Tips for encouraging kids away from the screens
Following on from my post about kids tv time, I thought I’d pass on some tips about getting kids away from the screens….
Tips for encouraging kids away from screens
- Chatting – Try (however hard it may be with some teenagers?!) to spark up some conversations, debates, or how about incorporating a ‘catch up’ routine as part of your regular day? Children often love a good debate or a chance to talk about something they love. Let them choose the topic if they want. It may only be 5 mins here and there, but that’s great.
- Encourage friendships – Try to encourage children to visit friends or have friends come round to you.
- Reading – Spend time with your children reading stories, listen to them read to you. Visit your library.
- Provide opportunity for creativity – Provide arts and craft materials, paints, a box of junk recycling (for junk modelling), music, encourage singing and dancing, make your own instruments and create a band. Encourage children to put on a performance or puppet show.
- Physical activity – children should do at least 60 mins per day of physical exercise. Encourage walks, try making the walks fun by going on an adventure, or a scavenger hunt. Go to the park. Encourage the children to do races, have a game of football, cricket, or other ball game. Get the bikes out or scooters. Go on a family bike ride, children are more likely to be encouraged to do something if you join in too. Encourage dancing or participating in a sports club.
- Play – Play is essential for children to learn and develop, encourage free play, where children can use their own imagination. Allow noise sometimes. Encourage children to play games together, or get some board games out as a whole family (have a games night). Think of a theme each week and encourage play around that theme, e.g. ocean, farm, police, pirates, nature, hospital, beach, woodland, the list is endless.(this may help spark some play ideas for children).
- Pinterest – Take a look on pinterest, this is one of my biggest and best resources for ideas of what to do with children.
- Cooking - let children help you prepare the dinner or organise some baking. It may be messy, but great fun.
Basically, be bright and positive about encouraging children to find other activities away from the screens. Get involved, children will often join in if you are doing it too. This also provides a fantastic opportunity for family time. I am loving the idea of a games night.
Ultimately though, you will not always have time to join in with every activity, children need free time too, they need to be able to amuse themselves, use their own imagination and creativity without always being told. Encourage this enthusiastically (no matter what negative response you get) and stick with it. The more opportunity children have for free time (without the screens) the better they will become at utilising that time for fun.
Good luck
P.s I am about to arrange a screen free day in January, in order to raise awareness of encouraging children to have basic childhood fun, away from screens. I would love people to join me in having a screen free day and then blog about what they get up to. Please let me know if you would be interested in joining me….
Some great tips here. As kids get older (early teens) it’s very hard to encourage them to do anything other than ‘screens’ but I’m pretty determined. So much easier in the summer – kick them out in the garden and lock the door!
Yes, it is definitely a lot easier in summer and while kids are young, it will get harder the older they get I think
As mine are still so young, it’s easy to get them away from screens, usually with plenty of free play, baking, drawing or outings planned (and I’m also a big Pinterest fan!). I’m hoping that if I continue to encourage this culture, along with introducing more structured games nights etc. as they grow, we’ll be OK, but I’m sure it’ll be harder when they’re older – we will see!
Yes, I was thinking it is going to get harder as they get older, which is why I wanted to start to encourage this while they are young.
Keep in touch about the screen-free day. I’d like to get my crew involved.
Great, thank you
Good tips, we do the crafts and baking thing a lot – when I can’t chuck them out in the garden! Let me know about the screen free day – I’d be interested in trying (that being the operative word!).
Fantastic, thank you
Great tips – I really liked the Pinterest idea
I think your idea for January is a great one, let me know when 
Thanks for linking to PoCoLo x
Great, thank you, will let you know about Jan screen free day x
Great tips! Although currently screen time is limited for our daughter anyway, I’ll keep it in mind for the future. Saw your link on Mondays Parenting Pin It Party
Thank you
Fantastic tips thank you very much! i know it is quite easy to just let them in front of the screens but is better if they are kept away!
Thank you for linking up with the #Pinitparty
Thanks x
Great tips! Thank you. I have pinned this to HealthyMorkus as I think non screen time is really important for children’s health. X
#MondaysParentingPinitParty
I believe it is important too, everything in moderation x