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Screen-Free Week: What a concept! When my kids were little, I sort of knew that tv-watching wasn’t the best way for my children to spend their time. But what I didn’t understand is that kids who watch less tv (or better yet, no tv) become better and better at the thing they need most: play.
Twenty
years ago, while agreeing in principle with the idea of spending a screen-free
week with my preschoolers, I’m sure I would have been slightly horrified at the
thought of a week without even a minute to myself. Like many other parents, I
used the tv as a babysitter. A
couple of kids’ shows every day gave me time to catch up on something, take a
shower, or just hear myself think. I didn’t realize then that an hour of tv
every day was making my kids more needy and demanding. I was a tired, struggling
mom with busy, active kids, like most preschool moms I know. And still, I’m challenging YOU to try committing to Screen-Free Week.
One
nugget of wisdom I’ve acquired: tv and other screen-related activities reduce
children’s ability to think and create.
This results in kids who are more whiny, more bored, and more unhappy
than nature intended. A child who
isn’t used to being entertained doesn’t miss it, because they are expert at
entertaining themselves. A child
who has a steady diet of tv, movies, and video games has less faith in their
own imagination, and find it more difficult to play. Honestly: if I had it to
do over again, I’d get rid of the tv when my kids were young.
Diane
Levin is an expert on the effect that media has on children, and has authored
several well-known books about it, including "So Sexy So Soon" and "Remote Control Childhood." Here
is what she has to say about Screen-Free Week:
Screen-Free
Week is a fun and innovative way to improve children's well-being by reducing
dependence on entertainment screen media, including television, video games,
computers, and hand-held devices. It's a time for children to unplug and
play outside, read, daydream, create, explore, and spend more time with family
and friends. And, of course, Screen-Free Week isn't just about snubbing
screens for seven days; it's a springboard for important lifestyle changes that
will improve well-being and quality of life all year round.
I
would encourage parents to give their kids a break from electronic media, even
if the first few days may be a bit frustrating. Kids often fuss at first about the things that are best for
them. But parents who are willing
to persist through the whining will eventually be rewarded with the joy of
watching their kids play, create, converse, learn, and explore. Even movies,
video games, and tv shows that are supposedly designed for children offer very
few opportunities for any of these high-quality, brain-enriching experiences. Screen-time is always inferior to real
life, in terms of satisfying learning experiences.
SCREEN-FREE IDEAS
Here
are just a few little ideas to get you started. You and your kids already have
a million ideas for fun things to do, so please share some of these ideas with
everyone by making comments below.
-Tents
and Forts Indoors and out, made
with blankets, cardboard boxes, or whatever is handy)
-Flashlights: Get a cheap one and a few extra
batteries, and see what your child comes up with!
-Clipboards: give your child a clipboard and a pen,
and ask him to walk around taking notes.
You’ll be surprised: even
toddlers often love “note-taking.”
There’s something magical about a clipboard.
-Paint
with water. Give your kids
paintbrushes and buckets of water, and send them outside. Inside, give them paintbrushes and
buckets of PRETEND water.
-Obstacle
courses: you create one for your
kids, then they’ll spend the rest of the day creating them for you.
-Snails,
Worms, and Other Wildlife:
collect, care for, observe, discuss, and eventually release. I’ve never
met a child who didn’t love small squirmy creatures. Kids will spend HOURS on this.
-Nature
art: collect flowers, leaves, etc.
and glue onto paper or cardboard. Or use nature-stuff as paintbrushes.
-Playdoh
or Fingerpaint: make your own.
It’s very easy, and the making is as much fun as the finished product.
-Tape. Give your child a roll of dollar-store
tape. Just don’t fall asleep…….
-Make
books or journals. They can be as simple as stapling papers together. Children love to dictate or write
stories and illustrate them. Even toddlers love drawing in their journals.
-Write
a note to someone, then walk to the post office to mail it. Or sit outside waiting for the mailman
to come so you can hand it to him.
-Sidewalk
chalk: draw shapes, pictures,
scribbles, people, floorplans, games.
Try it wet or dry. Try it
on decks, porches, or other surfaces that can be easily hosed off.
-Play
School: the child is the teacher,
and you can be the kid!
-Invent
games, such as new forms of TAG
-Soccer-ball
challenges: how far can you kick
it or throw it?
-Hanging
from bars: how long can you
hang?
-Learn
dance steps, or make up new ones
-Karaoke: use a fake microphone, and decorate the
“stage” with sparkly decorations and hand-made stars
-Reading,
reading, reading. Kids who are used to a lot of tv and video games find it
harder to concentrate on books.
But once they get out of the media-habit, all young children love to be
read to.
-Make
blocks out of boxes and cartons.
And
then of course, there are always the old tried-and true standards:
-Cloud-watching
-Tree-climbing
-Park
Days with friends
-Water
Play. Keep it simple: provide a
small tub of water in the backyard with a collection of containers for pouring,
or offer long leisurely bath times with sponges, cups, and boats.. Almost any preschooler would gladly
trade tv for water play if they were given the choice.
-Mud
Pies or Sand Cooking
-“The
Hose” If you’re in my class
at preschool, you know how awesome this tool can be! Turn it on a tiny trickle,
let your child water plants or build a river.
-Collecting: rocks, leaves, shells, sticks, etc.
-Ancient
History. Stories about what you
liked to play when you were their age.
-Make
costumes out of newpaper and tape
-Water
the garden. Give your child a tiny
cup, and tell him the plants are thirsty.
The
most important thing is that all these activities are fun. But they’re also
good learning opportunities for a wide range of ages. Many of them can be a
springboard for even better child-created activities. Some of these ideas need adults to help, at least at first,
but others are kid-driven, and adults only need to check in occasionally. None
of it is “rocket science.”
So
why is it that we sit our kids down in front of a screen as often as we do,
when there is a whole world full of kid-friendly adventures waiting for
us?
Give
it a try, and add your ideas to the list!
Happy
Screen-Free Week!
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