If you find yourself telling your kids about the good old days without smartphones, your family may need a tech break. Screens can prevent families from creating deep bonds or planning family activities together. If you’re worried about how your kids may react to a screen-free activity, you’ll have to come up with some enriching and exciting things to do. If you’re successful, they may just forget they have a screen at all.
Of course, we all enjoy a bit of screen time, however, with kids and teens it's important to implement screen time boundaries that actually stick. One way of getting kids off screens is enjoying time and activities together as a family. Here are 8 ways to enjoy some screen-free time together.
Start a Themed Garden
Encouraging your kids to get dirty may seem counterproductive, but you could end up with a gorgeous backyard when you start a garden together. Your kids can learn about the science and work that go into keeping plants healthy and beautiful while you enjoy some lavish landscaping. Brainstorm what types of gardens you and your kids may enjoy creating together. Edible gardens will allow you to harvest ingredients for your kitchen. A secret tea garden will help your kids pick out some pretty garden benches and beautiful flowers. A Japanese Zen garden can teach kids about different cultures, and using other elements like water and stone in the landscape. You’ll need some sand or gravel to get started, and you can teach them how to rake it to create the classic Zen garden look. You’ll get a better deal buying in bulk; I found gravel delivery near me at excellent rates. When you garden together, you’ll create a backyard that is enjoyable for years to come.
Go on a Road Trip
When you’re on the open road, the scenery around you can easily replace screen entertainment. Plan a road trip to a city or country you’ve never been to before. Ask your kids to compare the scenery in the new location to what they typically see at home. You can also create other exciting road trip games, like I Spy or the License Plate Game. Bring plenty of snacks and music to keep the kids entertained and avoid boredom. Make a lot of stops along the way to take a break and explore some fun side excursions.
Camp Outside
Camping is a classic bonding activity that kids of all ages can enjoy, even in this screen-obsessed world. Once you teach kids the excitement of camping, including fishing, outdoor cooking, and scary stories by the campfire, they’ll forget all about their video games or smartphones. Go on a nature trek and try to spot animals. Hike along a bubbling brook and find river fish. Bring along a telescope so the kids can see the beauty of the night sky.
Cook a Favourite Meal Together
Food brings everyone together, and a great meal tastes even better when you worked hard to cook it. Instead of cooking and serving to your kids, involve them in the action. Allow them to choose ingredients and learn the steps required to prepare a meal. They can even wear their own aprons as an official member of the kitchen staff! Just make sure the activity is safe for kids; always supervise them if they’re on any chopping or stove duties.
Paint a Collaborative Piece
Crafting is an excellent way to stimulate the brain and relieve the stress that screen time can often bring, even in kids. Painting is a fun example of crafting, as it offers many enticing colours and consistencies that cater to multiple senses. You can bond together when you paint together by following along with an artist or swapping canvases periodically. You may be surprised at the masterpieces you can create as a family.
Read or Write a Book
Kids may not be aware of all the incredible stories out there that can broaden their imaginations. Try to think of books you enjoyed as a child that your kids may not have been exposed to yet. Alternatively, you can both explore a new book together. Take turns reading each chapter aloud and discuss it as a family. You may also be interested in writing your own book. Try creating some characters and placing them in a brand-new world you've imagined. It doesn’t have to be a serious novel; just have fun!
Break Out a Classic Board or Card Game
Before mobile games and apps, there were traditional board and card games. Your kids may have even played games like Solitaire on their phones. You can host a retro game night and choose a board or card game that everyone might enjoy. You can take turns picking the game and have a healthy, friendly, and competitive evening. Snacks, classic music, and vintage costumes can make it an entire themed party. Games like Candyland, The Game of Life, Clue, and Trivial Pursuit can be very enriching.
Plan a Treasure Hunt
In a world without screens, many kids would have to play pretend to keep things entertaining. You can mix the thrill of a scavenger hunt with the enrichment of make-believe when you pretend you’re adventurers on a grand treasure hunt. Hide a treasure somewhere and make some fun clues to help the kids figure out where it is. Give yourself character names and personalities to make it even more fun. Whoever finds the treasure first can win, or you can make it a group effort.
It may seem like all your kids care about is screens, but if you can encourage them to look beyond the pixels and engage in some fun bonding activities, you may be surprised at how much they enjoy spending time with you. Show them what you did as kids to have fun, like immersive scavenger hunts and board games. Give them plenty to learn and observe when they visit new places and live off the land. Consider a balanced approach to screen time, allowing you to enjoy your bonds while also taking advantage of the amenities technology has to offer from time to time.
