I am on this forum to help my elder son of 19 with his gaming/screen addiction. I think that there are others like me who have younger children and want to avoid the same issue arising in their younger children's lives. So perhaps we can start a list of things that kids and parents can do that doesnt involve screens so that we have storehouse of ideas...if anyone is willing to share some ideas please do so. Here are some of the things we already do and would like to do:
Excercise:
Surfing
Body boarding
Cycling
MTB ride
Swimming
Walking
Parks
Gym
Hiking
Specific sports
Creative:
Build lego
Draw
Games:
Board games - chess, BLOKUS, monopoly
Puzzles
Chores & garden work together
Baking
Making a meal
Reading a book alone
Reading a book (classics are good for this) aloud to kids
Outing ideas
Museums
Library
Picnics with friends and family
Hikes
Anyone got something to add?
I figure that in this tech age we need to be even more vigilant with our kids and not use tech as a babysitter and having a go to list is a good place to start.
Great idea for a thread!
When I think about my own childhood I was so much more independant...walking to school, going out on my own and calling on friends in the local area, playing outside, exploring our town.
If possible I would encourage all parents to encourage there kids to have a certain degree of doing things on their own outside.
So my suggestions would be
- grocery shopping at a local store for one or two items,
- encouraging safe social interaction with their neighbours and community for example; go take these home baked cookies to the dear old lady down the road.
I would also encourage that parents allow their kids to problem solve on their own; to feel boredom and look for their own solutions rather than expecting Mom always to provide the answers.
Moms Managing Media is a site that has a lot of ideas and comment of other non-screen entertainment that parents of yournger children may find helpful
INFO
Help for gamers here
Help for parents of gamers here
Help for spouses/SO's of gamers here
Parent's online meeting THURSDAY 9pmEST/EDT click here
Online meetings gaming addicts click here
Please help! Donate here
Thanks for that site recommendation - its great will spend some time there soon.
As a kid I remember the same freedoms you mention...so sad life is unsafe for the neighbourhood wanderings...but there are still things we can do. Thanks for that reminder.