Five Ways To Replace Your Child’s Screen Time With Fun Activities
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Gone are the days when childhood meant time spent in the scorching hot sun playing a neighborhood game of police and robbers. In today’s day and age, children spend most of their free time staring at screens. Cartoons, YouTube videos, and mobile phone games have now taken over kid’s lives.
Believe it or not, technology has ruined childhood for our little ones. While this may appear to pose little harm now, it can have a long term harmful impact on your little one. Overuse of technology has been linked to poor eyesight, sleeping problems, and obesity. That’s why parents must limit screen time to not more than 30 minutes a day. Less screen time means your child has a lot more free time to partake in fun activities that are physically and mentally stimulating.
Cognitive and emotional growth is just as important as physical growth. And this kind of holistic approach to growth as a whole is what the PediaSure Grow Right Initiative aims at propagating. The initiative gives us fun ways to help our kids grow up and be ready to take the world on by storm.
If you’re a mom looking for exciting ways to engage your kid then this video is a must-watch. It will help put your kid one step closer to achieving their dreams and additionally, we have also compiled a list of some exciting activities you can do with your kids in order to replace screen time with fun activities. Read on to know more!
1. Host A Family Game Night
Remember how earlier our rooms were filled with board games? It seems like we’ve forgotten it. Bring out the Carrom board, snakes & ladders, scrabble and play a fun game with your child every once in a while. Every member of the family can participate in, and a few treats can serve as prizes. This activity is perfect for gloomy rainy days when your little one can’t go out and play in the park with friends.
2. Go Cycling Together
Early morning exercise can boost your child’s concentration power and have a positive impact on their grades and classroom participation. Apart from that, physical activity is a good way to boost physical growth and immunity. This is also a great way to work up an appetite in fussy eaters. Physical exercise can make your child hungrier and more likely to consume that yummy healthy food you prepared. With you by their side, your little one might feel more confident to try out cycling. Further, doing something together will provide an opportunity to strengthen your bond with your child.
3. Painting
Children are attracted to anything colorful which could be a reason why they find TV cartoons and videos so appealing. Unleash their inner DaVinci by mixing some paint in throw-away bowls and ask them to finger paint on blank sheets of paper. This activity will help develop their fine motor skills, strengthen their finger and hand muscles, and is also an innovative way to let kids express their feelings.
4. Sign Them Up For Music, Dance And Sports Classes
It is crucial that your child develops hobbies and interests. Hobbies can teach kids valuable life lessons such as perseverance, commitment, hard work, and teamwork. These values will build a strong base for them as they become adults. Many of these talents and hobbies that, if worked on, can serve as excellent career opportunities for your kids as they enter adulthood.
5. Tell Your Children Stories
Children love listening to stories. Stories stimulate the imagination and promotes development in the parts of the brain associated with creativity. Apart from that, it also encourages the child to communicate their innermost thoughts and feelings while increasing their verbal proficiency. Instead of being glued to the TV screen or a tablet while having meals, tell your child a story while they eat. Similarly, telling them a story after you have tucked them in the bed might be a good way for them to drift off into sleep. You can even have your child tell you about their day and what they learned at school. This will further strengthen the bond between you and your child.
We know that being a parent is not easy, and hope this article has helped in giving you ideas of how you can reduce your child’s screen time. We understand how hard it can be to have to cater to all the needs of your little humans while also ensuring that they are receiving all the support they need in order to be able fully develop and mature.
That’s why we recommend you check out the PediaSure Grow Right Initiative. This campaign addresses most concerns you may have and delivers exciting ways to tackle these issues. Nutritional experts answer some of your most googled questions and the videos are an excellent way for you to learn more about your child’s dietary needs. If you are curious enough by now, embark on this journey of knowledge by clicking here!
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