Screen-free parenting is one of the most trending among the many topics on parenting that we have today. And this is important, what with all the hours they sit on the tab they snatched from your hands only increasing by the day. What is screen-free parenting? This is nothing but parenting with a watchful eye on how close your devices are to your kids. In other words, it is the art of raising healthier kids who are not addicted to the screen but growing as healthy, happy kids.
To help you out, here are some screen-free activities for toddlers and older kids that you can start with.
Seven Must-Have Screen-Free Activities As Kids
Get Outdoors – Screens cannot replace the time kids love spending time playing outdoors. You start, they follow. It can help you get healthy too.
Read – If only you knew where the habit of reading can take a kid, you would already be arranging books on a shelf attractively. That is all you need to get them to read.
Create – With reading, comes an abundance of creativity, which when not encouraged, can die as soon as it begins. So, get them to write, create, and do anything, and appreciate them for it.
Baking – Kids love stepping into the kitchen, and this is more so when it is to bake a cake or any of their favorite goodies.
Learn – There is no end to the things that kids can learn. We are not talking about math and EVS but fun things like swimming, dancing and playing an instrument. Consider their interests to see where they fit.
Family Time – Dinners together, long drives, and even some TV and prayer time are things that bring a family together. What’s more, it’s something kids also enjoy.
Party – Parties don’t spoil a kid when you teach them how it’s not about showing off and expecting gifts but about the right way of entertaining and preparations and see what great hosts they make out of it.
Related: How Important Are Daily Chores?
Activities For Screen Free Parenting
Discipline begins right from the time when they are kids, so don’t wait for them to get to school to begin all of this. Start monitoring your screen time for kids, and make sure that this does not include the phone or the tablet for any of it.
Screen time is when the family comes to watch TV together, and that’s it. Make sure that the rest of their devices are out of their reach, and don’t feel bad for it.
In the end, follow the firm ‘no’ you give them with a reason of how you want the best for them as kids.
Q:: How do you raise a screen-free child?
A: Set rules. That is the way to go. There are times when your heart will melt and you will be forced to give in when they cry.
Q: Do you limit screen time for your children?
A: Yes, one of the biggest mistakes here is to not set limits, which can turn them into screen addicts and give parents many regrets at the end of it.
Q: Is screen-free parenting suitable for teenagers?
A: Not really. Screen with limits is more like it. Set the standard when they are kids, so they know how much to use their screen as teens and how to make the best of it.
Q: Can screen-free parenting work in the age of remote learning?
A: Well, you can’t get them screen-free today, but let them know that you are monitoring their time on screen.