity, yet extremely rewarding. When you develop this great habit in your child, they become hooked and actually look forward to reading more and more books.
Bath Time
I have to admit that this is the activity that almost always saves the day! Whenever I need to do something or I need more quiet time, the bath comes to the rescue. You can’t go wrong with fun bath time because kids simply love it and are always excited to hop into the bathtub for a refreshing splash. I always have bubbles at home for him to play with and he always takes his favorite toys as well.
Let me know how it goes with your technology detox!