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Screen-free activity ideas
By Josh Lockhart
Summer break is now in full swing, and the struggle has become real for parents as they balance screen-time and outside time with their children.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, Pokemon Go has helped get people outside, but still with their screens. It is often recommended to have no more than two hours of recreational screen time a day.
Let’s discuss some ideas of screen-free activities that you can do with your children:
Visit the library. Borrow a book or two while you are there to bring home and read. Find a book series that you can get immersed into over the summer break.
Become a Lego master builder. Dump out the Lego bucket and start building something without the instructions, let the imagination flow. If you’re not at master builder level, then dig up an instruction booklet and follow the directions together.
Pull out a cookbook and make some delicious treats. And remember to make a mess, not just because it adds cleaning time, which means less screen time; but because baking isn’t fun unless you make a mess.
Find a body of water. Whether this is a pool or a lake, spend some time splashing around and getting soaked. Plus, if it is a hot day, this is a great way to cool off.
Make art; whether this is painting, drawing, photography, crafting or playing music. Follow what Neil Gaiman said, Make Good Art. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just have fun and maybe learn a little.
Play a game. Not a video game, a board or card game. Dust off the game that they family got for Christmas and make it a family night. Maybe consider inviting friends over.
Play a sport. This doesn’t have to be an organized sport. Just go shoot some hoops, catch a ball, throw a Frisbee, skip a rope, or pedal a bike, just to name a few ideas. Again, Wii Fit or Wii Sports doesn’t count!
Most of all, be creative, have fun together, and enjoy the screen-free time. These were just a couple of ideas to get you started in discovering your screen-free activities this summer.
Put the gadgets and controllers down, and have screen-free fun this summer!
– Josh Lockhart MC, CCC, PHEc is a husband, father, columnist and counsellor. Josh focuses on helping individuals, families and communities lock their hearts together. Learn more at joshlockhart.blogspot.ca
