Summer is just around the corner! And let's be honest, it's wonderful that our sports and homework schedules have finally slowed down enough for our child to just be a kid and stretch themselves in all the ways they typically can't during the school year. However, it's safe to say that summer time definitely comes with a unique set of challenges for us parents. We want to relax our rules and the structure of our day to day life so our kids get a chance to just be kids, BUT we also know that's a slippery slope. Because with the prevalence of endless play as you go video games and binge worthy TV shows any child would quiet happily get on their electronic devices and not get off until school starts end of August. So as you start to map out your summer keep these useful tips in mind to help you craft a balanced summer play diet.
Now let me be the first to say this Warrior parents. Screen time and electronics are fine. In fact they're often our saving grace when it comes to not losing our sanity on the hard days. Saying no to electronics for the entire summer just isn't realistic. They want to game and that's okay. Good habits truly are all about balance. When we set limits on things like screen time, we are working to create a healthy play diet for our child that balances all the different types of play (just like a well rounded diet balances the five food groups). Digital screen time is a component of play, but we must not let it overshadow or steal time away from other forms of play like physical, social, unstructured, and creative play.So how do we create this play diet and put a stop to the dreaded summer screen time abyss? We've compiled a list of great methods to help you Warrior parents set and enforce screen time limits within your home. Not all will fit your style, but you might just find one and make it stick. And isn't our children worth the extra effort to try?
"The Dessert Approach"
Some people treating gaming or television time like an allowance. You just get it, every day, guaranteed. Maybe it's to buy you some quiet time or allow you a chance to get work done. However, it's important to remember that the easy way typically isn't the best option. We aren't a fan of this approach. We prefer to treat screen time like dessert. You don't just get dessert because you ate your dinner. Dessert is a treat, a privilege. And screen time works the same way. It becomes a reward rather than a guarantee. And utilizing gaming or TV time in this manner not only helps you balance their play time, but also gets them motivated to work and strive for ways to earn extra time doing what they want to.
Get outside with Apps
This is a great way to have your cake and eat it too. The kids are on their phones using an app but they're also outside doing activities that you don't typically have time for during the school year. There are a bunch of awesome star gazing apps (for FREE!) that you point at a constellation and it tells you it's name or traces the outline of it for you. There are apps for Geocaching which is like a treasure hunt in your own town (we've done it in Wichita and there are actually quite a few fun ones near Warrior's Way, Academy, etc. Just make sure you bring some small knick-knacks or trinkets to replace the treasure you find). There are also countless apps that can help you do an outdoor impromptu workout, or apps with timers for spontaneous outdoor or creative competitions. There are apps to teach you how to make better shadow puppet figures. Truly your options are endless when it comes to integrating apps and outdoor play time!
Kids like gaming because it is easy, convenient, and fun. And it makes the time pass. When kids aren't off at summer activities, camps, or other structured events they are incessantly complaining of boredom which makes the weekends especially prone to endless game time. So instead of using screen time to stop this complaining give them an anti-boredom plan for success instead. Have entertainment stations set up in advance for those long days in. Reading, board games, cards, magic tricks, drawing, screen time, outside play, etc can all be stations used to break up the monotony of lazy summer days. With all these vastly different activities readily available it makes it easier for you to say no to endless hours of gaming and for them to have no justification when saying "I'm bored." Truly it's win win!
Have rituals to help with transitions
It's hard to just jump into home life immediately after work. Most of us have rituals that help us transition into this other role. Our kiddos need the same things. When they've been killing creepers for hours, they truly are occupied and somewhere else. So lighten the mood by summoning them back to the real world or earth with a silly transmission space style "I missed you." This lighthearted come back to reality can become a sweet and meaningful ritual that not only helps them transition, but can also become a meaningful tradition they carry on into their own families later.
Another great transition is to consider using a timer! A 30 minute episode on Netflix makes it easy for you to keep track of their screen time. Things like Minecraft are a little trickier. So try setting a timer for 30-60 minutes. Time can fly pretty fast when you're absorbed in technology so a timer can offer a no-arguing start and stop that was previously set and agreed upon. When the timer buzzes its time to turn off the game and get active. You can do this with some quick jumping jacks, or a quick stretch. Either way the timer lets you know times up and having a physical ritual after helps transition awareness back to the body after they've been sitting in the same hunched over position for an hour or so.
Have Summer time specific traditions
Evening time is prime game time because you can't really be outside and need to be winding down. So instead of all settling in for a movie, or playing on individual devices start new summer traditions in the evenings. Have a no devices rule at dinner time, read a book series together, sit out by the fire pit, tell ghost stories, chill in a blanket fort, challenge each other to epic candle lit board game battles, or even take the electronics outside with a projector or a drive in movie at Graham. All of these are great ways to take the focus off of video games and to build lasting and meaningful memories together this summer.
Not all of these will be the right fit for your family and your life style, but we hope you have some fun trying out these ideas and finding a better way to balance your play time habits during this summer. Setting these limits will take
some practice, but if you consistently say no to the summer electronics black
hole now it also sets you up for success when school time comes around.
#RaiseAWarrior
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