Unlike 20 years ago, these days, kids are more often than not, staring into a screen, tweens and teens are texting short and incredibly earth shattering messages or furiously tapping and manipulating a joy stick that’s connected to a animated character that’s running, jumping, problem solving and maybe even saving the universe.
And while many of us think that these are harmless pastimes that help entertain your child during their idle moments and maybe helps with their eye-hand coordination and reaction times, too much screen time also carries with it certain risks.
To be sure, most adults today remember their favorite TV shows and certainly spent lots of time inside, yet today with the sheer number of available screen choices, more kids of all ages are spending less time outside and more time inside watching other people or characters engaged in life or make-believe. Fewer and fewer kids are outside playing, using their imaginations to take them to fantastical lands as they play with friends.
Parents have their own issues with screen time
But these days, it’s more difficult for parents to set limits on screen time. When parents are overwhelmed with their own overloaded schedules, it gets harder to stop looking at our own emails, and re-focus on other activities with our kids. We’re tired, and it’s easier to go with the flow, find a comfortable chair and sit down in front of a monitor or TV screen. How many times have you looked up from your own computer and discovered that your family is all-together in the house, each looking at their own screen?
Too much time watching and not enough time doing can slowly erode a child’s natural curiosity, imagination and creativity. What’s a parent to do?
Tips & Tricks
- Impose a limit to how long they can play, younger kids will be happy with ½ hour, and older kids will be less likely to push back if you set it at an hour.
- And at the same time, make sure they have other interests that will pique their budding imaginations.
- One such activity that you can try inspiring them to pick up is the art of making crafts.
- By having a separate craft hobby that does not rely on technology, you can help imbue a down-to-earth attitude in them.
- Crafting is a fun way to help your child learn about the real world and how it functions.
- In addition, with crafting, problem solving and “out of the box” thinking is inevitable, since there is no one right way to complete a project.
- And why not take up the hobby yourself? You will find that having a hobby that you can share is a good way to spend time together shoulder to shoulder and can help bridge the gap in parent/child conversations.
- Don’t be alarmed if your child is initially skeptical of the idea. They will naturally not want you to limit their video game time, if they have previously had unfettered access to screens and consoles. But be firm and reasonable, and adjust the hours as you see fit.
A few ideas:
1. How about using the characters in your child’s favorite video game to inspire him or her to take up crafts? For example, how about crafting a dragon from a fantasy game out of paper mache, fabric, needlework, etc?
2. How about drawing the characters? The make-believe worlds they live in? How about creating their own fictional character out of a water bottle, a sock, a washcloth they can cut up, some old yarn, string, rubber bands and other found objects
3. Younger children will be open to using Playdough to fashion characters, but how about modeling clay for tweens and teens.
4. How about making it a contest? Give your child the supplies they need, whether it’s pencil and paper or a store-bought model and a timer. What can they do in 45 minutes? 60?
Check back often for more ideas and send us your tried and true craft ideas for kids, tweens and teens.
what a great post. this is so true! it is very easy to just sit in front of the tv or computer which often leaves me more drained or viewing images i would rather not see.
to remedy this, i have found crocheting to be a wonderful way to relax in the evenings while also being creative while "exercising" my hand coordination.
crafts are an excellent way to share time with your family or just relax on your own.
:) melissa
Posted by: Melissa | July 20, 2009 at 12:41 PM