Digital vs. Analog: 5 Activities to get off screens and back to the real world

One of the biggest struggles I have as a parent is managing technology. It’s been a battle the last few years as my children have ended up with iPods and iPads a lot quicker than I’d assumed they would.

I teeter between wanting to eradicate them from my household all together and embracing them in our everyday. It’s so off-putting to see kids with their heads down, ignoring their surroundings and missing out on the world around. So how do we find that happy medium between constant heads-down and technologically oblivious?

I reached out to Tom Kersting, a popular New York-based family therapist, when he came through town a few weeks ago. He says kids are spending “more time in the cyber world than the real world, they are spending no time in their own habitat.”  He goes on to say that kids have a fundamental need for boredom and quiet, down time.

A few weeks ago, I wrote  this article  about setting healthy limits and was able to speak to the topic just a bit on Charlotte Today. As I continue this journey, I want to toss out some ideas that gets us out of the digital realm and back into analog- for a little while at least.

Gratitude Jar

One thing I notice about kids on electronics is that they get sucked in and unequivocally entitled. Yikes. When I see that glazed-over look in my kids’ eyes that says they’ve been on a screen for a bit too long, and as the whininess ensues, we head to our gratitude jars.

I printed off a thankfulness template online, cut the strips and put them in a jar with a pen. Each kid got their own jar and when we are finding ourselves needing to circle around to appreciating our real lives, we write out things we are thankful for and put them in our jars.

Records

Our family is die-hard Spotify fans. We have playlists for every occasion and fight over who gets to listen on which device (haven’t quite given in to the family plan, though). When the kids get their turn to listen on their respective electronics, it’s easy to become isolated and head to their bedrooms.

Our record player, however, is situated directly in the middle of our family space. We have a (limited) collection of vintage children’s vinyls that consist of children’s classics and read-aloud books. It is so nice to sit down in the floor together and listen to these albums. The older kids like to pretend they are too cool for it but since we have baby sister around, they still play along and love teaching her songs in a slower-paced fashion.

Meditate

Meditation is a great practice to get the kids (and whole family) involved in, even if only for a few moments. After spending some time on video games and YouTube, take some time to sit with the kid, breath deeply, and focus on being present, instead of on Minecraft creepers or whatever kids are looking at these days. Being intentional sets a standard for your family of connection with self and surroundings. Local therapist, Alexis Stein, suggests the book Moody Cow Meditates as a great book for kids to engage in metacognition and solution-based awareness.

Art Projects

I cannot emphasize enough what art projects do for my kids. When they are dying of boredom and have already used up their screentime or we are having screen-free days, we break out the art supplies and do a project together. One of my favorites has been working on painting furniture together. The kids feel involved and trusted because they are being allowed to do a more grown-up project, plus they get to give their artistic talents and input, giving them an outlet and something to do with their hands.

For days when we need something a little more attainable, we grab the sidewalk chalk and head out the front door. Each person gets a square to design as they see fit. What ends up happening is a flow of creativity and positive communication and encouragement we would have lost if buried behind our devices.

Photo Credit: Randy Rivera

This story was written for CharlotteFive’s latest channel for parents in the QC, called QC Playground. Sign up for the weekly QC Playground newsletter here.

This story was originally published September 17, 2017 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Digital vs. Analog: 5 Activities to get off screens and back to the real world."