The British Heart Foundation recently reported that only one in every 10 toddlers have lifestyles that are active enough for them to be considered healthy. The report revealed that most toddlers and children no longer get enough physical activity due to dependence on screens. What was once a quick solution to keep a child momentarily occupied has become the norm of modern parenting.
Too much screen time, whether that be on a mobile phone, tablet, or television, is detrimental to a child’s health (and an adult’s health too!). Apart from not getting enough active time–important in toddlers and children for their physical development–the lack of inter-personal interaction is also detrimental to the child’s social skills. A constantly occupied child also uses his/her imagination less, which is an important factor to brain development and creativity.
While it is undoubtedly difficult–actually impossible–to escape screens completely, modern parenting needs to include the balance of keeping screen time to a minimum. To make the task easier, here are some parenting tips from MommyMundo on how to lessen screen time and engage children in free play.
1. Shared Technology
One of the easiest ways to limit screen time is to have a shared gadget among all the children. This both forces them to share and take turns, which also limits the amount of time each child gets. Should a child want more time, they’ll be forced to spend time with their sibling, which also leads to family bonding and more interaction.
2. Start Family Hobbies
Getting your children outdoors often will naturally limit their screen time.
Schedule activities so that children do not look for screens. Using the afternoons and weekends for activities like swimming, biking, beach going, and sports will get kids used to not having a screen. When in the car, engage in other fun activities like singing and storytelling, which forces children to access and use different parts of their brains.
3. Establish House Rules
Among some of the more popular parenting tips when it comes to screen time are the establishment of rules. No screens in the bedrooms and after a certain time of night is one good one. Screen glare often leads to sleep disturbance, which can be psychologically damaging apart from hindering the physical development that happens when a child is asleep.
4. Limit Adult Screen Time
Remember that children copy behaviour. Most toddlers and kids want to do what the adults do, which means if they don’t see their parents glued to their screens then they won’t want to be constantly looking at a screen either. Read books in front of children, engage them in life skill activities such as cooking, and encourage conversation so as to promote the development of their social interaction.
5. Simply Take it Away
More and more studies have shown that boredom leads to creativity. Letting children get bored forces them to think of things to do, which in turn leads to problem solving skills–a natural result of exploring their surroundings.
To really get kids unstuck from screens, active parenting needs to be practiced. This involves awareness, empathy, and being intentional in parenting style. For more advice on how to do this visit the MommyMundo blog!
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