If you have kids, you know that keeping them away from screens can be hard. They love their gadgets, and they want to use them all the time. Though there are benefits to having children spend time on screens and using technology, there are also drawbacks. Children who spend most of their time staring at screens may become less engaged with the world around them and develop a passive relationship with social media. If you have kids, you know that keeping them away from screens can be hard. 10 Tips to Keep Your Children Engaged And Away From Screens

As a parent, you must determine the balance between screen time and other important activities in their lives. They need to get enough exercise, they should get fresh air and sunshine, they need to have a good social life, and they need to develop strong relationships with people. However, it can be hard to figure out what your child would enjoy doing without technology. Luckily enough, this article can help you.

This article offers ten tips for parents to keep their children engaged in the world around them instead of on screens. These ten tips will help you find new and fun activities to do with your children.

Negative Effects of Too Much Screen Time

There are many negative effects of too much screen time. These can be both physical and social. Children who spend most of their time on screens may experience a loss of energy, they can become sedentary, and they can lose interest in other activities such as sports or reading. If a young child spends too much time on their gadgets, they might not sleep well or eat properly. They could also develop health problems like obesity or diabetes later in life because of the lack of exercise in their lives.

Young children are also at risk of being socially isolated if they spend too much time staring at screens. It is because social media is often used as a substitute for real-life interactions with friends and family members. If children spend too much time pursuing the games or other media they enjoy on their screens, they might become unwilling to interact with others in the real world.

10 Tips to Keep Your Children Engaged And Away From Screens

If your young child spends a lot of time staring at screens, it can be hard to find things for them to do in the real world. Fortunately, with these ten tips, you can find some activities for your children that will keep them engaged and away from screens.

1. Get Routine

You can make sure your children get more physical activity by making sure they get into a routine when playing video games and watching television programs. You should have certain times when your children play video games and watch television each day. It means you should set limits on their time doing these things. You should also get a computer desk that you can use to store the educational games and open-ended toys they use so that they have to get up to play them.

2. Give Them Opportunities to Learn About the World Around Them

You should allow your child to learn through all the senses while having fun. For example, you might try having your child learn about the world around them by exploring different neighborhoods. You could also have your child learn about a different country and culture using a map or a travel book.

3. Encourage Them to Get Outside

You need to take your children outside every day and encourage them to spend time with their friends at school or in the community. You could also take them to an outdoor game if you have a football, baseball, basketball, or soccer field close by. It will encourage your children to spend time outdoors and reduce the amount of time they spend on devices. 

4. Encourage Them to Write

Children who are writing are less likely to use digital devices too much. You could encourage your child to become a great writer by encouraging them to write stories while playing with their toys or playing with their siblings. You could also find creative ways to practice writing every day by encouraging them to write letters that describe what happened in the day. Check out this article 10 awesome tips to improve writing skills for children

5. Help Them Make Something

If you want your child to spend less time staring at a screen, try helping them make something instead of playing a game on the computer or phone. You could make them a craft by mixing different pieces of fabric or by creating drawings on paper. You could also give them the task of making a puppet that they can take to school for show and tell instead of bringing a toy.

6. Take Them to Visit Another Place

Your child can get plenty of screen time just by taking them to visit another place such as the park or a museum. Consider taking your child to an educational exhibit that they might enjoy along with other family members like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. If you have older kids, you can try attending a recital or show at the theater so they can be outside while they are doing what they love.

7. Create New Adventures

One of the ideal ways to get a child engaged in new activities is to create their adventures. For instance, you can ask your little one to build a fort in the backyard, play dress-up with them, or have them come up with a story using their imaginations. If you aren’t creative yourself, ask around to see what types of interesting things children are doing in your neighborhood.

8. Make Them Help Around the House

If your children are glued to screens all day, then you might want to make them help with chores around the house. You can also make them help the school run by picking up their sibling or walking to the bus stop. These activities could encourage your children to get away from screens more often and allow them to be more productive members of the household.

9. Play Board Games

Board games are great alternatives to video games and computers. They require concentration and problem-solving skills, which are essential for learning. Play games with your children. Even if you aren’t interested in playing, you can still show your support by offering to buy them a game now and then.

10. Teach Them to Cook

If you want to encourage your children to spend less time looking at screens, you should teach them how to cook their meals. You could ask your little one if they would like to bake something or put together a recipe. You can ask your child to help you prepare the tools and ingredients for cooking. This activity is a great way for your children to learn new skills while having fun at the same time.

Suppose you have agreed to do any of these activities with your children and find it is not working for them. In that case, you should consider talking with your child’s teacher or other adults in their life about how they can improve their engagement with technology. If this doesn’t work, you can temporarily remove all digital devices from the house so they can get more comfortable being unplugged. You should remove devices that are used to communicate with friends while they are away from home and devices outside of the home such as game consoles and tablets.

Here is another awesome article for you to read: “12 Tips to Reduce TV and Screen Time”

Author Bio

_{Andrea Gibbs is the Content Manager at SpringHive Web Agency, where she helps create content for their clients’ blogs and websites. She is currently a blog contributor at Montessori Academy, a blog dedicated to helping parents with the ins and outs of parenting children within the Montessori tradition. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys spending time with her family and her dog.}